I'd only give it an extra star than 1 because it is a popular iconic bar at Bing that I'd recommend you to try at least once. The bar is pretty much a Bing frat house experience but a bar. Therefore, it could be dirty, sticky, run down, the bathrooms are below average, dark, and very loud. I haven't really had a good time there except when I was younger and this was all I really knew lol read more

Went to BU in the 90s. The Rat was the best. Is it a dive? Yes. It was so much fun. $1 entrance fee. $1 Molson bottles. Great dance music. A lot of nice looking girls. Went every Thursday and Saturday. It was the most fun bar. Also, the campus pub on Tuesday nights. Which I do not believe is there any longer. read more

Really bad experience. Smelt awful as soon as i walked in. Drinks were terrible, horrible staff. And the worst was the bouncer and the security. Way too aggressive and doesn't do there job at keeping everyone safe and minimizing a problem. I witnessed security assaulting random people (one of them being my friends) who had nothing to do with separate fights going on. My friend tried to help and ended up getting punched in the head multiple times by security themself, and punched/ punctured in his eye. He was practically tackled and mugged by security, when all he did was trying to diffuse the situation (aka security's job) Not okay and security had no idea what was going on, they were just assaulting random people instead of simply leading them to the door on their way out. My friend was seriously injured. Get better security. read more

By far the worst and most disgusting club i have ever come across. If there was an option for negative rating, this place would get the most negative rating. Nothing is good about this place. Starting from outside itself, the bouncers are rude and the they tag you "Male pornstar"...like seriously? Don't you have any other thing to put a stamp? The entrance is fucked up. The walls have holes in which a guy could fit in. The washroom is all crap. The tiles are broken which can also cause an injury to a person. The beers are costly looking at the place. They should give out beers for free by looking at the condition of the club. I could write a whole book on how shitty this place is. read more

I don't recall a thing that happened in this place but I suppose it's where I started my moviestar career. read more

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This is one fine establishment. The ambiance is second to none and the service is impeccable.

Best place to go to meet up with fellow colleagues that you may or may not end up spending that night with. This place has given me the courage I've never had before. This place is my ashram. The bathroom is a hit or miss. You either end up saying "omg I love you" about 20 times or you end up wanting to rip the girl outside the doors head off. But doesn't matter cause you prob won't remember it the next day anyway. There are also plenty of elevated surfaces, if you know you know. read more

Ah, The Rat. I think coming here is a right of passage for BU students. But if you do it more than a couple of times, especially after you're 21, well... This is the easiest place to get into with a fake or chalked ID, which is probably the biggest reason for its popularity. The drinks are watered down, you are likely to get groped, I don't even want to *think* about what the bathrooms look like, and the crowd is basically underage Binghamton University students and the creepers looking to pick them up. But when there's no alternative, you end up here sometimes. read more

Some pros; the bouncer will let you in with a sticky note that says "ME 21" in crayon Some cons; very dirty, walls are filled with holes, the place is really decrepit, Hennessy that is more like ice tea, and VERY expensive beer (shock top is 7$ a sixpack at almost any store that has it, but 5$ a bottle at the rat) In short; you're either too young to know better or too nostalgic for your own good read more

Where to start with the Rat. The one additional star (instead of totally panning the place) is because it has a history in the area, and there is a certain "Hey I just got to college" feel about this place. The bottom line is that if you are hearing about the Rat here on Yelp, stay away! It is for the local college kids to go and get trashed and nothing more. It's almost exclusively underage kids and the occasional grad students who are back in the area to relive their college years. Otherwise, the alcohol is weak, the drinks are lame, the beer is warm, and the food is awful. There is a pretty sweet dance vibe, but as another person pointed out, the place is a death trap. All that said, it is a Binghamton right of passage. Worth noting, The Rat lost its liquor license today, so don't go setting your GPS for Binghamton, NY just yet! read more

i graduated from bing about four years ago, but when i went there the rat was THE place to go on a weekend. sure, the line would be out the door and youd be in a tube top in the middle fo january, but once you got inside, aw shiiiizz did your night just get a whole lot better. youre 19, you have a chalked/fake id, the bouncers basically dont care as long as you try to pass off something, you pay the three dollar coverage, get down into the "dirty basement" (as the rat is sometimes referred to) do a scorpion bowl, get a red bull and vodka, and youd be set. you go out onto the "dancefloor" with your girlfriends, get your bump and grind on, probably have some sort of pda moment, and all of a sudden its 3am and the lights are coming on and youre getting kicked out. ahhhh memories...if you went to bing between '01 and '05, you know what im talking about. read more

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I thought this place was pretty cool. It's underground, with two separate areas- including a small dance floor. I liked how one side had rock music and the other had techno playing. There are definitely "characters" who hang around. :) The bartenders seemed a little rude, but maybe it's cause everyone was trying to get their attention at last call. read more

