BEST CORNER BAR

The Parkview Nite Club

Layers of mystery lie just beneath the surface of this rustic, aggressively unpretentious corner bar on Cleve-land’s near West Side. Start with the decorative motif: How can the Rat Pack poster mingle with the framed Three Stooges photo? If this is the Parkview, where is the park — or the view? How can a bar tout its live blues bands, even as it advertises the birthday of a regular patron named “Disco Dicky”? Most of all, how has a bar with wood paneling on walls, floor, and ceiling managed to keep from burning down this long? These are matters that require intense study from the barstool and a thorough interrogation of the help. Maybe that’s the reason the Parkview has attracted a fiercely devoted following.

1261 West 58th Street; 216-961-1341.