"Beer and peanuts aren’t exactly a gastronomic experience worth seeking out. Still, you’ll never forget you left your footprint in sawdust and peanut shells on these hallowed saloon floors. Not much has changed since German immigrant John Hussong took over this bar in 1892. Hussong’s is one of the bars claiming to have invented the margarita, though you’d never know it after ordering one. The margaritas are okay, the beer is cold, and the bandera — a trio of lime juice, sangrita, and tequila — helps the mass-produced tequila go down. But once the bassist in the ranchera band snaps his noisy, nylon strings to kick off Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” or the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” you can’t help but smile while sipping the night away. [$]" - Bill Esparza