Dive Bars, Where to drink, Dives, Portland, Maine, ME, Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts, Boston, New York, NY, Brooklyn, NY, Red Hook, Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania, Miami, FL, Florida, , Key Biscayne, The Leys, Key West, Asheville, NC, North Carolina, Henderson, KY, Kentucky, New Orleans, LA, Louisiana, Austin, TX, Texas, Santa Fe, New Mexico, NM, Los Angeles, CA, California, San Francisco, Beers, Liquor, Cheep Liquor, Recommendations, Mixologists, Bartenders, Sommeliers, Chefs, Insider Recommendations
Club Ms Mae’s
“It never closes.”
- Executive Chef Tory McPhail (Commander’s Palace in New Orleans)
Uptown
4336 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115
T: 504.218.8035
Sunny’s
“For just a great bar with an amazing atmosphere and cold beer.”
- Bartender Maxwell Britten (Maison Premiere in Brooklyn, NY)
Red Hook
253 Conover Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
T: 718.625.8211
Silvertone Bar & Grill
“It’s a great dive. When you walk downstairs to go to a place, you know you’re in a dive. They do have the best mac n’ cheese in town, which is something you love at 1am, after a night out.”
- Chef Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger Restaurant in Wellesley, MA)
Downtown
69 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA 02108
T: 617.338.7887
Massachusetts - Boston
New York - New york
What makes a great dive bar? Is it because it’s well-worn and rough around the edges with cheap drinks, sticky floors and a few unsavory characters? Not always. We asked a few “industry folks” to tell us their favorite dive bars around the country.
“The thing that makes these places special is that they are relatively untouched. The feel loved, worn, weathered, and not at all fabricated. The history is real, and you can feel it in the bones of the space. A lot of new bars and restaurants try really hard to create that 'lived in' feeling (and many to great success), but at the end of the day, you can feel authenticity, and that's what speaks to me.”
- Bartender Brooks Reitz (FIG in Charleston and creator of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co)
Dive Bars Across America
August 24, 2011
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Rosie’s
“They have free popcorn and darts. Order the burger and ask for mayo for the fries.”
Old Port
330 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
T: 207.772.5656
Charlies Kitchen
“A green and sustainable dive bar.”
- Chef Jamie Bissonnette (Toro & Coppa in Boston)
Harvard Square
10 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
T: 617.492.9646
McSorely’s Old Ale House
“I like McSorely's, which is divey with its beers sold five at a time and raw onion and cheese platters, but it also can get a little fratboyish, so I have to take a few points away.”
- Sommelier Michael Madrigale (Bar Boulud & Boulud Sud in NYC)
East Village
15 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003
T: 212.474.9148
Maine - Portland
Bob & Barbara’s
“The best dive bar in the world is Bob and Barbara’s, in my hometown of Philly. It's very vintage and looks like it hasn't been cleaned since the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup (1975). The best part about the place is the PBR cans and the quartet of 80-year old jazz musicians who jam on the weekends.”
- Sommelier Michael Madrigale (Bar Boulud & Boulud Sud in NYC)
Rittenhouse Square
1509 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
T: 215.545.4511
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia
Churchill’s Pub
“Churchill's Pub is a hip bar in the middle of Miami. It’s loaded with character. There’s a huge stage that features great bands live nightly. Also, unlike almost every bar in the city, there's actually a parking lot!”
- Chef Jeff McInnis (Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Miami)
Little Haiti
5501 Northeast 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33137
Florida - Miami
Mac’s Club Deuce
“Classic dive bar. You never know who is gonna be there, but it’s likely to be good. Tony Bourdain and I love this place.”
Miami Beach
222 14th Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139
T: 305.531.6200
Jimbo’s
“One of a kind. Not sure if it even classifies as a bar. It’s just a shack made of drift wood and old barnacle-filled boat wood. No liquor, no wine and no nonsense. It’s located on a small secluded island just south of Miami. Jimbo Luznar is one of the last recorded squatters in Florida.
Grab beers out of a washtub full of ice. The decor is great: a big rusty old school bus, abandoned cars, lots of leftover movie props from: the original Porkeys, Island Claws, Blood and Wine, Wild Things, Ace Ventura, True Lies and 2 Fast 2 Furious.”
- Chef Jeff McInnis (Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami)
Duck Lake Road, Virginia Key
Ted’s Hideaway
“A hip dive bar.”
