Pubs are like people. Either you like them. Or you don�t. And people are like pubs. Either remaining the same over the years. Or changing with the times. Some people remain loyal to certain pubs. Others flit from one to the other along with the tide.

There are pubs and there are pubs. Meaning some are proper pubs or public places where people visit to unwind on their way home from work. Others have flashing lights and dance floors and border on the discotheque. Still others are international standard nightclubs, big and filled with Bombay�s bold and the beautiful.

Entry fee, cover charge, couples only, membership, no stag dancing on the dance floor. These are some of the terms you�ll hear on your night out on the town.

At one time, when pub culture was just catching on, you could do a pub crawl in one night. Now, even area-wise it is almost impossible to cover all the nightspots, unless you happen to have superhuman energy.

So, let�s go on a pub crawl of the city. Let�s start with Bandra since one of the very first pubs sprang up here. It�s Toto�s Garage at Pali junction and its still going strong. As the name implies it�s a garage themed pub with a Volkswagen perched above the bar, auto parts like steering wheels and numberplates all around. This is a no-nonsense pub, no dance floor, just a plain and simple place where you go to refuel and listen to good music.

The newest nightspot in Bandra is Fluid on Waterfield Road. It is the Queen of the suburb�s liquid asset. It�s hip, hop and happening. It�s swanky and spacious with action revolving the sizeable dance floor and the bar area. You get a mix of the young swingers and old faithfuls who just love the retro music played.

The retro rage seems to have spun off from Club IX on Ambedkar Road that started as a place for the 30-plus but soon attracted even the young set. At the time of going to press the place was in for yet another renovation and refurbishment.

Not just retro is played at Club Abyss above the popular Moti Mahal restaurant on Turner Road. You climb up the stairway to heaven, or rather to an underwater themed pub with fish staring at you and watching your every move, or at least it seems so after three drinks. Everything is shipshape though on a Saturday night it is overloaded. Luckily, it has never capsized.

Also rocking and rolling is The Lobby Bar at the SeaRock, especially on a Saturday night. Celebrities, socialites, models and Bandra babes are seen here. The music is a mix of commerical, underground and Latino tracks. The place is in two sections, inside there is an air-conditioned English pub-like ambience with a dance floor overlooking the swimming pool below. And outside there is a Moroccan tent-like seating area with sea breeze and a video wall for company. There is a steady migration of party people from one section to the other and outside in the lobby and into Oceanic, the 24-hour coffee-shop.

Embers at The Regent across the road at Land�s End seems to have been started to counter The Lobby Bar. But it�s different, this is an open-air pub on the pool level with double the rates for drinks and snacks, so it is no competition, rather an alternative.

While you hear recorded or DJ music at most pubs in Bandra, it is jukebox music that beckons at Temptation at Hotel Metro Palace on the always busy Hill Road. Yes, you can play your own song as you sip and snack in a setting of what looks like a combination of a coffee-shop and a cocktail lounge.

Also in the Bandra-Khar area there�s the Sports Bar at Shatranj Napoli at Union Park and Bass 2 at Hotel Ramee International on S. V. Road. Bass 2 used to be Madness and later More Madness. Some refer to its present avatar as Still More Madness.

Over the years calling it a night in Bandra have been Cavern at SeaRock, Illusions and Happenings on Hill Road, Westend Cafe on Waterfield Road, KK�s above Pamposh on Linking Road and Havoc just around the corner with its house of horror theme.

From Bandra let�s move to Juhu. At one time you could call it the sunset strip with its sweep of nightspots, some happening, others not so. There was Sheetal Again that changed to Blue Camel and faded into the desert, Top Brass at Hotel Fition, the Wild West themed Crazy Horse that was transformed to Wigwam. Then there was Jinx at JVPD Scheme that had its good times and, more recently, Paparazzi that went out of the picture.

And remember Xanadu, one of the city�s oldest discotheques located at Hotel Horizon? Also in Juhu, at Holiday Inn, there was Scorpius that made way for Casablanca that closed down.

Now hot in Juhu is J49, named after its address, J for Juhu and 49 for its pincode. This is one place that grows on you and after seven years people seem still mesmerised over its mystical and magical mood. Now it looks quite swanky with a streamlined bar and flair bartenders, the music that overdosed on techno has spread a bit, there is disco on Thursday and Bollywood hits on Sundays.

A great concept was Razzberry Rhinoceros, our very own version of the Hard Rock Cafe with live bands in attendance. It has been a great platform for musicians to showcase their talent. This barn-like place was the first to introduce pool tables, it has changed its look over the years and now the charm seems to have almost disappeared. Looks like the rhino is getting extinct.

Meanwhile, the second oldest pub in town, On Toes at Mithila Shopping Centre, JVPD Scheme, has grown from strength to strength. Rocking music and DVDs erupting on screen seem to be a big draw. There�s always a buzz in this place that has now relocated to the first floor above the popular eatery of the same name. What you get here is more than just pub grub, with the very best of Indian and Continental food.

The most recent addition to the Juhu nightclub scene is Enigma at the swanky JW Marriott Hotel. It has a Moulin Rouge feel about it and reminds you of the old 1900�s. This is only a weekend place and in a league of its own.

Near the domestic airport there was Take Off at Hotel Airport Plaza that turned to Go Bananas when Kamats Plaza took over. Now, it�s the turn of The Orchid and the bar called Merlin�s with its magical spell. And Avalon at Hotel Bawa International attracted with its late-night buzz. Yes, it�s still open.

