Laid-back Scottsdale bar bucks ‘red carpet trend’
By KELLY WILSON
Get Out

Downtown Scottsdale is filled with glamorous bars and clubs that cater to the young and trendy, but DJ's Bar & Grill has relied on its ‘‘Cheers’’-like atmosphere to not only survive, but thrive, for 30 years.

“It's really welcoming,’’ says customer Katherine Borha, 27, of Scottsdale, while sipping a Michelob Ultra. “There are no red carpets. It's not like a Myst or an Axis-Radius where it's all about who you are and how much money you make. The people that come here don't give a damn about that kind of stuff.’’

There's certainly no flashiness about DJ's, which sits between college-friendly Maloney's and stylish Drinx on Stetson Drive. With its wooden walls and small patio, it almost feels as if you're in a cabin up north. Colorful liquor signs decorate the walls, and a Golden Tee video game — a bar staple — sits in one corner.

And then there are the bartenders, attired in shirts with such sayings as ‘‘Go ugly early. Beat the 1 a.m. rush.’’

Patrons are dressed down rather than glammed up. Mostly in their 20s to 30s, they wear everything from band T-shirts to studded belts to denim skirts while sipping bottles of beer with friends.

“I'm pleasantly surprised,’’ says Midwest transplant Mike O'Ryan, 24, of Paradise Valley. “I recently moved here and was told horror stories about the nightlife in Scottsdale.

‘I've been to a few clubs that are just insane because of the attitudes. People try too hard to impress and are too full of themselves. That's why I like DJ's. It's like people check their attitudes at the door.’’

DJ's Bar & Grill
Where: 7320 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale
Hours: 11 to 1 a.m. daily
FYI: There is never a cover
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