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It's been six months since Arizona banned smoking in restaurants and bars — and bingo halls, pool halls and grocery stores. No longer does a cloud of smoke hover over the heads of customers during burlesque shows at the Surly Wench Pub, or sting the eyes of concertgoers at Plush. No longer do club-hoppers return from hipster haven Club Congress or hip-hop venue Envy smelling like an ashtray.

Instead, smokers have taken their habit outside.

The sidewalks along North Fourth Avenue are now spotted with smokers, who suck their cigarettes to the nub before tossing the butts in the gutter.

Many bars, like the Bay Horse Tavern and Green's Pub, have converted existing patios to smoking patios. Some restaurants, like McMahon's Prime Steakhouse, and bars like Jeff's Pub OTB, have built fancy new patios to accommodate smokers.

More than a few local smokers have taken their butts to one of the area's casinos, where smoking is still legal.

Kathy Solberg enjoys smoking while she plays keno at Casino del Sol, which she says she does about three or four times a month.

"I don't come here because I can smoke," Solberg said. "I come here to gamble. But I do enjoy that I can smoke."

According to Pima County, most local bars and restaurants have been quick to come into compliance with the smoking ban. Marcy Flanagan, a senior program manager with Smoke Free Arizona, says that Pima County has yet to issue a fine or citation to a restaurant or bar for violating the anti-smoking law.

"In Pima County we've had 409 complaints filed since May 1," Flanagan said. "But most business owners have been very good about making the necessary changes."

That doesn't mean they've all been happy about it.

Daniel Green, owner of Green's Bar and Grill, says every bar owner he knows lost business after the smoking ban took effect.

"We lost 20-25 percent at first, and profits stayed at that level for at least four months," Green said.

Lisa Watanabe recently celebrated her 21st birthday at The Hut, which has a large outdoor smoking patio. She said she wishes she could smoke inside.

"I really like to smoke when I drink," Watanabe said. "(The smoking ban) takes away from the whole experience of going out."

Still, many bar patrons seem to be grateful for the smoke-free setting.

Sarah Launius is a smoker who has enjoyed the ban.

"Even at home I smoke outside," Launius said. "In Tucson it's so nice so much of the year that it's no big deal."

This North Fourth Avenue bar, which is a regular hangout for Rollergirls and rock star wannabes, hosts regular "Guitar Hero" competitions and burlesque shows.

The bar's bouncer, Tank Lutz, says he loves the smoking ban.

"I've been a bouncer for 11 years and I think it's great. It used to be that I could see a cloud of smoke in here," he said.

Customers now smoke on the sidewalk outside. You'll find a similar situation at nearby bars like Che's Lounge and The Buffet.

State law says these bars are not responsible for what people do while they're on the sidewalk. They need only ensure that the smoke doesn't find its way inside the bar.

"Have you seen the gutter? asked customer Leif Whirlwind-Soldier. "If the city wants to have a smoking ban, then they should at least put ashtrays outside."

The owners say the smoking ban made things "weird at first," but that eventually people got used to going outside to smoke.

"I think business fell off for a while, but it was hard to tell because the ban started in May, which is a tough month for all bar owners," said owner Kate Miners. "We've talked about a smoking patio, but it's not our building and we'd have to go through the landlord. The zoning is the biggest pain. . . . Dealing with the city always throws a wrench in(to) our creativity."

The Shelter is an oasis of kitsch, but nothing inside — not the lava lamps, velvet curtains, mirror balls or JFK tributes — is as outdated as the bar's smoking patio, which offers few creature comforts. We're talking folding chairs, a concrete slab, white plastic fencing and that's about it. Customers who go outside to smoke don't linger, mostly because they can't bring their drinks.

Fortunately, bar owners say, the current setup is temporary. They've recently been given permission from the city to build a new smoking patio, which will feature a full-service bar.

"I grew up in the Boston area, where going outside was definitely a big deal," said Wendy Flynn, the director of a local preschool. "It was cold. Here, it's not as big a problem, though it sucks that you can't bring your drink outside."