Miami Beach
124 2nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139
T: 305.532.9869
The Prospect
“Totally the shit! New, but legit! Shitty street, cheap beer, no fancy cocktails. There are pretentious ‘dive bars’ and some crazy, old, scary redneck bars, but The Prospect is for real.”
- Chef Jacob Sessoms of Table in Asheville
Downtown
11 Buxton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
Metzger’s Tavern
“Growing up, my dad would always go to Metzger's with friends on Saturday - usually after mowing the lawn. The scene is incredible - everyone in the community drinking beer, telling stories, eating burgers, chomping on oyster crackers. Words can't describe the scene. It also doubles as a package store, so you've always got people coming in to buy a fifth of Old GrandDad and head down the road. Priceless.”
- Bartender Brooks Reitz (FIG in Charleston and creator of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co)
Henderson
1000 Powell Street, Henderson, KY 42420
T: 270.826.9461
Nachbar
“An old working-class bar in the middle of Germantown and was purchased by a couple who had been bartenders in Louisville for some time. They didn't change much - they put in a better jukebox, a killer beer selection, some shitty sofas, and started offering live music. The beer cooler says ‘No Smiling’ and it makes me smile every time. Probably the most comfortable and inviting bar I've ever been in. I wouldn’t change a thing, except for (and I know this is wishful thinking in a dive bar) a cleaner restroom -- the graffiti is incredible and belongs in the MoMA.”
- Bartender Brooks Reitz (FIG in Charleston and creator of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co)
Germantown
969 Charles Street, Louisville, KY 40204
T: 502.637.4377
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NortheAST
Milano’s
“For me the dive bar of choice is Milano's, which is on the cusp of Nolita and Soho. Bartenders with spunk and a welcoming spirit, old New York photos on the wall, cheap beer that's cold, late serving hours, and classic black and white talkies on the TVs add up to my go to. I especially enjoy watching The Sweet Smell of Success while drinking a brew there.
Other's of note would be The Dublin House and The International Bar.”
- Sommelier Levi Dalton (Bar Boulud, NYC)
Soho / Nolita
51 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10012
T: 212.226.8844
South
The Green Parrot
“After-work watering hole.”
Downtown
601 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040
T: 305.294.6133
Massachusetts - Boston
New York - New York
Blarney Cove
“My favorite real-deal dive bar is The Blarney Cove on 14th btw A & B. Real dreary, Charles Bukowski skid-row style.”
- Sommelier Michael Madrigale (Bar Boulud & Boulud Sud in NYC)
East Village / Alphabet City
510 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10009
T: 212.473.9284
New York - Brooklyn
MID-ATLANTIC
Southeast
Florida - Miami
Florida - The Keys
Florida - The Keys
North Carolina - Asheville
Kentucky - Henderson
Kentucky - Louisville
Snakes And Jakes Christmas Club Lounge
“Snake and Jakes and The Saint. Both have no windows and are open until daylight the next day. Both have an emphasis on beer and whiskey shots. If you go to Snake and Jakes naked, you drink free.”
- Bartender Chris Hannah (Arnaud’s French 75 in New Orleans)
Uptown
Dive Bar
7612 Oak Street, New Orleans, LA
T: 504.861.2802
The Saint
“Snake and Jakes and The Saint. Both have no windows and are open until daylight the next day. Both have an emphasis on beer and whiskey shots. If you go to Snake and Jakes naked, you drink free.”
- Bartender Chris Hannah (Arnaud’s French 75 in New Orleans)
Garden District
961 St. Mary, New Orleans, LA 70130
T: 504.523.0050
Louisiana - New Orleans
Louisiana - New Orleans
Vaughn’s
“Vaughn's on Thursdays, when Kermit Ruffins plays. Awesome!!”
- Bartender Lu Brow (Café Adelaide & The Swizzle Stick Bar)
Faubourg Marigny / Bywater
4229 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, LA 70117
T: 504.947.5562
Lala’s
“Where it’s Christmas time 24 / 7 / 365.”
- Restaurateur Jesse Herman (La Condesa, Austin)
Allandale
2207 Justin Lane, Austin, TX 78757
T: 512.453.2521
Little Longhorn Saloon
“Home of chicken sh*t bingo.”
