Best of Boston

1996 Best Bar, All-Purpose

Casablanca

Next to a terrific moviehouse and a great coffeeshop, Casablanca is your best bet for a bar where you can actually have a conversation. Faux Middle Eastern decor, amusing Humphrey Bogart murals, Billie Holiday on the jukebox, an eclectic assortment of Left Bank literati, and odd little rick-shaw-like seats contribute to an overall pleasant vibe.

40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, 617-876-0999,