Wild Hare offers change of pace from chain bars

Fourty-one neon signs, 25 TVs, 35 different bottled beers and an entire crew of entertaining bartenders and servers. The Wild Hare Sports Cafe, behind Longhorn and beside Liberty Tap Room and Grill in the Vista, comes to life seven days a week between 11 a.m. and 2 a.m. If you're a sports fan or simply want to catch any game, match or race in an environment more energetic than your couch, then this is the place to be.

"My friends and I come to Wild Hare, because it's one of the more casual places in the Vista to go to," said fourth-year visual communications student Beverly Lee. "The environment is friendly, laid back and comfortable."

"You've got to come here for the atmosphere and fun crowd," said Amy Allen, a third-year criminal justice student and server at Wild Hare. "Even though I'm at work, it feels like I'm getting paid to hang out."

And with a happy hour until 8 p.m. daily, there's a lot of hanging out to do. If you can't make it then, the specials throughout the week are a good enough draw to bring in a crowd of all tastes.

Wild Hare may not offer the everyday bargains like the dives in Five Points, but offers a food bargain and a special drink price appealing to those who want to switch it up from the college bar scene. That's not to say the college crowd doesn't head here on a regular basis though.

"It's a lot roomier compared to other bars," Lee said. "I don't get that cramped feeling, and there is a wide variety of seating choices as well as a great shot list."

To really get the Wild Hare experience, visit the back bar and see Ingrid Hasty for her signature shot, which is also the most popular drink at the Wild Hare. The ING-Bomb is made of strawberry vodka and 180 Orange and makes for a quick and social way to get a buzz. Hasty has been at Wild Hare for four years and said she just made the shot one night and caught on over time.

"The Wild Hare is the kind of bar where everyone knows someone," Hasty said. "On a busy night about 300 people probably pass through."

One of the big differences that Hasty points out is that "Wild Hare is not corporate like Wild Wing or Carolina Ale House. It really sets us apart that we only have locations in Lexington and Irmo."

So the next time a game comes on or you've got a bunch of friends who want to go out, grab an ING-Bomb and get to know the other servers and bartenders at the Wild Hare at 902 Gervais St.