Grab a few sliders and beers at Booches - it's an old pool hall downtown that has been operating downtown since the 1870s. Best cheap food in town.

CJs is a great downtown option for some good hot wings and beer; the place has odd hours though so you'll have to check beforehand.

Shakespeare's is a popular, local pizza place. The original is downtown and seems to attract a lot of tourists but I honestly think it's a bit overrated. Still good, though.

For finer dining, I recommend Sycamore (downtown) and CiCi's City Broiler (no, not the shitty pizza chain; it is not downtown, however).

For bars, it depends on your age but there are tons of options downtown but IMO the best college bars/gameday bars are: Harpos, Bengals, Campus (called Big 12), Shiloh (slightly older crowd), and Willies/Fieldhouse.

If it's decently warm out, check out Tropical Liqueurs for a tasty alcoholic slushy (downtown, it's a local favorite).

For late night/drunk food, hit up El Rancho and order some nachos. It's cheap, greasy, and delicious. Expect a line out the doors when bars close.

Edit: for live music, check out the Blue Note, Penguin Piano Bar, Murry's (not downtown), Nash Vegas (relatively new country bar, I haven't personally been), Mojos, or the Blue Fugue (not a personal recommendation on the last one, but I know people that like it).

This post was edited on 11/24/14 at 11:28 am