Accidentally came here twice in a row! Was looking for a fun late night spot and we walked up on it from being down the block at 12am. The DJ was actually really good at mixing and it was easy to order at the bar even being so busy. Turns out our drag brunch was also there the very next morning!! I love the versatility of the spot and that they support the community. Both were great exper read more

Banks Ave - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Fun divey spot- came for a couple rounds of pool and enjoyed the atmosphere, company, and drinks. I had a couple glasses of bubbles- chilled perfectly. Bartenders were friendly. I would come back! read more

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Cool vibe, great staff and cold drinks!! Went to see a drag brunch and had an incredible time! You can tell the staff is proud of their venue! read more

Banks Ave - Drag brunch - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Good ol' Banks Ave! I used to come here all the time when I lived in Asheville. Cheap drinks, fun games, plenty of space indoors and out. The space is dog friendly and pretty easy to get to in town. They used to require memberships (I think it's $1) but they didn't ask me for a card this last time that I went. Just keep that in mind! Cheers! read more

Banks Ave - the bar area of a bar - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Love love love the space. They really leveled it up. I love how inclusive it is. Feels like such a welcoming environment. The bar now has a ton more options. Bartenders are super kind. They always have water and are dog friendly It's way cleaner now and the bathroom line is not that long. They have pool tables in the back and often offer drag shows and other fun events. read more

Banks Ave - a group of people with umbrellas - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Great country western and line dancing offered on Thursday and Sundays. Its FREE! The bartenders are nice, the dancing and vibe is really fun and you get two lessons each time. It's the only place in town to line dance, two-step and barn dance. So grateful it's here! You can find them on Steppin Out AVL website and FB. People wear whatever but having boots makes it more fun! read more

Banks Ave - Learning a barn partner dance - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Always have the best time at banks! Their drag shows on Fridays are soooo fun and the bartenders are always super sweet

Always a good time when we're here! The staff is great, the space is amazing and the music is always on point!

One of my favorite bars in Asheville. Been coming here for a little over three years now and it never fails. They have a full bar, fairly priced drinks, different drink specials each day, and a diverse crowd. Drag shows here are the best in Asheville too so if youre looking for entertainment this is the place to be. Staff is friendly, quick, and make great drinks. Definitely recommend this place whether you live here or are visiting. read more

Banks Ave - Inside - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Pool tables in the back. Big open, clean, not to dark and lots of seating. Long bar and great bartenders. I stay away when it's crazy crowded but love it when it's chill inside. read more

Definitely my new favorite bar in Asheville. As a brand new business in town, this place is rockin! It's hard to explain in words exactly WHAT I like about Public School, but I will try. There is a nice, spacious outdoor seating area that feels clean, and comfortable. There are a few tables with chairs, but it also feels comfortable to stand along the railing and chat as well. The inside of the bar is very large and open. Again, everything feels very clean, spacious and new (duh). There are a few painted murals on the walls, but otherwise decorations are minimal. There are a few tables with stools around inside but it has more of a sit-at-the-bar vibe. My favorite part of this place though is that they have cornhole. INSIDE. Yes, they have cornhole inside! I love it. I can't wait to come back and enjoy a delicious specialty cocktail and play some more cornhole! read more

Banks Ave - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

1. Disrespected at the door means I don't spend my money here. As a local, we're lucky to have plenty of places at our disposal. If your door man wants to speak disrespectfully to me at the entrance, you do not earn my dollars in your establishment. read more

Great place for pool but the bouncers can be racist. Invited some tourist in town tonight who had a Mexican passport and they were not let in. I'm in the industry and have invited other foreign guest before. Some with Britain passports and they were let in. Not the best feeling when your of Mexican heritage. Fix your views and know all countries are able to travel. read more

Pretty cool place when there's no DJ. But that's just me.. the kids these days still like a DJ. but a great place to shoot pool and have a couple early on when in south slope. read more

What? How have I never reviewed this place before! This is my go-to neighborhood bar. The booze is cheap, the bar tenders are friendly, and generally, it's a pretty good social crowed... Or not! On a quiet night at Banks Ave. expect to play a relaxing game of pool, corn hole, or darts. Hang at the bar and get to know the bar tenders or chill on the massive paved patio with your dog or some friends. It's a full bar so, you will have plenty of choices. It is in the heart of south slope as a nice breath of air from all of the breweries. It's also right next door to Buxton Hall giving you a place to grab a drink during your long long long wait to be seated. On a busy night, expect a line down the block and a major dance party! Usually sponsored by PBR and themed with a dope Photo Booth! These dance parties are the highlights of Asheville night life in my opinion and I always have a killer time! Remember! It is a private establishment so you have to have a membership or know someone with a membership. Holler at me if you want to meet at my favorite bar! read more

