Some guys list of top ten dive bars in America.

[Swede]

Never heard of any of them,but what the hey?


http://www.tmrzoo.com/2010/15753

[rrneck]

1. I can vouch for Tootsies. nt

[Crystal Clarity]

2. Wow. Thems look like some classy joints

That guy needs to take it down around 10 notches if he wants to review some of the places around here. :beer:

[bluedigger]

3. Two for Tootsie's!

It's a great bar!

[hippywife]

4. The missed Fluffy's Teddy Bear Lounge

in Columbus, OH. Must be closed by now, tho. Fluffy was already getting up there when I worked at the bar a block away, oh maybe close to thirty years ago now. :rofl:

[petronius]

5. I'll be visiting both Boston and Seattle over the next six months,

So it looks like I'll be able to check off two of those pretty soon... :beer:

[cemaphonic]

12. I've never been to the one in Seattle, but I would be pretty surprised if it was all that divey.

That whole area is totally gentrified (and was never "bad", just comfortably blue-collar). It still may very well be worth going to, of course, just don't expect it to be all that seedy.

[JTG of the PRB]

6. Falling Rock Tap House is a great place to have beer after a Rockies game.

Great selection of beers, and a unique atmosphere.

[Tobin S.]

7. There's dive bars and then there's dive bars

I don't think most big cities have real dive bars.

In Miamisburg, Ohio, where I'm from, there used to be a real dive bar within walking distance of my house. The Linger Lounge. The Linger no longer exists. It was there for a long time, but I think the owner of the property got wind of what was going down there and refused to renew the bar's lease.

There were fights there on a regular basis. The 400 pound bartender also served as the bouncer and he had a back up crew of regulars just in case he needed it. He rarely did. I walked into the Linger for the first time when I was 21 and I almost got my ass kicked. It hadn't quite devolved to its lowest point at that time, but it was getting there.

I figured out what kind of bar that place was when I walked into the men's room and there were a couple of guys smoking a joint in there. The restroom consisted of one stall without a door, one urinal, and a sink. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in decades. I later learned that the women's room was where the cocaine snorting took place. They partook right off the top of the toilet tank.

The bar was rectangular in shape and took up the entire room except for a place for a dart board and a video game and a juke box. The juke box was filled with country and blue grass. The later it got the more blue grass and old timey country was played.

There was a core group of regulars there who would often be allowed to party after hours. They were all rednecks and a few of them were drug dealers. These privileged few were a close knit group. They drank for free or at a token cost.

I know some of that from my visits there. The rest I heard from a friend of mine who was a part of the gang for a while. That was a dangerous place and I never really knew the worst of it before my friend told me about it.

[speedoo]

8. Grady's in Ft. Lauderdale

Linger Lounge sounds like Grady's but the regulars there are not exactly privileged. Grady's has: cheap beer, cigarette smoke that gets overwhelming after an hour or so, a great jukebox (lots of country but mostly rock) and excellent, cheap food. It has developed a pretty good rep throughout South Florida as a fun place to hang out. I mean how many places can you go to and have a good dinner and then spend the rest of the evening drinking beer, listening to the jukebox and talking to some ok folks for about ten bucks? Pretty much the only thing the regulars there get that others don't is occasionally getting their beer refills quicker.

[mitchum]

9. I've been to four of them (and I'm not even a lush)

[denbot]

10. I've been to Jumbo's Clown Room

Been quite a while. I'm surprised that Jumbo's still there.

[DBoon]

22. I drive by it all the time

one day I might stop by for a drink

[hobbit709]

11. Those look too upscale compared to some of the dives I've been in.

[guitar man]

13. Shit

If he thinks those are dives I bet some of the places I've been known to hang out in would scare him to death :evilgrin:

[Crankie Avalon]

14. No Subway Inn?

It's usually on all these lists of so-called "dive bars" that are still wholesome enough for the type of person who goes around writing bar reviews to go to when he wants to pretend to be a little edgy.

[Initech]

15. I've been to Falling Rock - awesome beer bar

There's also a dive bar that I used to frequent in downtown San Diego but the name completely escapes me at the moment.

[mikeytherat]

16. "The Good Guys" in D.C., "Daddy Rabbit's" in Richmond, and "Buck's Brand" in Newport News

Those are some real dives.

mikey_the_rat

[Roon]

17. When I was a kid, I used to go to a gay bar called Mr.Bills

It was the epitome of a dive bar. There was always some crazy floor show going on and when you walked in it was like walking in a star wars bar.

The bar was aimed at the homeless,hustlers,and sugar daddies.The money they made on the jukebox paid the rent every month.

I was young, 22-years-old, and pretty. I only needed to walk into that bar with enough to buy my first drink and the rest of the drinks would be paid for.

Even though I probably looked like a hustler, I never hooked. I just went for the entertainment and free drinks!

Mr.Bill's is gone now, but I spent a lot of time in that dive.

[KamaAina]

18. No New Orleans?

You could probably find ten world-class dive bars in NOLA alone.

[bluedigger]

23. I think NOLA is off limits for this.

Whole different league! :rofl:

[ceile]

19. No Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon?

Ginny's is a dive bar that even I won't frequent- and that's saying somethin'!

[some guy]

20. not my list

and I don't think I've been to any of those bars.

:)

[tigereye]

21. wait, dives don't have outdoor patios and great beer lists!

:rofl: Dives have cranky owners and bartenders, cheap drinks for the scary and somewhat life-toughened clientele, crummy carpeting, and maybe a good jukebox if you are lucky. Once the hipsters come in that is usually the end of it's "dive bar" status.


All of those places sound unique and fun, though.