The Best Dive Bars In The U.s.

Grungy, grimy and relentlessly endearing, these are America’s top dive bars

By Meredith Heil/March 16, 20179:31 pm EST

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 situs judi slot online 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.Baltimore: Venice Tavern

Legend has it the term dive bar originally referred to a drinking establishment that was tucked away in a subterranean basement, since patrons had to sneakily dive down into it to get their buzz on. This definition has fallen by the wayside over time, of course, but Charm City’s legendary Venice Tavern is still fighting the good fight from below. And everything else about the place, from its low-slung pressed tin ceiling and creaky pool table to its ridiculously low prices ($tiga for a fresh craft pint) and signature “coddies” (an old-school potato-crab cake mash-up snack native to the area) remains staunchly cemented in its midcentury heyday. There’s even a photo of President Roosevelt tacked up behind the bar—a nod to the man who famously repealed Prohibition. Now that’s dedication.New York: Billymark’s West

“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 TableLos Angeles: Tiki-Ti

If we’re talking West Coast dive bars, it’s only right that at least one tiki joint make the list—and Tiki-Ti fits the bill. Perched on the edge of Los Feliz, this Sunset Boulevard oasis is, naturally, filled to the brim with Polynesian knickknacks and enough neon-hued concoctions to ward off 1,000 diabetics. Tiki-Ti’s been doling out the sweet stuff since 1961, when Ray Buhen, a beloved, 27-year veteran of the tiki business, decided to break out on his own. Buhen’s résumé was insanely impressive, boasting a 1934 stint behind the bar at L.A.’s trailblazing Don the Beachcomber. And though the boozy mastermind situs slot terpercaya passed away in 1999, his top-secret Zombie recipe remains totally unchanged, instantly situs slot online transporting sippers back to the kitschy days of yore.Houston: Warren’s Inn

“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 canggih GiphySaint Louis: Mike Talayna’s Juke Box Restaurant

“The signature characteristic of any great dive bar is not taking itself too seriously,” DINE App editor and illustrious food blogger Aaron Hutcherson, who frequented this STL dance club during college, says. “And decked out with mirrored walls, silver tinsel, rows of disco balls and lighting that blankets the room in a purple haze, this place certainly fits the bill. Talayna’s, as it’s known around town, is a late-night favorite for anyone who wants to sing their lungs out at karaoke and/or drop it low on the dance floor.”San Diego: Chee Chee Club

daftar situs judi slot online terpercaya “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 Sekolah Dasar and has no persoalan GiphyAlbuquerque: Silva’s Saloon

The last time I drove down Route 66, I wasn’t quite old enough to (legally) saddle up to one of the ancient Western saloons that tempted me every 20 miles or so, but one situs judi slot online resmi look at Silva’s timeless facade, and I knew it was worth a try. Stationed about 25 minutes north of Albuquerque in a town called Bernalillo not far from Albuquerque, this classic family-run dive officially opened its doors the day after Prohibition’s repeal and has been busy accruing its impressive collection of knick knacks, newspaper clippings, dusty liquor bottles and whiskey-sipping diehards ever since. They’ve even got a moonshine still, once operated by original owner Felix Silva, Sr., on display. Our requests for beers might have been denied, but I still consider the attempt a mission accomplished.Atlanta: Mary’s