Banks Ave - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

If you can't afford tuition for Private School, membership at Public School is only a $1!!! Streamlined, funkified and cool as $hit! PBR Zombie 6 pack and Drunk Puppy wall graphics are on point!! A PBR vending machine?!! $7 for a PBR tall boy and a shot of Jameson's?!!Draught Beer and canned, plus a creative cocktail list. A few Tang and Vodka George Jetsons will have you walking an imaginary Astro on the space treadmill. I think someone made the table and chairs in shop class out of plywood! Pool table and indoor cornhole. Nice outdoor space in the front. Staff is great; they yuck it up and make sure you have a good time. The private club done right!! read more

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Why 4 stars? Because PSB provided a lovely evening. --- --- --- Apparently it's not normal to take a large group here and monopolize the outside seating, but monopolize we did. This allowed me to enjoy what Floridians call "winter," and Ashevillians called "mid-September." It's fun to wear jackets when you haven't had to do so for 7 months! Here's what else I liked about my visit: -Everything was quite spacious. -I was able to order a New Belgium Pumpkick, a beer I had been looking for since last fall, and had yet to find until this visit. -The bathrooms were large, clean, and bright. I needed them to be bright so that I could give a good, hard look in the mirror and ask myself, "why are you out after midnight? You're old, remember?" I then took my advice and went to bed. read more

Public School has become my weekend haunt. It's super large, and extremely spacious inside. Indoor corn hole, pool, darts, and a bar that stretches as far as the eye can see. It is another one of Asheville's private clubs, but getting a membership is fast and easy. You can even put the membership fees on your card at the bar and get signed up that very day. Drinks are extremely fairly priced. $2 for a 20oz PBR draft is downright splendid. Throw on a $5 Jameson and you're rocking their Shift Meal special. There are a couple of other fancy cocktails on the menu, the George Jetson utilizes a Tang rimmed glass, and the Paloma is a truly refreshing libation. As large as the outdoor area is, there's not a ton of actual seating. Pro tip: Be cool about sharing chairs or allowing new people to sit with you. Also, if it's not too busy inside you can grab one of the shorter wooden stools and bring it to the patio area with you, but be considerate and make sure you return it to its proper home before you leave. The bar is also highly dog friendly, dogs are cool inside and out. This is cool, but make sure to be wary of other dog owners who may not have dogs that are as well disciplined as yours. Public School is a bar run by people who have been in the service industry forever, and it really shows. It's a bar of the people, for the people. read more

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Visited banks after awhile of not being around and I was really happy with my return visit! Great bar! Guy at the front was nice and the check in for the private membership is easy. If you don't have one it's just a dollar for check in. Drinks are really well priced and not watered down whatsoever. Bar tending staff is nice and well mannered and non biased. There's a few pool tables in the back to play pool with friends. This place is massive with space, so much room although the downside is there is not a lot of places to sit. Outside area is big too but not a ton of seating. Dog Friendly! Cheap Drinks! Great Bar! read more

Great ownership Kind staff Great music Good vibes It's not a "gay bar" but it's friendlier, nicer, and more modern than anything else Asheville has. read more

This is the spot! One of my very favorite spots in town, in fact. This is the spot that throws the 'party of the year' like every other week. Wild parties but safe atmosphere Killer DJ's LGBTQA friendly Dog friendly Sports but not blaring and killing your vibe Good looking bartenders Pool tables The vibe is really killer, love the artwork. The theme is really tactfully created. Every time I go, I run into several several Asheville sub-cultures which is so great to find a spot where we can all mingle. NOT TO BE MISSED: Tuck it Up Buttercup: their bi-monthly drag show featuring INSANE talent read more

If you're looking for a laid back space with excellent entertainment, dancing, games, and drinks, you have arrived. The proprietors are hands-on in order to ensure things run smoothly and that patrons are satisfied. Probably my favorite (non-dive) bar in town!! read more

Watch out for your drinks, if it's half way empty they'll clear them. Seems like a cool place, but not gonna show up if they're going to clear our drinks to make you buy more. read more