I have a lot of friends that attended Bing and this was the Place to be. It's a very chill place to go with a group of friends for a good time. read more

This is me and my boys favorite bar in all of Binghamton. Me and the crew come every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for the great drink specials and of course THE UNDERAGE LADIES!!!! Last Friday my main man Lou did 15 jager shots and passed out in the bathroom. It was LIT! Night would of been a disaster but my boy Dino got a back seat handshake right by the DJ booth from a girl that said she went to Broome CC. This place gets 5 stars because when me and the crew are here, it's never a bad time!!!! read more

Came here on a Thursday night Around 10:30 it was pretty dead so there was no line at the bar so me and friends swarmed it to get a taste of watered down liquor, yum. Then before I knew it, the rat was packed, there was music, the dance floor was on and I was having a great time. The drinks were cheap and after my frist they didn't taste watered down, i guess it depends on what you get There was a very diverse crowd which I absolutely loved. Everyone was friendly People were dancing a whole lot. Even though the DJ mostly played techno the crowd made it fun to stay on the dance floor This is a good spot to chill get some drinks and maybe do some dancing before the main event. That being said, don't make the rat the main event of the night. read more

Cheap college bar that always seems to draw the crowds during the school year. It was the go to spot in my four years as a student at the nearby Binghamton University. It always got the job done. There are deals and events on Tuesdays and Thursday nights like flip night, or the pong tournaments. Not your spot if you are looking for a little classier scene. Come here to get wasted and have a good time. read more

Glorified fraternity basement, awful DJ (at least the night I was there), watered down drinks (I don't drink but my friends told me they were severely watered down). The dance floor was really wet so you probably can't dance unless you want to break your neck. I know lots of people enjoy it, but that's because they never go there sober. read more

Great place to go for drinks if you live in Binghamton or go to college. This is the place to go for seniors at BU. The drinks are cheap, they have beer pong and good looking people. The bouncers are a bit rude, but it's a fun place to go to on a Saturday night. read more

I absolutely would not recommend anyone coming here ! We were attacked by a random bartender because we were having a conversation about how my boyfriend had to pay cover after already being there, because he used the bathroom. He came up to us with 3 other guys acting like he wanted to fight, and told us we werent allowed to talk about it anymore or we need to leave. I dont understand where all his anger came from, but we did absolutely nothing to this guy, and just because he overheard us talking about the cover situation, i dont understand what gave him the right to come at us the way he did! We did not deserve to be so disrespected. He even kept continuing to attack us after my boyfriend was like " its cool, ill let it go ". I hope no one in the future ever has to ever deal with being treated the way we were ! read more

as a binghamton student, i suppose you should go here at least once to experience the lamest time you will ever have. it's a good place to start off since they're probably the easiest to get into of all the state st bars (well, since sportsbar went and closed....misss you back entrance!) anyway, if you're over 21 and you actually still choose to drink here, ... im 'sorry. but when was the stale smell of miller lite, INCREDIBLY WATERED DOWN drinks, and a hundred sweaty obnoxious kiddies stuck in a basement a good time? and seriously, that 7 dollar open bar thing on friday nights or whatever... someone tell me what is the point?! you're going to be waiting for that excuse of a drink longer than it will take you to drink it. and needless to say this is not the place to go hang with a friend, or grab a beer... if you want to have any semblance of a good night, you really need a fun group. read more

This, very well, may be the greasiest bar I have had the pleasure of attending in my entire God damn life. Entering into this world is like stepping through the wardrobe and finding yourself in Narnia. An enchanting atmosphere, with an excellent staff, this bar introduced me to some of the most interesting people and definitely the most interesting bathroom I have ever been in. Upon entering the Rathskeller it is immediately clear that no one has any intention of giving a fuck and will not for at least two hours before, and after, entering and subsequently leaving the bar. Walking in you pass a bar to find yourself in site of the most incredible bathroom I have personally seen in my life. With enough room to only sustain the life of five people, the restroom has room for four people, five if your tried hard enough, to expel their bowels and urinary sacs. The toilet is an indistinct shade of white, slightly off with a hint of gold or brown in the mix. No seat covers will be found, and it is not clear the last time anyone has assumed courage enough to produce a bowel movement in the toilet. Perhaps a relic of the past, the toilet is now a throne which separates the commoners from the elite. If you are not the alpha male to gain the sole power of the toilet, you are forced into the middle of a trough which seems to be covered in a thick layer of rust paste and no clear exit hole for your fluids. After one man leaves the middle man may assume a dominant role and move closer to a wall. Washing after is optional if one has time to clean oneself in the chaos that ensues. Upon leaving I was greeted by a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, and exchanged in an engaging conversation with said individual. If given the chance, my life would be spent in this bar. It is a must visit. One of New York State's true hidden gems. read more