The Best Dive Bars In The U.S.

There's nothing quite like good, old-fashioned dive bars. Sure, they're seedy, shabby and filled with wobbly undesirables, but they're also the beating heart of any true American boozehound. They've been there for us through birthdays and breakups, triumphs and perils, greeting us with a cold(ish) beer, a stiff shot and a handful of reliable drinking buddies. They're simply, perfectly ours.

As a food and drinks writer (aka professional imbiber), I'm all for fancy cocktail lounges and highbrow cuisine. But the drinking dens that have impacted me most over the years are truly some of the dingiest and dankest the country has to offer. Who doesn't like a bar with a little character—a timeless glimpse into decades of lives lived, loves lost and cans crushed?

Admittedly, this roundup was difficult to compose, because these lovably gin joints are defined by deeply personal connections. And that's exactly why I asked  the folks who know them best to give me the dirt on every major American city's absolute deepest dive.

Consider this a love letter to the neighborhood watering holes that touch our souls and tickle our livers. May they never, ever give up the ship, and may they continue to make cameos in all fictional works of pop culture genius that have permanently shaped our everyday lives (see below for evidence). Because, at the end of the day, people are all the same. We just wanna go where everybody knows our name.

"Prolific New York Times drinks writer Robert Simonson once called this stalwart Chelsea neighborhood go-to 'a dive dive,'" TT managing editor Jane Frye, who loves dive bars almost as much as I do, says. "And, sadly, it's the last of a dying breed. The owners, brothers Billy and Mark, took over the 1956 hideaway back in the 90s and have been presiding over locals and tourists alike who stumble in for a beer and shot ever since, asking only that everyone abides by their motto: Love This Bar. Don't forget to bring cash for all those strong mixed drinks and Miller High Lifes waiting inside."

Photo: Tasting Table

"That place is magic," raves Houston native Adam Chandler, a writer for the Atlantic, raves. "It's survived oil booms and busts, floods, hurricanes, droughts, gentrification and, yeah, Rick Perry." Located on a historic downtown street, Warren's cheery turquoise facade is a welcome sight among the city's rapidly growing lot of high- rise condos and generic office buildings. And despite the shadow this urban construction boom has cast over the kitschy yet sophisticated Market Square landmark, the bar's managed to keep attracting loyal crowds like bees to (boozy) honey. Inside, it's all old- world cool, with dark wood paneling, exposed brick, floor- to- ceiling mirrors and an antique jukebox stuffed with everything from '80s power ballads to mid-century jazz greats. While Warren's is arguably this list's classiest member—it specializes in martinis—it's just grubby enough around the edges to make the cut.

Forget those touristy walking tours. This dive has all the Beantown history you need. "If you're looking to hunker down at Boston's finest, you're going to have to earn it first," Frye explains. "Only the trained eye (or fans of The Town) could spot this signless Union Street corner establishment. Mixology be damned; this is the kind of place where you can catch a good beer buzz for under $20 while trying to win over the bartender. And if you're lucky, you might get to hear one of the many stories that live inside the walls. As one review of the joint aptly states, 'It doesn't get more Boston than this.'"

Leilana (Winona Ryder) and Vickie (Janine Garafalo) living the grunge life in Reality Bites (1994) | Giphy

"Situated across the street from a now-defunct strip club, Chee Chee has the usual SoCal dive setup: a decent jukebox and a decent pool table," TT art director Nikhil Shah, who spent three years as a permanent fixture there, says. "It's large enough to throw your own ad hoc party in without disturbing the good mix of seedy (but friendly) locals and drunk out-of-towners who somehow managed to wander away from the Gaslamp quarter." Lined with inviting leather banquets, the long bar aglow with white Christmas lights, this semi-gay, mostly-everyone bar is one of the oldest in Downtown SD and has no problem showing its age—especially when it comes to prices. "The well liquor is dirt cheap," Shah adds. "Like two to three bucks, if I remember correctly."

Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) strutting into The Volpe in Mean Streets (1973) | Giphy

"Mary's is a neighborhood dive that happens to be a gay bar," part-time Atlanta dweller and full-time dive aficionado/graduate student Emma Beck explains. "It's inescapably smoky inside, dark with weird art everywhere, 70s porn videos playing on a loop, the best karaoke night in town and an adorable back patio. The crowd is really diverse, chill and mostly older during the week, with younger folks pouring in for weekend drag shows." According to Beck, the bartenders are so friendly they even oblige every time she orders an overly complicated drink. "Even though they tease me relentlessly for ordering a classic Hemingway Daiquiri from a dive bar, in the end, they always oblige."

"Al's is a cash-only living vestige of the Seattle we all miss," graphic designer, Washington State native and Al's Tavern lifer Logan Sayles says. "It's about the sort of place where you might bump into Dave Matthews (he lives in the same suburb), while listening to Four Tet and downing some beers. They have a few adorable oven-heated snacks, but the food isn't really the point—it's much more about contributing to the erosion of the well-worn seats while making friends with neighborhood folks over a few cold ones." Sounds like a pretty good deal to us.

"Ego's lounge has everything your grimy, karaoke-loving heart desires: dim lighting, great live music, a crowd of loyal regulars and the cheapest of cheap drinks," Michelle Natal, a dive bar enthusiast and frequent visitor to the Lone Star State's capital city, tells me. "The bar is admittedly a little tough to find—it's stashed away in the basement below a nondescript office building—but it's definitely worth seeking out. Just make sure you come ready to belt out some power ballads."

