Nightlife in West University

Helmed by Peter and Bree Wilke, Time Market stocks aisles of snacks, cold drinks, and preserves and satisfies sit-down patrons with sandwiches served on house-baked artisan breads and pizzas made with organic and local ingredients. Seated on the market’s renovated outdoor patio, diners split specialty pizzas made with hand-tossed dough and fresh mozzarella cheese and cooked on a stone beside a pecan wood fire. Dine-in and carryout patrons alike enjoy a diverse selection of craft beers and hard-to-find wines along with bread, baguettes, baked goods so local they can give directions to anywhere in town.

Trapezes, lyras, and slings dangle above the stage and classrooms at Zuzi!, a nonprofit organization with an affinity for the expressiveness of modern dance and the gracefulness of aerial maneuvers. The source of this passion rests within cofounder and artistic director Nanette Robinson—who is a certified Skinner Releasing Technique instructor—and radiates outward to talented teachers who lead dance classes ranging from aerial and ballet to funk. It also fills the studio’s troupe of performers who frequently pack Zuzi!’s 135-seat theater for seasonal performances, including an annual Winter Solstice Concert. Their mission also involves spreading the message of modern dance as far as possible, which is why they schedule an open aerial class during Friday happy hour and offer classes for kids as young as 4 years old.

For decades, the dedicated pizza purveyors behind Magpies have woven together appealing pies that burst at their dough-seams with ingredients made fresh on-site every day. The expansive menu presents an appetizing array of options. Specialty pies—such as the Godfather, which manages a tightly knit family of mozzarella, swiss, cheddar, and romano cheeses and a meaty gang of Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, and capicola ($2.99 slice, $14.99 12", $17.99 14", and $20.99 16")—carry out quick, efficient digestive hits. Culinary constructioneers, meanwhile, can design their own doughy disc ($2.99 per slice, $10.99 12", $12.99 14", $14.99 16"). Starting with a foundation of New York–style regular, wheat, or crispy-sourdough crust, add a decorative daub of fresh sauce such as house red, tomato pesto, or barbecue sauce. From there, add on cheeses, veggies, and meats (extra ingredients cost $0.50 per slice, $1.49 each for 12", $1.79 each for 14", and $1.99 each for 16")—or indulge your mad scientist by piling together anchovies, fresh cilantro, pineapple, piñon nuts, and feta cheese and then bringing it to life during an electrical storm.

Consecrated to the cosmos, Sky Bar is a solar-powered café in the daytime and an astronomy-themed bar by night. The café's solar installation uses 323 solar panels to eschew the consumption of fossil fuels and help keep the planet healthy. At night, the focus turns to celestial bodies other than our own, as images from the bar's rooftop telescope are projected inside to create a cosmic ambiance. On open-mic nights, local and traveling musicians take the stage under the auspices of host DJ Odious, whose vinyl collection includes a 7-inch cut from Saturn's rings.

From its unexpected flavor partnerships to its offbeat naming conventions, Bumsted's youthful approach to classic bar fare places a whimsical twist on every plate that graces its menu of apps, salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Meat-and-bread mavens can pair the I Scream, You Scream BLT ($7.95) or Charlie sandwich (house-made tuna salad, $7.95) with an order of tuber-tastic french wedgies ($2.95) from the Cheep Thrills side menu. For those who enjoy their meals pounded and grounded, Bumsted's also serves up mischievously named meaty and meat-free burgers such as the El Camino Mullet (half-pound angus burger with bacon and American cheese, $7.95) or Michael Bolton Mullet (marinated portobello mushroom, blue cheese, bacon, avocado, and tomato, $8.95). An entire portion of the menu is devoted to a Wagnerian celebration of meatloaf, alongside a dazzling array of hot subs. Otherwise, keep it perennially perky with the Soccer Mom ($9.95)—a melding of turkey and bacon with avocado, honey mustard, and cheddar—or descend through the Disco Inferno's ($9.95) nine hunger-punishing circles of fried chicken, atomic wing sauce, and blue cheese.

Each Auld Dubliner location must meet the stringent level of authenticity required by co-owner and Gaelic strongdrinker David Copley. A native of Limerick, Ireland, Copley might share a dirty poem if you ask nicely, but he's more likely to tell you that every part of his pub's polished wood, brass décor, and menu of toothsome Erin edibles was designed and crafted in Ireland and transported piece by piece to its new American home. Tuck right into pub classics such as shepherd's pie with ground beef and lamb ($12.95) or the for-more-than-St.-Patty's-Day corned beef and cabbage ($12.95). Other fare that comes with a shamrock stamp of approval includes the traditional boxty (a potato pancake), stuffed with delights such as Irish bacon and melted cheddar ($13.95) or Atlantic salmon with shallots and tarragon ($15.95). For a finish as sweet as a "yes" from Molly Bloom, the Irish-whiskey crème brûlée adds a twist to the traditional dessert.