The bar at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace is the most characterful place to drink in Bakersfield, and it doubles as a free look at the museum displays that line the walls. On Friday and Saturday nights, the bar fills up before the live country music starts and keeps filling. The crowd skews older and local — people who grew up with the Bakersfield Sound and treat this as their living room rather than a tourist attraction.
The bar serves beer and spirits in the direct style that suits the room. No cocktail menu, no craft focus. The point is the music and the company. If you arrive early enough to get a table near the performance area, you will be well positioned for the show. The museum displays — Owens's guitars, costumes, photographs — are mounted at eye level around the bar and dining areas, so there is something to look at during set breaks. Worth knowing: the Crystal Palace requires a minimum food or drink purchase on live music nights, which is entirely reasonable given what you are getting.