- Restaurateur Jesse Herman (La Condesa, Austin)
Allandale
5434 Burnet Road, Austin, TX 78756
T: 512.458.1813
Southwest
Texas - Austin
Texas - Austin
Mean-Eyed Cat
“A Johnny Cash-themed dive bar.”
- Restaurateur Jesse Herman (La Condesa, Austin)
Austin
1621 West 5th Street, Austin, TX 78703
T: 512.472.6326
Shangri-La
“Where Bill Murray and the Rza from Wu-Tang hang out and bartend during SXSW.”
- Restaurateur Jesse Herman (La Condesa, Austin)
East Austin
1016 East 6th Street, Austin, TX 78702
T: 512.524.4291
Texas - Austin
Texas - Austin
Matador
“For a subterranean experience at night. It opens after dark and is always an interesting crowd.”
- Chef Katharine Kagel (Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe)
Downtown
116 W. San Francisco Street, Santa Fe, NM 87503
T: 505.984.5050
New Mexico - Santa Fe
Loaded
“The porkbelly kimchi fries alone make it worth the trip”
- Chef Robert Trester (Delphine in Hollywood)
Hollywood
6377 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028
T: 323.464.5623
Zeitgeist
“Zeitgeist has about 30 beers on tap. They have all the small production and all the imports.”
- Sommelier Mark Bright (Saison and Vinyl in San Francisco)
Mission
199 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
T: 415.255.7505
West
California - Los Angeles
California - San Francisco
The Levee
“They have Lone Star and cheese balls. Enough said.”
- Restaurateur Jesse Herman (La Condesa, Austin)
Williamsburg
212 Berry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
T: 718.218.8787
Bad Decisions
“The thing about dive bars is you never remember them...but I do happen to recall this place called Bad Decisions (the mixologist’s dive bar!). It is a great bar with a hilarious, knowledgeable owner named John Reusing. He stocks an incredible breadth of spirits (like 400+) and mixes some crazy stuff together. He once made me a tiki drink that set me off like a Hawaiian volcano. It’s a great bar either by accident or purpose and I love going there”
- Bar Manager Corey Polyoka (Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore)
Fells Point
1928 Fleet Street, Baltimore, MD 21231
Maryland - Baltimore
California - Los Angeles
The Otherroom
“I love the vibe.”
- Chef David Myers (David Myers Group)
Venice
1201 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
T: 310.396.6230
Power House
- Recommended by chef Robert Trester (Delphine in Hollywood)
Hollywood
1714 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028
T: 323.463.9438
Paradise Lounge (The Dice)
“They played lots of punk and heavy metal, which made me feel so much cooler than I actually was, since I was not cool at all. Everyone at the Dice had tattoos and black and leather. I had tight-fitting vintage polyester. Ah well. We played darts, drank exotic beer and did shots of Jager. Marty was the bartender. He looked exactly like one of the guys from ZZ Top, and he bartended with sunglasses on and sleeveless black t-shirts. That was a pretty awesome rite of passage.”
- Bartender Brian Bartels (Fedora in NYC)
Madison
119 West Main Street, Madison, WI 53703
T: 608.256.2263
Silver Dollar
“I first started going here because my brother said it was cool, but then I realized the drinks we're very cheap and they had shuffleboard, one of Wisconsin's longstanding indoor dust and dirt floor bar pastimes. Canned beer, free peanuts and the drunk grandpa (or grandma) at the corner of the bar. What's not to love?”
- Bartender Brian Bartels (Fedora in NYC)
Capital Square
117 W Mifflin Street, Madison, WI 53703
T: 608.255.7548
Midwest
Wisconsin - Madison
New York - New York
Dublin House
“One of the best pints of Guinness in New York," Frank McCourt once said to me. He's absolutely right. And the silver-haired Irish bartenders bring the Blarney.”
- Bartender Brian Bartels (Fedora in NYC)
Upper West Side
225 West 79th Street, New York, NY 10024
T: 212.874.9528
Kettle Of Fish
“This is a bar where the common man can feel at home, there's always a lifer sipping vodka on ice in a corner, and the beer won't break the bank. The people that run the bar are from Wisconsin and New York and embody my ideal. They're sassy, classy and they'll look you in the eye and tell the truth, whether you want to hear it or not.”
- Bartender Brian Bartels (Fedora in NYC)
West Village
59 Christopher Street, New York, NY 10014
T: 212.414.2278
