Loft

We’re from out of town and dropped by The Loft around 9:30 on a Saturday Night. We were big fans of the whole in the wall atmosphere of the bar. The drink menu was quite impressive and the prices were great.
We had asked some friends where to go to beat the «usual» college crowd. The Loft didn’t exactly do that, between 11 & 11:30 the place filled up rather quickly with tons of students, but we weren’t exactly surprised.

this bar sucks. the younger dude bar staff are douche bags. the older guys that work there are cool, but the frat boy idiots that serve there are rude. acted like it was a real chore to pour 2 beers when there was only like 12 ppl in the bar. i sat down to meet my friend and the bartender ignored me. several minutes later some of his bros came in and sat right next to me. they got served right away. so lame. seriously, the zephyr is always crowded because it doesnt suck like this place does. if you want to go to an institution of kent drinking, this is not the one your looking for!

Love the loft…
Got plenty of my money back when I was at Kent…
It still has that ageless college feel that we all know and love a regarding a place where you go and everybody knows your name!!!

Ohhhhhhh the Loft. There really isn’t much to say about this hole-​in-​the-​wall other than it’s a Kent State staple!
This was one of my favorite bars during my undergraduate years, so I was stoked to walk back in this homecoming. It’s literally the same place for the last 8 years, which is great to see. With downtown Kent changing so drastically, it’s great to see some of the old school feel.
The cheap beers and peanuts will keep us coming back for years to come.

Just witnessed a man with a medical condition get assualted by a bartender after asking about peanuts. Sickening. Clock at bar ran ten minutes fast. Just sickening to see an employee behave like that

I have a soft space in my heart for the Loft.
My friends are known here. I’m not sure if that is wonderful or kind of horrible, but either way, it usually means the bartenders gives my friends good deals or free drinks which trickles down to me. They have regulars — and they know them well.
On Fridays and Saturdays, this place is infested with college kids, which I hated even when I was in college, but it’s usually a better crowd than some of the other Kent bars. It’s super dirty. There are free peanuts. I always drunkenly eat too many. There are really gross bathrooms. IT’s the epitome of a dive bar in Ohio.
The drinks are actually cheap and decent. Try a Rocket Pop or a Hulk. They are mostly sugar and delicious. Their rum and cokes are strong. They have decent, cheap beer.
I can give this 5 stars because it’s special to me. I think 90% of people would hate this place, but it’s consistent, great, and terrible all at once. I also really enjoy the huge booths for hanging out with friends.

Cheap booze. Usually quiet. Kind of a hole in the wall. Not bad if you’re looking for a dive bar to put down a few.

I miss the happy hour pizza. Other than that and the atrocious bathrooms, this place is pretty much unchanged. They used to have the worst bathroom ever. The only bathroom I have ever been in that was worse was in Edinburgh Scotland. When you walked into the bathroom it was a tile floor with a drain. You slowly realize that you are standing in the toilet.
I enjoy all of the carved up wood. Like cave drawings from a long lost culture.

Damn I miss The Loft. The weird wood inside reminded me of the Mine Ride at Cedar Point. This was one of the worst urinals ever. Reminded me of the urinals at the old Municipal Stadium. Nobody wants to be elbow to elbow with another dude peeing in a shared trough. Especially if you then get stage fright. Or if there is some spray back. It is all bad in the Loft Bathroom. There were a lot of good memories here including when my good friend got kicked out and we were outside the main door when they kicked out the guy he was fighting inside. I was so mad because I had a Yungstar cd in my pocket which got broken in half. If you don’t know who Yungstar is, he is the dude from Wanna Be a Baller with the best verses. I bust a left, a right. I’m out of sight. I’m throwed!

If you don’t thoroughly enjoy peanuts, get the hell out of this bar!
The Loft is a multi-​level bar with an upstairs with countless booths and a long «pickup window» at the center of the bar, as well as a somewhat-​hidden basement with a more standard bar setup. The memory of this place I will have of this place years after I move on from my college lifestyle is the abundance of peanuts in this place. It’s amazing how rapidly people devour peanuts and throw the shells on the ground.
They always have specials going on, so beer here is cheap. I don’t think it’s a douchey bar, but you will find your douche bag types here every now and then.
Bartenders here are either hit or miss. The bartenders upstairs were only average — my friends didn’t like one in particular — while the bartender in the basement was amazing. Drinks are strong and tasty, just how alcohol should be.
If you are over the age of 25, I would not recommend this bar to you. If you are under 25, you will probably enjoy it more than you should.

First, to clear things up, «Loft Pizza» no longer exists, hence my adding a new business. Loft now exists solely as a bar.
Loft is… a special place. It’s one of the more laid-​back Kent bars with a much lower DB ratio (although, DBs do still come here… it is a college town, afterall). The place is usually packed on weekend nights, as to be expected. Normally, I avoid overly crowded bars, but for some reason I like the vibe of this place. For starters, there are tons of booths to sit in. The place is really designed to hang out and have conversations with your friends. There’s no dance floor and the music volume is generally kept pretty low. The drinks are cheap (but most bars in this area are), but the best part about this place is the free peanuts. Why don’t bars have free peanuts or pretzels anymore? When I’m hanging out with friends drinking cider, I usually want something small to nibble on. I don’t need pizza or a huge order of fries… just something to keep my tummy happy. As far as I know, Loft is the only bar in the area to offer this option. There is some debate over how hygienic said peanuts are (they’re kept in a huge box at the back of the bar, and everyone just scoops out what they want). Obviously, any smart person knows that this doesn’t matter because booze kills germs. Duh.
If you find yourself in this dive, you must try their famous drink «The Hulk.» I can never remember what’s it in, but it tastes really good (think sweet tart). Seriously, let me know when you’re in the area and I’ll buy you one (mostly because it will give me an excuse to have one, too).