Sitting kitty-corner from Muzita Abyssinian Bistro (itself a worthy destination), Small Bar in University Heights is on a hip and hopping section of Park Boulevard a block south of Adams Avenue, but somehow manages to avoid the cooler-than-thou atmosphere so common in this long-gentrified sector of town.

A color palate — black, red, brown, and gold — sums up this intimate-by-design neighborhood bar. Elbow-to-elbow late-night crowds enjoy an extensive selection of brown liquor and liquid gold (in the form of exceptional craft-beer offerings) amid a scarlet glow that bounces off bottles, glasses, and the shiny, happy faces of the young and the inebriated. Many of these will return for the hangover-curing brunch fare on weekends.

Small Bar announced it would be closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020.