We Just Can't Ignore This One Shady Bar Menu Red Flag

We've all been there — walking into a mystery bar and getting the sinking feeling that you may have chosen wrong based on visuals, smells, or general vibes. Whether it's sticky floors or a persistent odor, some things are clear warning signs that you may need to lower your expectations. But with other bars that don't boast about such obvious signals of potential quality control issues, there may be other signs to be aware of. We spoke with Brian Julsen, general manager of The Corner Bar in Boulder, Colorado, about what to keep a look out for when perusing the menu at your local bar.

At the top of his red flag list, Julsen notes that a menu without listed ingredients for each cocktail is a bad sign depending on the bar. "If it's tucked back, unmanned, or in disarray," she notes, "the lack of listed ingredients makes it seem like they are trying to hide something, and I'll grab a bottled beer." As long as it's cold enough, there's little room for error when serving a pre-bottled beer, as all the bartender has to do is remove the bottle cap and hand it over.

This is also a great move if you're skeptical about the bar's overall cleanliness or any other factors. In fact, if this is the case, Julsen suggests ordering a bottled drink and "getting [the server] involved as little as possible." Without the need to worry if the draft beer lines have been cleaned recently or if the bar's ice is filtered, he adds that, "Bottled beers and full bottles of wine are difficult to screw up, even if they don't have clean glasses."

If you're not a beer or wine drinker, consider some of the other safest drinks to order at a dive bar. If you're concerned about the bartender's abilities to make a delicious cocktail, a good rule of thumb is to order something that lists the ingredients in the name of the beverage, such as vodka soda or whiskey on the rocks. Of course, true dive bars don't always have a drink menu, but a lack of physical menus likely means that the bar serves at least the basics. You can always speak to the bartender if you're looking for something more specific.

But the lack of full descriptions on a cocktail menu isn't always a glaring red flag, either. Sometimes a speakeasy or a fancy cocktail bar may omit the ingredients as a way to maintain an "air of mystery" or simply to encourage patrons to have a brief discussion with the bartender or mixologist. "If, on the other hand, the bar is highlighted as central to the operation and looks clean and organized," notes Julsen, "the lack of ingredients could speak to confidence in the product."

In this case, the expert explains that he "would still like to ask the server about the drink. If they know the specs, then the consistency I expect would be there, and I'd feel confident." The next time you're in a bar that looks like it might not meet your standards, keep an eye out for these shady bar practices that should be on your radar.