Before a night out, check the IDs of popular campus bars

1020: Located on Amsterdam between 110th and 111th, 1020 is the classic college bar, complete with dartboard and billiards table. The not-quite-mahogany wood bar has beers on tap, strong mixed drinks, and Top 40 playing. Though this Morningside stalwart doesn’t have a dance floor, chatting can get pretty raucous by about 2 a.m., when the crowd peaks. 1020 plays to an older audience—it’s a watering hole for graduate students before midnight and turns over to a crowd of mostly upperclassmen afterwards. This might have to do with its strict door policy. Thursdays through Saturdays, there’s a bouncer at the door checking IDs.

Campo: With doors that first opened a few years ago, Campo is the most versatile of Morningside’s nightlife venues. At the same moment, Campo can be an al fresco dinner spot, a chill bar, and a dance spot for bumping and grinding. The long, narrow front of the house has a long bar with inattentive but friendly bartenders. The raised back area can be transformed from overflow seating to a dance floor where DJs spin tracks on select Thursday and Saturday nights. Although it’s common for fraternities and sororities to make special deals with the owners to rent out the space for events, Campo draws a younger crowd than any other MoHi bar and is a favorite among first-years and some sophomores. The biggest surprise about Campo? No, it’s not the first-years hooking up in the corner. It’s the surprisingly tasty dinner menu served until midnight on weekends and 11 p.m. on weekdays.

The Heights: Perched on the second floor of a storefront between 111th and 112th streets, The Heights is Morningside’s most elusive bar. Mostly a favorite of upperclassmen, The Heights is known for its strict door policy. Fakes are spotted easily and always rejected. For the lucky ones let in, the bar serves up cheap margaritas and offers comfortable, big banquets perfect for yelling to a friend about the hard week that just passed.

Cannon’s: Although the sign reads “O’Connells Pub,” don’t be fooled—anyone who’s spent more than five minutes on the Upper West knows this dive bar is called “Cannon’s.” A favorite among first-years and athletes, Cannon’s is the frattiest of any local spot. Getting to Cannon’s takes a bit of athleticism, too, as it’s located at 108th and Broadway.

Havana Central: This behemoth, located spitting distance from Carman on Broadway between 113th and 114th streets, is a Cuban restaurant by day and a bar by night. The space is massive, with a square bar accessible from all sides and two large rooms that get emptied of tables and chairs each night. Thursdays through Saturdays, Havana fills up with 30-somethings, so the time to hit is Wednesday (yes, some people go out on Wednesdays), when the bar throws its weekly “Senior Night.” Then, Havana turns into a loud bar scene with dancing in the side rooms. But the ID policy tends toward strict, so the unprepared should beware.