Dive Bar Magnets

Vintage Dive Bar

Arnold's Beach Bar bills itself as "Waikiki's last tiki bar." I have no idea if that's true or not, but I do know that it's a genuine dive bar that's been around for decades and this design's vintage treatment makes it a look you picked it up back in the 80s.

The Continental Bar in Manhattan’s East Village first opened as a live music bar way back in 1991 and played host to legendary NYC punk rockers, but in 2006 the stage was replaced with leather booths which started a clear path to living out its remaining days as a dive bar. The single biggest draw was probably the “5 shots of anything for $10 deal” which ran counter to the owner’s attempts at making it a “classy dive bar.” Nonetheless, location goes a long way in business and despite all kinds of bad press and equally bad reviews, it was packed almost every night until it’s final demise at the end of 2018.

Vintage Dive Lounge

Vintage Dive Bar

Tucked into the side of the Moore Hotel (built in 1907), this old school dive bar bordering Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood first opened it’s doors in 1939. They served up cheap (and stiff!) drinks from nice, but no-nonsense bartenders in a colorful, no-fuss, vintage atmosphere. It was the kind of place where bike messengers, old-timers, metal heads, hipsters, and oddball downtown characters sat side-by-side in harmony. They also had live music, dart boards, pool tables, a killer happy hour, and strangely, really good food. It closed suddenly in Spring 2016 and locals have lamented the loss of “the last real bar in Seattle” ever since.

Lacey, Washington, was originally called Woodland after settlers Isaac and Catherine Wood, who claimed land there in 1853. When the railroad came through in 1891, residents decided it was time to apply for a post office. The request was denied because there was already a town called Woodland on the Columbia River. They decided to call the city Lacey and got a post office, though the city of wasn't officially incorporated until 1966. One year later, The Loose Caboose Tavern opened in Lacey, and quickly became a popular watering hole for the locals, many of which commuted to Olympia, Fort Lewis, and to some extent, Tacoma, for work, but came how every night to tie one on at their favorite tavern,

Vintage Seedy Club

Arnold's Beach Bar bills itself as "Waikiki's last tiki bar." I have no idea if that's true or not, but I do know that it's a genuine dive bar that's been around for decades and this design's vintage treatment makes it a look you picked it up back in the 80s.

From 1951 to 1969 the building now known as The Viper Room served as a cabaret, call The Melody Room, run by brothers Pete and Billy Snyder. For 18 years, the Melody Room was known almost as well for its diverse lineup of performers as it was the eclectic mix of Hollywood celebrities and mobsters who made the place their hang out.

Denver's Colorado Mine Company was one of those places that wasn’t what it seemed. It was a dive bar of sorts, but slightly classier and wrapped in a unique style of western kitsch with a menu to match. It was the kind of place your mother had warned you about, but that only made it that much more fun to hang out there. The restaurant lives on in America's collective consciousness as the creator of the "Fool's Gold" sandwich, one of Elvis Presley's all-time favorites, so much so that he would fly his private jet from Graceland to Denver just to get his fix.

Taking cues from other NYC roadhouse-style bars, this Financial District saloon opened its doors in 2009 and made its bartenders the main event. The Horse's all-female cast of booze slingers was known for entertaining feats including bar-top dancing, fire-blowing, and hula-hooping, all while serving cheap drinks. The Iron Horse had a full menu that included your typical bar fare, and if you went on a Sunday, burgers and hot dogs were on the house when you bought a drink.

Located in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood, the Walrus Tavern was a legendary live music venue that hosted countless blues and rock 'n roll shows over the years. When it wasn't playing host to local bands and all-time great blues singers, the tavern was a true neighborhood watering hole, providing frosty libations and reliable tavern food. Unlike most places, the Walrus didn't close up shop for lack of customers or ever-increasing rents, rather it burned to the ground in 1984. The concrete pad it sat on remained vacant for decades until another bar opened up next door and annexed the Walrus pad as a beer garden, aptly named 'The Walrus Beer Garden.'

