One of the city's major bar zones -- along with Water St., Brady St., Milwaukee St. and 2nd & National -- North Avenue is hopping most nights, but especially on weekends. Come along as we lead a pub crawl through the area's best bars.

Cans Bar and Canteen
1815 E. Kenilworth Pl., (414) 225-0421
cansbar.com/milwaukee
This '80s-themed bar and restaurant specializes in, you guessed it, cans of beer, from Pabst to obscure Japanese imports. In fact, they have more than 30 different types of beers in aluminum jackets. But don't think this is a place to shotgun, belch loudly and smash your empty on your forehead. Cans also features Palm Pilots for ordering at tables, valet parking and personal washroom attendants.

Champion's Pub
2417 N. Bartlett Ave., (414) 332-2440
championspub.com
Tucked away a few blocks off of North Avenue, just east of the Milwaukee river, this tavern is a great place to escape the usual bustling bar crowds and hideout for drinks and conversation. It's modest, quiet, real, and hassle-free. Part of Milwaukee's Early Club, Champion's is a place to get a head start on your evening -- and not necessarily your drinking. As a neighborhood bar, there are plenty of unique folks to chat or play darts with. There's also an outside patio available for those warm summer evenings.

Cush
1806 E. North Ave., (414) 271-2874
cushlounge.com
Cush could almost be classified part bar/part club with all of the bumpin' that gets going here. While the aesthetics offer pure comfort, plush furniture, a fireplace, and circular bar with velvety high stools, the music is usually groovy enough to set the joint in motion. To top it off, there's just enough floor space to show your stuff and still keep a conversation going. Outside seating is available during the summer.

Decibel / DeepBar
1901 E. North Ave., (414) 272-3337
Decibel is a nightclub, with a dance floor, two bars and a VIP section. DeepBar is a slick vodka lounge with leather couches and a pool table. A glass door separates the two clubs.

The Eastsider
1732 E. North Ave., (414) 906-0199
Located on the corner of North and Oakland Avenues, The Eastsider and represents an interesting cross section of the many, varied East Side interests and people. It's a hopping spot on weekends but has more of a neighborhood corner tap on weeknights.

Jazz Estate
2423 N. Murray Ave., (414) 964-9923
jazzestate.com
If you haven't heard about the Estate, don't feel too bad. It's one of Milwaukee's better kept jazz secrets. The Estate offers great jazz in a tiny and intimate setting. It may look like your living room, but it sounds like one great jazz club at The Estate.

G Daddy's BBC Bar & Grill
2022 E. North Ave., (414) 272-7263
BBC stands for Bradford Beach Club. One of the East Side's largest bar and grilles, BBC's is all Milwaukee -- great food and cold beer! With live music nightly that features bands from around the Midwest, BBC is always good for a rockin' time. The two-story bar serves food late, and has 14 TVs, four pool tables, darts and foosball for your bar-hoppin' pleasure.

Hooligan's Super Bar
2017 E. North Ave., (414) 273-5230
hooliganssuperbar.com
A Milwaukee East Side landmark since 1936, Hooligan's serves the city's largest selection of micro beers, award-winning pub food and Bloody Mary's. Newly remodeled, Hooligan's is a great corner bar and an even better place to watch a Packers game. In their words, "Let our quasi competent and obsequious staff help make your visit something other than the usual."

Judge's Irish Pub
1431 E. North Ave., (414) 224-0605
A college corner bar, this is a place to get a cheap brew in the midst of a lively crowd. While the meat market vibe settles in after dusk, there's a great selection of Irish beers on tap. If you judge this bar by quantity rather than quality, you're sure to get your money's worth. Outdoor seating is available during the summer.

Landmark Lanes
2220 N. Farwell Ave., (414) 278-8770
landmark-lanes.com
There's no bar in Milwaukee quite like The Landmark, located beneath the Oriental Theatre. With three unique bars, one of the town's oldest bowling alleys and an arcade of a similar vintage, The Landmark attracts a diverse and unusual crowd. Tuesday night is the infamous Import Night, when all of their hundreds of bottled beers go on sale for less than $2 a pop. Incomparable.

Live on North
2028 E. North Ave., (414) 765-0101
When Lava Bar and Grill owner Bob Overmier realized that food was not bringing in the numbers he had hoped for, he saw it as an opportunity to reinvent his business and start fresh and he reopened his Lava Bar and Grill as a bar and music venue called Live.

Paddy's Pub
2339 N. Murray Ave., (414) 223-3496
paddyspub.net
You have to see Paddy's Pub to believe it. The bar is basically just a well-decorated living room with an ever present green cast to it. What makes Paddy's so great, though, is its authentic Irish charm. The beer is fresh and served at the right temperature. Of course, they have Guinness and Harp on tap. Paddy's kindly owners also work there, and you'll get a lesson on fine scotch if you ask nicely. The place is surprisingly crowded, considering it doesn't do any advertising and isn't even listed in the Yellow Pages. But that -- and the bowls of M&Ms -- just add to Paddy's unique charm.

Rascals
2311 N. Murray Ave, (414) 224-7084
rascalsonmurray.com
Rascals is known for its extensive happy hours, which run Monday through Saturday, from 3 to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 2 a.m. That's called happy day, if you ask us! It's a good place to catch the game, what with their nine televisions.  In summer the front floor to ceiling windows open up to the patio along Murray.

RC's Beer Garden
1530 E. North Ave., (414) 273-1100
Once known as the East Side's first and finest beer garden, RC's closed for several years, only to resurface in 2003 with a facelift and a new lease on life. Even remodeled, it remains a little old school with a touch of college crowd rowdiness.

Vitucci's
1832 E. North Ave., (414) 273-6477
vituccis.com
Milwaukee's original cocktail lounge opened in 1934. Until only about a 15 years ago, this was a stodgy, old-man bar that shunned the live music and young folk of other North Ave. bars. But when a younger Vitucci took over, bands began to play in the back room and a new path was followed. Now ,locals vote its jukebox the city's best, year after year. There are more than 50 different bottled beers, featuring local brew pubs and imports from all over the world. Vitucci's is available for private and corporate parties, too.

Von Trier
2235 N. Farwell Ave., (414) 272-1775
Von Trier is one of Milwaukee's most famous beer gardens. Offering an outstanding selection of bottled and tap imported and domestic beers, Von Trier also has an impressive wine and hot drink selection. Besides, there's a never-ending supply of free popcorn and the rustic German decor, especially in the back room is simply unbeatable. The beer garden is open in season and offers a truly different kind of east side bar experience. Open daily at 4 p.m.

Vox UK Lounge
2203 N. Prospect Ave., (414) 277-0481
With all The Smiths, Oasis and Blur in the jukebox, it's safe to call The Vox Milwaukee's Brit pop bar. Undergoing a massive remodeling in the summer of '05, the bar now is much space efficient and has large glass doors that open up to Prospect Avenue in the warm months.

Yield
1932 E. Kenilworth Ave., (414) 319-1170
Named after a Pearl Jam album, Yield merges music and food; guests can hear quality music and dig into eclectic small dishes. Anyone looking to avoid the cliche "party and dance" scene can find refuge in Yield.