Over to Andheri, now. The first name that comes to mind is Cyclone, the club at The Leela, the very first place in town to introduce karaoke, the singalong craze. Swanky, stylish but a little like the forbidden city due to its location (so far away from town) and also the exclusive member�s only tag. The place is still beating but it�s not so crowded. Nearby the western themed pub Grand Canyon at Kumaria Presidency still stands with its sadle barstools, wooden decor, staff sporting stetsons. It seemed just like a place where the West was won. Now, not many people seem to be talking about it. It�s the similar case with Blackout, the discotheque at Hotel Host Inn.

But everyone is talking about Enigma, the small and cosy pub next to the popular Legacy of China at 6 1/2 Bungalows, Versova. Lounge music, retro and love songs fill the air in this two-level place that offers happy hours, what they call Smiley Hours with friendly rates. Further, at Rodas, the ecotel hotel in Powai, is Zwigs that also reminds you of the old 1900s with a sizeable bar and dance floor. Waiters on roller-skates ensure swift service. The decor is a blend of the old and the new, very chic indeed.

The far-off suburbs have not quite got into the swing of the pub race. Malad does have its Galaxy of Stars while at Borivli places like Upper Deck was not so successful.

It�s time to take that drive to town. First stop, Mahim, near Hinduja Hospital, and you step into Scottish Arms with warm wooden tones giving you a nice comfortable feel. When it started it was really rocking and now it has settled to a steady pace. Twice As Nice at Shivaji Park has now apparently been tranformed into a restaurant.

The mills are alive with the sound of music. Yes, the Parel-Worli area is rocking with people having a rollicking time.

Fire & Ice started the trend with its international standard nightclub. This is a multileveled place with throbbing sound, lights and lasers, screens and plenty of moving space though you won�t think so on a Saturday night with pretty young things in minimal clothing, not that we are complaining. What followed has been Velocity that was Superdrome with bowling lanes and a bar called Watering Hole and Mikanos at Landmarc Citi.

Moving on to the Chowpatty-Kemps Corner area, there�s Copa Cabaana that stood out when it first started mainly because of its Latino and Spanish tracks that was a swing thing. It was formerly London Pub that was supposed to be a chain of pubs from the London Pilsner people but failed to materialise. The place is still popular for its ladies� night on Thursday and candlelit night on Sunday.

Ghetto near Breach Candy has always enjoyed a steady clientele, an excellent meeting place to many and a perfect start for a pub crawl. The graffiti interiors and rock music have been the attractions. At Shalimar Hotel the bar called Windows changed to Smooth with fancy cocktails and live music on certain nights. Everything�s not so smooth and easy, though. The same is the case with Liquid Lounge at Opera House.

Oldtimers remember RG�s, named after Ravi Ghai of Hotel Natraj and Studio 29 at Hotel Bombay Internatinal as their popular downtown hangouts. Now, the crowd has moved to Indigo and Athena, though these are not technically pubs but then in Bandra some consider Olive as a pub.

Today, Cafe Mondegar continues its swing with jukebox music and pitcher of draught beer. If you want beer there�s also Alps behind the Taj and Leopold that has come a long way. The upstairs section is known as Leo�s Den with a nice pubby feel and crisp music. Tavern (formerly Ye Olde Tavern) changed drastically from a rocking place with loud music videos to a rather sedate cocktail lounge with bright lights. Not like old times, as they day of Tavern & Beyond.

Jazz By The Bay added a Not Just prefix and has not looked back. It�s a great performance place for live acts, a compact and interactive sessons with karaoke catching on in a big way.

At one time Three Flights Up (TFU) would rock with its longest bar counter in town and swinging crowd. After it relocated to a smaller and brighter place at Gordon House things seem to be down but then it is now a member�s lounge.

Studio with its movie themed ambience changed to Fashion Bistro with wild interiors, then it closed down and is now reopened, looking rather tame. But the city�s very first pub, Rasna, that was a restaurant that converted part of its premises to a pub has since expanded with only the pub standing. It is now exploding with action.

A prim and proper pub is Geoffrey�s at Hotel Marine Plaza. In fact, it has become a brand with Geoffrey�s in other cities like Bangalore and Delhi. The decor is very English, with a whole lot of wood, frames, mugs, artefacts.

This is one place that always gets a crowd in the early hours of the evening, executives who loosen their ties and down beer and other drinks and settle for some pub grub.

Yoyo�s was the very first pure veg pub. This place near Sterling attracts mainly the college crowd, not only at night but even in the afternoon. Rewind nearby can�t make up its mind whether it�s a pub or a restaurant. And Flavors at the Ambassador was the flavour of the season many seasons ago.

The pirated themed pub Jolly Rogers near Reserve Bank swung for some time but still swinging is HQ, headquarters to many. This place above Cafe Royal, opposite Regal, has a cruise vessel feel and it is here that you can cruise into the night.

Now there are two new downtown nightspots. One is Insomnia at the Taj that encourages you to have sleepless nights and the other is Indus, the Indian bar with a Western atmosphere. It�s at Hotel Diplomat, next to the Taj, it�s a cool cocktail lounge noted not just for its drinks but also tandoori fare. Yes, it�s time for tandoori nights.

Of course, some consider Starboard and Harbour Bar at the Taj, Opium Den at Oberoi Towers and Starters & More above Eros as pubs. They miss Cellar at Oberoi Towers and Slip Disc where once Led Zeppelin made an appearance. Now it�s Voodoo with a different spell altogether.