Vintage Clown Liquor Store

Lee Triemert opened Lee's Liquor Lounge in Minneapolis in the late '50s, and ran it with his wife until he passed away in '76. Lou Sirian bought the bar in '77, but continued to call it Lee's, because Lou is the kind of guy who likes to keep things the way they are. That model seemed to work for Lou, as Lee's remained a mainstay of the city’s historically working-class North Loop neighborhood for decades. Housed in a 125-year-old former warehouse, Lee's was the go-to watering hole for blue collar employees for generations, but as the factories left, so did many of the customers. Lou brought in live music in the mid '80s, and this is when Lee's got its second wind as a music venue, with sort of a honky tonk dive bar vibe.

Vintage Shanghai Tiger Dive Bar

Powder River, Wyoming is little more than a ghost town these days, but it used to have two restaurants, a motel, and a gas station, supporting not just locals and travelers along the U.S. 20 highway, but also the Standard Oil refinery. Now all that remains is an elementary school, a post office and a handful of very rural residences. One of those restaurants was the Tumble Inn, a roadhouse in every sense of the word. The log cabin housing the Tumble Inn was moved to Powder River from Ten Sleep, Wyoming, in 1923 and operated as several businesses before the Tumble Inn took up residence in 1942. With a full bar and kitchen, the Inn kept passersby happy for decades, but after the refinery closed, things slowed and topless dancers were added.

Vintage San Diego Liquor Store

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DIVE BAR Cheers Sign Style

Vintage Clown Liquor Store

The High Time Tavern opened its doors in 1935 in the small Arizona border town of Nogales, making it one of the earliest watering holes in the Arizona Territory after statehood. Aside from a full bar with an extensive tequila menu, High Time ran a full kitchen that made it a popular stop for anyone passing through between Tucson and Mexico. The tavern had live music every night on their respectably sized stage, most commonly featuring country and honky-tonk artists. When they closed up shop is unclear, but it appears that they were still hanging around in the late '80s. While they may be long gone, any business that can make a 50-year run is a success in my book.

Vintage Fiesta Time Bar

New York’s Red Rock West could have been Coyote Ugly’s truly ugly, possibly inbred cousin. With an obvious cowboy roadhouse type vibe accented with the stench of stale beer and a Harley riding (or wannabe riding) clientele and tables with no chairs, Red Rock West Saloon was not your typical NYC nightspot to say the least. However, any shortcomings were quickly overlooked as the bartenders were hot and very much known for putting on an engaging show with plenty of audience interaction, again, think Coyote Ugly.

Vintage NC Dive Bar

The best beer and stuffed breads around...if it really existed!! OG Version!

A bar with an annual Easter event involving a classic family egg fight among drunken patrons for money and prizes? That's EXACTLY what Jesus would have wanted. Murphy's Pub was a traditional Irish bar that walked on the divey side without being too divey and held frequent events that included extensive participation of their patrons, often times whether they wanted to or not.

Saw the screen door and I just had to go in. This will be part of my favorite dive bar series.

Support Your Local Dive Bar OG Black Letters

Old school local dive bar...

The Hewitt Street storefronts at the American Hotel housed many Los Angeles businesses over the years — the Golden West, Tony's Café and Joe Pirrone's to name a few. In 1973, Alfonso Vasquez opened a bar there, rather uncreatively calling it Al's Bar. Al's began as a hangout for local truck drivers and factory workers that would stop by after a long day for a cold beer and a game of pool. A shift in neighborhood demographics led to a change in the bar's clientele in the '80s. The hotel became a haven for artists in need of cheap live-in studio space, and Al's was happy to serve these free spirited souls, eventually adding a small stage and hosting bands. Al's quickly became known more as an intimate music venue than a dive bar.

Vintage Oakland Bar

My Favorite Place

Arnold's Bar and Grill is the oldest continuously operating bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of the oldest in the United States.

The Clapping Clam

Arnold's Beach Bar bills itself as "Waikiki's last tiki bar." I have no idea if that's true or not, but I do know that it's a genuine dive bar that's been around for decades and this design's vintage treatment makes it a look you picked it up back in the 80s.

Max Fish / NYC