Rob (John Cusack) delivering his joke of a marriage proposal in High Fidelity (2000) | Giphy

When they're not busy worshipping LeBron or cursing the Cubbies, the hardworking residents of Believeland have been known to enjoy a fortifying drink and a lively tune or two at House of Swing. As its name implies, this storefront bar is dedicated to all things music, reportedly housing one of the country's most extensive collections of blues on vinyl (and, judging from the impossibly cluttered walls, probably one of the most extensive ephemera collections, too). Local blues, rock and jazz bands play regularly, much to the delight of the toe-tapping customers seated around the long bar. Don't be deceived by the Party City-esque music note cutouts in the front window. It might look like business in the front, but it's all party in the back.

What's a juke joint exactly? Picture a century-old brick building, flickering red neon in the window, peeling paint on the walls, greasy burgers, buckets of beer and, yes, an amazing record selection. But at E&H's, those 45s aren't the only things loaded with soul. This brothel-turned-bar is notorious for its collection of resident ghosts, known to tinker with tunes when you least expect it. I've never witnessed a wandering spirit myself, but the bar's undeniably eerie vibe is a great excuse for loading up on as much liquid courage as you can handle. And even if you're not sold on the whole supernatural thing, there's one thing you can trust: If it's midnight in Memphis, everybody and their (long- departed) great aunty can be found boogying away inside.

Here's the thing about Tom's Tavern: It looks like it's about to fall apart, literally. The 89-year-old roadside shack is nothing more than a heap of white washed plywood, tar-stained siding and a crumbling, rusty metal sign. But behind its shabby exterior lies one of the warmest Motor City pubs on record. OG proprietor Tom Lucas himself has since passed, but the community he built inside his shoddy structure lives on, tossing 'em back under the loving gaze of now proprietor, Ron Gurdjian. If the sloping floor, sketchy 'hood or precariously perched memorabilia makes you nervous, don't worry—this gem has withstood Prohibition, fires, multiple break-ins and even a massive car crash, always coming out (mostly) intact.

Holding it down as the oldest dive in a city synonymous with sawdust-strewn honky-tonks and world-class karaoke bars is quite a feat, and Dino's lives up to its esteemed title with all the grace, whimsy and down-home Southern (C)omfort I've come to expect from a respectable Dixieland gin joint. I'm talking wood-paneled walls, a corrugated tin counter lined with worn barstools and Christmas lights, a sunny back patio littered with local riffraff and loose gravel, $3 Coors Banquet on draft, and a full menu of greasy favorites like Frito pie, cheeseburgers and, yes, even some very legit Nashville hot chicken. And if that palate-scorching bird has you parched, I'd recommend going all in on an ice-cold 40-ouncer of Colt 45—trust me, as someone who's made it into Dino's hallowed doors on more than one fiery occasion, this is good advice.

If you're looking for excellent craft brews in a verifiably snob-free environment, this one's for you. "Conveniently located directly across from Downtown's Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs, Star Bar is a trip back in time amidst a future-forward city," Frye says. "This joint, around since 1959, has it all: a Rolling Stones pinball machine, sticky vinyl booths and a killer local beer selection. Want to kick the night up a notch? Ask for the 'shark shot' and make sure they hand you the original blue shark they keep in the back. Unsanitary? Probably. Amazing? Definitely."

"Writing your name on the walls is actually welcomed," former Reel M Inn regular (and current TT associate food editor) Kristina Preka says. "They've also got delicious JoJo's (like steak fries but better) and the best fried chicken that's ever scorched the roof of your mouth. The place is small, almost too small, and usually understaffed, with just one person tending bar, making food and keeping everything in check. But no one ever seems to mind. In fact, it's always full of loyal patrons who tip well, never complain and always, always come back. Maybe it has something to do with the bar's clever name."

Patrick Swayze as Dalton, the legendary butt-kicking bouncer from Road House (1989) | Giphy

"Hidden away just outside downtown Charlotte, there's more than a few ways to get your buzz on at this classic roadside favorite: taking in the scenery from one of the porch swings, bellied up to the bar listening to live music or dipping your toes in the sand (yes, sand) as you play a little ping-pong," Frye says. "And if you time it right, you might catch someone firing up the grill on special occasions. Chock-full of kitsch, including a waterfall flowing from up in the rafters, this modest-on-the-outside, lavish-on-the-inside establishment will welcome you with all the Southern charm you could ever desire."

Henry (Mickey Rourke) tossing back a whiskey shot in Barfly (1987) | Tumblr

At Bob & Barbara's, anything goes—seriously. There're dudes banging out self-proclaimed "liquor-drinking music" on an original Hammond B-3 organ, a Thursday-night drag show that routinely draws the best queens in the country and something called the Citywide Special, Bob & Barbara's now-ubiquitous PBR-and-Jim Beam boilermaker pairing (it started here first, folks). Fittingly, the crowds are just as diverse, with folks of all races, ages, genders and orientations rubbing elbows and clinking glasses under this boxy, red-lit bar's crowning disco ball. If you're going for a show, be sure to get there early, because this celebrated joint packs it in fast (unless, of course, you prefer snuggling with your fellow drinker's armpit all night long).

Photo: Jeff Alworth/Flickr

If a bar's motto is, "Don't feed the animals. It kills their buzz," you know it's not messing around. And this standout KC dive, with its $2.25 PBRs, fully loaded jukebox, graffitied walls, taxidermy, Jell-O shot deals and constant stream of patrons using the bar as a dance floor, certainly does right by its wild moniker. A KC institution since 1982, the place somehow survived on a daytime-only schedule until 2007—which, when you think about it, is completely insane. A down-and-dirty dive that got by strictly during daylight hours? For 25 years? Amen.