Best Metal Bar

1. Bond's 007 Rock Bar
450 Soledad, (210) 225-0007, facebook.com/bonds007rockbar
San Antonio has always been a haven for metal bands both homegrown and imported, it's been a welcoming oasis for headbangers and cock-rockers that Austin traditionally turns its nose up at. But Bond's doesn't discriminate; everyone who uses "rock" as a verb is welcome. They don't even call themselves a metal club; they prefer the more democratic "rock bar," a fact reflected in the bands, background music, and clientele, all of which reflect that now-fading time when rock was a big tent. Despite the name, Ian Fleming's MI-6 agent wouldn't find Bond's 007 all that welcoming; it's more for thirsty, rowdy guzzlers of bottle after bottle of cold beer than for sophisticated sippers of shaken martinis. But if you find yourself more sympathetic to Jaws and Oddjob than James Bond, you'll find the 007 Rock Bar refreshing and unaffected, and you won't have to wait outside for hours to get in.

2. The White Rabbit
2410 N St. Mary's, (210) 737-2221, sawhiterabbit.com
3. Nightrocker Live (Tie)
605 San Pedro, (210) 265-3573, nightrockerlive.net
Zombies
4202 Thousand Oaks, (210) 281-8306, zombiesliveinsa.com