Banks ave is a nice hangout spot for small and big groups. Luckily for me this place is dog friendly as well! Met the cutest pitbulls while drinking and playing pool with friends. They have 1 tv so not ideas if you are looking for a sports bar vibe. read more

Banks Ave - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Walking around AVL on a Saturday day/afternoon we went on our own little bar crawl of sorts through town. Open tab. One drink. Close tab. Next Location. Repeat. We hadn't been here before and judging from the Yelp reviews and some of the photos, I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I walked in. I mean it is fine. It's a larger open space with tons of space for what I am sure are packed Friday and Saturdays. There are large windows which lend some nice natural light. A couple of dart boards and I think they had some board games. On this particular Saturday it was pretty dead. Our group of 6 and then another bachelor-looking party was playing darts. The Paloma was delicious, I was just expecting some more comfortable couchy-vibe-chill atmosphere. read more

Public School is a great stop to meet friends and relax over beers &/or cocktails Monday-Friday 4pm - 2am, Saturday 2pm - 2am or Sunday 1pm - 2am! Membership at Public School will set you back a single $1;) Run by service industry veterans who have always been engaging and super friendly in my experience! They also sell packs of smokes for our tobacco state brothers and sisters. Indoor games include; corn hole, pool, darts, and a long bar for friends/neighbors to gather! They truly had me with the $5 Jameson Shots(Rest In Light Brother)! read more

I came to banks ave for the first time Friday night. Unfortunately the bouncer was nasty, as we were signing in as friendly normal people my friend and I were making small talk, normal stuff like , how is your night? ...he responded I don't want to talk to you I don't like you, so if you don't want to talk to people, get a different job! read more

Banks Ave - A nasty bouncer - Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Visiting Asheville and loving all the pubs and local breweries. This place was recommended by friends as a good place to go, but not so much. The place looks amazing and has thepotential to be a great place to hang and throw back a few beers, and enjoy. However, you would need to get service and maybe someone who wants to help a customer. We were treated terrible last night, and actually left our drinks unfinished due to the dismal attitude of the bartender. He was the most unfriendly person I have encountered here, so much for southern hospitality. He didn't want to answer any questions about what drinks they had and literally slammed the menu down in front of me and said, "it's on there". There are far too many amazing places to go in Asheville that appreciates the customer. Just FYI, there were only 13 people there, including our group of 5. But on a positive note, we did leave and went to another new place that appreciated our business and had AMAZING customer service and will definitely go back there, a review is forthcoming. I did tell others at the other bar how terrible the service was, they said they will not go there and had wanted to try. Morale of the story, I tell 10 people they tell 10 people.....you get the gist. read more

I was on Yelp looking for Chinese food and Banks Ave popped up as one of those as also consider places. Well I have not been to Banks Ave, since Covid I have immune compromised family so I don't go anywhere. However before Covid I was there quite frequently even going back to when the bar was called Public School. So I was there and during the time some of these negative reviews were written. Let's set the record straight. Look these people who are upset about something, should not be taking it out on Banks Ave, the owners or staff. *I never saw anyone disrespected including the ones who had, had too much. On more than one occasion I have seen the owners make arrangements to see their customer safely home. Proof of caring for your patrons right there. *I have never seen anyone of age having been turned away IF they had their photo id. *I prefer the atmosphere of Banks well over any other bar in town. I've never felt uncomfortable or unsafe at Banks where other bars I've kept an eye over my shoulder. I don't think you can call it a dive bar b/c its not. BUT you don't have to go in w/ a black tie either. The owners and staff make it very comfortable. *Rude bartenders ? Were you polite to the bartender to begin with? I've seen these bartenders go well beyond any normal expectation to make sure the patrons have fun and an enjoyable time. I even saw one jump up on the bar and do a "dance" for the bride to be. I wish I had the courage to do something like that. *I thought someone said they had a bad tasting drink? The bartenders have always offered to fix me something even when I didn't have an idea of what I wanted. I have never had anything less than great tasting while visiting Banks. *Oh and about the TV in the corner, I have gone down there to watch a couple of games with the bartenders; Yankees and White Sox. His White Sox beat my Yankees; As I was getting braced to be picked on; I was shocked when I was ask to come back next weekend for another game. *If you're reading YELP thinking about a new place to try or visit while you're in town I cannot urge you more than to give Banks Ave a try. Just remember to bring your ID and I think you have to pay the membership fee in cash so, a couple of dollars. You won't regret it. read more