Shelter management says they're working to solve that problem.

"We've had a lot of issues with our permits," said Paris Nocera, the Shelter's manager. "We've finally got everything together, I think, so we should be breaking ground next week sometime. We're building a smoking patio where you can drink. There will be music and drinking — same as inside the bar. Should be ready in a month."

This haven of off-track betting is light on the usual sports bar trappings, like signed photos, broken hockey sticks and worn pennants, instead opting for a more refined atmosphere, highlighted by an abundance of high-resolution plasma TVs. More recently, Jeff's has added a smoking patio, complete with outdoor bar and — you guessed it — plasma TVs.

The outdoor patio features tan stucco walls with matching saltillo floors, several plants, and tables with umbrellas.

"Where it hurt us the most was the later night customers who were coming in," said owner Jeff Schantz. "The pool players like to smoke, drink and play pool. The ban changed their outlook on coming in.

"We sell more food now and less alcohol. The problem is there's not as much profit in the food as there is in selling drinks. You'll sell a shot and a burger for the same price, but it'll cost you maybe 70 cents to put out a shot and maybe $2.50 for a burger."

Customer Tiffany Reese says she likes the smoking ban.

"But it's not always easy. I work at Starbucks and I'll go outside to smoke and still some customers get upset."

This upscale eatery caters to cigar smokers. McMahon's has an indoor humidor. Cigars retail from $10 to $40. When voters approved the ban, management saw it as an opportunity.

On Sept. 12, it opened Smoke, an outdoor smoking bar that's heated in winter and cooled in summer. The bar features drink service and Saturday night jazz. The outside patio resembles a Spanish courtyard, with a brick and stone floor, shade trees, painted iron tables and chairs and string lights.

"With our addition of Smoke, our patio is a busy patio now," said Richard Tyler, general manager of McMahon's and Smoke.

Ron Janoff goes to Smoke on Monday evenings to smoke cigars and have drinks with his friends, one of whom happens to be the bar's owner, Bob McMahon.

"I told Bob just the other day that this patio is my favorite in town," Janoff said. "It's like an upscale Cheers. Everybody here knows your name."

You can still smoke at Safehouse, an espresso bar on Speedway. But maybe not for much longer.

Safehouse continued to allow smoking even after the ban took effect. According to Pima County, the coffee bar, which also sells a variety of cigarettes, qualified as a retail tobacco store and was therefore exempt from the ban.

Retail tobacco stores are defined as stores that make more than half of their gross income from the sale of tobacco. But on Oct. 2, the Arizona Department of Health announced that "a bar or a restaurant cannot be either a retail store or a retail tobacco store."

Marcy Flanagan, a senior manager with the Arizona Smoke Free Program, which is a branch of the Department of Health Services, said that Safehouse has been "given a deadline to come into compliance with the new regulations."

Safehouse's owner and manager declined to comment.

Going to Safehouse on a Friday night is like stepping back in time — to April 30, 2007. A thick cloud of smoke hangs in the air. Nearly all the customers are standing or sitting with a coffee drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

It feels just like a bar, even though there is no alcohol served here. Motorcycles are lined up out front. Inside, loud music plays, customers shoot pool, play video games and sit at booths talking.

Safehouse has a devoted crowd of regulars who keep it busy mornings and evenings. College kids bring laptops. Club goers come dressed in their hipster finest. Others come straight from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

"I've heard people who drink tell me they see the bikes and pull up thinking they can get a beer," said Laura Hildebrant, a regular at Safehouse.

She and her friends all ride motorcycles and meet up at the espresso bar on the weekends, before going to a latenight movie, or Denny's, or both.

"It's an espresso bar, but all they see is 'bar,' " her friend Sonny Jenkins chimed in.

Craig Bennett, who works in an adult-entertainment store and lives around the corner from Safehouse, said he likes the coffee shop because it's "not corporate."

"It feels very independent," Bennett said. "Plus, their coffee is a lot better than any other place in town."