The Strip (University Boulevard) is the main student bar corridor, running west from campus toward downtown. It is reliably busy on football weekends and during the academic year, with a mix of college sports bars, live music venues, and casual restaurants.
Innisfree Irish Pub on the Strip has been a Tuscaloosa institution for decades — live music most nights, a reasonable selection of draft beer, and the kind of reliable atmosphere that makes it worth returning to. The Houndstooth is the choice for Alabama football watching, packed beyond reason on game days. For something quieter, the downtown area around Greensboro Avenue has cafes and bars that attract a slightly older crowd.
Black Warrior Brewing produces craft beer in the downtown area and has a taproom open most evenings. It is worth a visit if you have any interest in American craft brewing; the beers skew toward the hoppy and the amber.