Two stars because the Facebook page said the drag show started at 10 pm. But at 10 minutes to 12 nothing had started, asked the bartender what was up and he had to go tell them to start the show. Will say that the bartender was very good. The absolute worst drag show I've ever witnessed. I have seen better Halloween costumes. read more

Been here twice since I moved to the area and have loved it each time. The bartenders and DJs are fantastic, great drag queens and a supportive crowd. It's definitely been the cleanest and most comfortable atmosphere I've experienced since checking out the area. The owners do a great job and I'm glad I found this place :) read more

Super snobby staff, overpriced drinks, I went in there and there was a big fat man in a dress and a wig doing some kind of photoshoot/performance? Gave it a chance anyway but will not come back read more

This is by far the worst bar I have ever been too. The ID scanning section was broken, the drinks were disgusting, and the floor and bathroom was so unbelievably dirty. As well, all the employees are unpleasant and the music was so dull and boring. I hope that this review may help wade off any people interested in this bar because IT IS NOT IT. read more

Great local bar, large interior (although it's cinderblock so it get's noisy!) and larger patio but with limited seating if you're looking for a quieter atmosphere. It's considered a "private club", so you have to get a membership to enter, but it's completely worth it (or just hook up with a local and get in as their plus one!) You'll find both cocktails and craft beer, which can be quite useful even in Asheville because breweries aren't open around the clock. They actually close rather early, even on the weekends, so you'll probably find your way over to Public School Bar if it's past 10p and you're on the South Slope. Public School Bar seems isn't as fancy as some of the deluxe cocktail bars further downtown, but they've got solid prices and a chill atmosphere for anyone looking to feel like a local. I'd definitely recommend this spot for a late night visit. read more

This place was a fricken riot. We caught the best drag show ever just by walking by. They were raising money for a transition surgery and it was so amazing at one point I was in tears. I came here with my straight husband and even he had the time of his life. You can feel the love in this place and it's amazing! The drag girls were beautiful, hilarious and unapologetically themselves and it was a pleasure to watch! read more

The bouncers are violent and overly aggressive. They'll put their hands on you and kick your friendly dog for being on the sidewalk. Terrible service, terrible vibes. avoid at all costs read more

You've heard shit out, they're right! I'll expand, later. :) Great space, awesome location, AWESOME selection and specials. I've got plenty more to add, when I'm home! read more

So I heard a lot of good things about this bar from a mutual friend of one of the owners.....I was really sad to find out this place was short lived. The bartenders were rude and egotistical, I was trying to have a conversation with a one of them and he wouldn't even tell me his name. The drinks are cheap and so are the people that go here. The bar back was running around like a rhinoceros doing idk what. The cocktail are bland and no excitement to them other than the cheap price for cheap alcohol. I was told by one of the patrons that the owner can't stand women because he's gay which I found very disturbing but after I watched a man named Mitchell drag an intoxicated woman out of the bar and drop her on the street I couldn't believe my eyes and left. I've been in security in the bar and nightclub industry for 4 years and I couldn't believe this type of behavior and I've been told it's happened a few times. I want to go to a bar and feel safe and protected to help me out of I get to drunk but if you go to his place your asking for a beating. Overall I wouldn't recommend going but unfortunately we all are on a budget so we have to settle for cheap drinks....and cheap people. Such a shame this bar had potential. read more

Clean, professional, friendly. It's a good bar. It lets tourists come in, provided you can act correctly. If you are visiting Asheville and your out bar hopping, check out banks ave. read more

This is one of my favorite late night weekend spots! It's a PBR themed bar that also has great whiskey specials! They have $3 20 oz PBRs and $6 Jameson. If you like whiskey you can't go wrong here. Drink of choice: Manmosa or Whiskey Ginger The service is always fantastic! They have multiple bartenders working so the wait is typically not long at all. They're friendly and will help you with whatever you need. It's also a great place if you like to play games as you drink. They have corn hole, darts, and pool. Pretty much all the typical bar games you could want. On occasion they'll have a DJ come and turn the place into a dance area, these events are always super fun! They don't serve food but are next to one of the best barbecue places in town, Buxton Hall. If you're planning on a night out, or even just need a casually drink throughout the week you can't go wrong with Banks Ave! read more