I'm going to bump up a star for them because since my initial visit (over 2 years ago) my opinion has shifted slightly.  With the addition of other bars on this part of Fremont, The Griffin has become, for me, a good starting point when I'm trying to get cheaper (relative to the other bars) drinks that are made strong.  Maybe the \"cool kids\" have flocked to new bars because the scene in here isn't so cool-drab as it was before.  I like the fire places and whenever the back room is open, the music is diverse.  They've played 80's in the back before and if they played that every night I'd give them 4 stars.