They’re tucked into all corners of this town and every town. They can be scary at first glance, but often reward the brave. Perhaps part of the excitement is not knowing what you’ll find, who you’ll meet or what kind of trouble you’ll get into. There’s something about those out-of-the-way bars, those holes in the walls, those dives.

Everyone knows about the Silver Peaks of this town, the Bully’s and the Little Waldorfs. But have you been to Doc Holliday’s? Did you know that Fireside Chat is one of the few bars in town that has the new 2005 version of Golden Tee, the video golf game? Have you ever been salsa dancing at the Quest on a Saturday night?

If you’ve wondered what’s inside one of the Truckee Meadows’ many mysterious-looking places, this investigation is for you. The Reno Gazette-Journal’s crack team of the beer beat, Jason Kellner and Mark Vanderhoff, dutifully surveyed eight bars they had always dismissed. Some of them turned out to be a lot better than they imagined. Many were friendly places, even if the clientele was a little down and out. One was a lot scarier than they thought possible. Here is what they found.

Shooters Saloon

434 N. Virginia, 329-9646: This place sits discreetly in an old building across the street from the Eldorado. The bartender claimed it to be mostly a locals’ place, but it probably gets its share of the curious who wander in while roaming downtown. She also offered us atomic cherries (fruit soaked in Everclear, which we declined) and told us to come back next time for Jell-O shots. The tap beer selection was lacking — none — but the bottled beers and liquors were OK.

* Extras: A pool table in the back, and a decent jukebox featuring such diversity as The White Stripes, Johnny Cash and Prince.

Doc Holliday’s

120 E. Second St., 348-8460: Across the street from Harrah’s and a couple doors down from Hong Phat, this place draws a lot of what the bartender called “black and whites” — casino workers dressed up in dealer garb — after their shifts end. It’s a folksy corner bar and once had an escort service (not affiliated with Doc Holliday’s) running upstairs. A decent selection of tap beers including the hard-to-find Kona Pale Ale (not to be confused with the common lager) and the ubiquitous Fat Tire.

* Extras: Pool table and Golden Tee video game.

* Update: Perhaps this place is better known than we thought. Weeks after we visited, Vanderhoff drove by on a Saturday night and saw a crowd of college kids mingling about the door and a healthy crowd inside. This one is on the verge.

Floyd’s Fireside Chat

698 Kietzke Lane, 786-2385: What looks like a cinderblock tomb from the outside turned out to be extremely cozy on the inside. Yeah, there’s a (gas) fireplace in there, along with pool tables, darts and Golden Tee 2005. Friendly bartender Keith said he’s tended bar for 45 years and never worked in a cleaner place. One of very few places you can get a beer on Kietzke Lane, the Fireside goes above and beyond with an amber and brown from Lost Coast Brewing Co. Jukebox contains lots of classic rock, but also some seemingly misplaced selections like Talking Heads and Ween.

* Extras: Dart leagues, fireplace.

The Quest

210 W. Commercial Row, 333-2808: This is one of those places where you can’t see into the windows. The place had a heavy odor of PineSol on our particular visit. We discovered it to be a gay bar upon spotting the rainbow flags on the wall and the dance-heavy jukebox. Friendly, chatty bartender. Although it didn’t appear to be a Hispanic hangout, they had just about every Mexican beer available this side of the Rio Grande.

* Extras: Latin dance night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; jukebox featuring the likes of Abba, Madonna and The Village People.

Players Lounge

2590 E. Second St., 322-8699: Kellner always thought this place next to the Reno Hilton’s Ultimate Rush was a strip club, but it’s simply a locals’ place. We were happy to find Tahoe Red from Tahoe Brewing Company and a pool table and jukebox. Now, we went to some places for Barfly where we didn’t really fit in, but this was the only place that made us feel like outsiders. Maybe it was the body language of the bartender and fellow patrons, or maybe the fact that we were the only ones who ordered a “fancy” beer like Tahoe Red.

* Extras: Happy hour from 3-5 p.m.

Empire Club

2457 E. Second St., 329-8480: Across the street from the Players Lounge is that strip club Kellner must have been thinking of. And it’s not a place to which we’d return. Granted, some strip joints can come off as somewhat classy, but this one just made us feel like scuzballs. Small and dark, so nobody can identify you, you could certainly hide out here, but we couldn’t handle more than five minutes.

* Extras: We didn’t stick around long enough to find out.

Elbow Room

2002 Victorian Ave., Sparks, 356-7345: Time has all but forgotten this bar, which regulars say dates to the 1940s. It’s an unassuming little place where most of the (retired) clientele comes for a social drink in the afternoon. A few patrons seemed to know all the bar scene’s movers and shakers. Business really picks up on evenings when concertgoers from the nearby New Oasis stop in for a cheap drink before the show. Like the Fireside Chat, Elbow Room has a fireplace, but its fire died out some time ago. Cheap beers aplenty. We had some Olympias and fresh, free microwave popcorn.

* Extras: Bar offers lots of bonus games on its video poker machines.

Swiss Chalet

501 Mill St., 324-9966: There’s nothing too Swiss about this little shack on Mill Street. Perhaps the bar had more Swiss accents 50 years ago — now the bars on the windows give the facade a worn and guarded feel. The Chalet offered the biggest surprise inside, however. Under a thick haze of cigarette smoke, a lively, older crowd (seemingly from nearby neighborhoods) had the place filled early in the evening, with games of pool and cards going. Friendly bartenders Jamie and René know their regulars and offered a rainbow of cheap beers, including Hamm’s (the beer refreshing), Budweiser and Michelob. This place, too, has a long-dormant fireplace.

* Extras: Jukebox with a mix of mainstream rock, and a book exchange with a bevy of romance and Koontz novels.