The World's Top 18 Dive Bars
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Rank 1. The Little Woody
Dive Bar
The Little Woody is a dive bar that can't quite decide what it wants to be, and that's exactly why it works. Red lighting, pool tables, darts, an arcade room, and decent cocktails all coexist without any of it feeling forced. The crowd on weekends is young, loud, and very much here to have a good time well past midnight. Order a specialty cocktail, grab a flatbread, and let someone beat you at darts.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Winner · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
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Rank 1. Harvey's Wineburger
Dive Bar
A neighborhood dive bar on 16th Street that's been around forever and just happens to serve some of the cheapest, juiciest burgers in Phoenix, cooked on a flat top with a splash of red wine. The bright green walls, pool table, and jukebox do most of the decorating. Regulars nurse their drinks at the bar like they've earned the right to. Weekend happy hours start at 10 a.m., which tells you everything you need to know about the crowd.
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Hamburgers · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
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Rank 3. Tony's Baltimore Grill
Dive Bar
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Rank 4. The Dirty Drummer
Dive Bar
A genuine Phoenix institution that's been around forever, The Dirty Drummer is a dive bar and live music venue where the boots are real and nobody's performing irony. Expect country, honky tonk, and rockabilly most nights, with line dancing that looks intimidating until your third beer. The bar menu runs wings, burgers, and nachos, and happy hour runs weekdays if you're watching your tab. Sports on TV, cold drinks, zero pretension.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Bar Food · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Country Bar · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 4. Chopper John's
Dive Bar
A proper dive bar where the walls are literally wallpapered in dollar bills and Christmas lights never come down, which tells you everything you need to know. Local rock bands take the small stage most nights, the barflies are the friendly kind, and the vibe is very much "we've been here forever and we're not changing anything." Shoot some pool, catch a game from a good bar stool, or take it outside to the patio.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Dive Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Rock Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 6. Dallasite Billiards
Dive Bar
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Rank 6. Mike’s Gemini Twin
Dive Bar
The Cedars bar that refuses to be just a dive, Mike's pulls off something genuinely weird: suited-up management, a decorative stripper pole, pool, darts, and hot dogs on a roller grill. The dirty martini, made with fresh-pressed olive juice and an anchovy-stuffed olive, is the real reason to show up. Dark, a little flirty, and somehow classy about it. The crowd feels like people who dress up but don't want to act like it.
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Bar With a Stripper Pole · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Hot Dog · Best of Dallas
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Rank 6. Lee Harvey's
Dive Bar
Lee Harvey's is the kind of dive bar that Dallas actually needs, wood paneling, neon beer signs, and zero pretense. It's been around forever and has the lived-in feel to prove it. The dog-friendly patio is genuinely great, so bring your pup and a friend who drinks cheap beer without making it a personality. The onion rings with chipotle aioli are dangerously good for a bar snack.
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Rank 6. Barbara's Pavillion
Dive Bar
Your bartender's favorite bar is high praise, and Barb's has earned it the honest way, by being a genuinely good dive for decades. The Oak Cliff regulars treat it like their living room, and the vibe skews retro in all the right ways. Thursday and Sunday karaoke nights get rowdy, burlesque shows pop up monthly, and the jukebox wanders freely from disco to hip-hop. Don't be shocked if someone famous is sitting next to you nursing a drink.
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Hole-in-the-Wall Gay Bar · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 10. Bikini Lounge
Tiki Dive Bar
Phoenix's oldest tiki dive bar has been around forever, and it has absolutely no interest in impressing you, which is exactly why you'll love it. Frosted beer glasses, kitschy tchotchkes behind the bar, pool tables, and a patio for a smoke. Show up on a Tuesday when a DJ spins vinyl and the whole place turns into a dance floor. It's cash only, so hit an ATM first or just stand there looking embarrassed.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Dive Bar · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 11. Double Wide
Dive Bar
Deep Ellum gets loud fast, and Double Wide is your pressure valve. It's a trailer park-themed dive bar where the drinks are cheap, stiff, and unapologetic, and the patio seating is made from repurposed toilets, which tells you everything about the vibe. A music venue sits across the patio and pulls in bands and DJs across genres. The crowd is flannel-and-tattoos with nowhere better to be, which honestly sounds about right.
- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Happy Hour · Best of Dallas
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Rank 12. Palo Verde Lounge
Dive Bar
Palo Verde is a cash-only Tempe dive where the crowd is genuinely impossible to predict, which is most of the charm. Construction workers, neighborhood regulars, and ASU students all coexist without incident. One night it's quiet pool and country music, the next there's a DJ, and occasionally you're stepping around a metal band in the parking lot just to get in. Drinks are cheap, poured strong, and the bartender probably already knows what you want.
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Dive Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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A proper dive bar in downtown Dallas where the whiskey is cheap, the hockey is always on, and the bar food is genuinely good enough to plan around. Think smoked meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes, or a fancy bologna sandwich that sounds like a joke until you're halfway through it. Regulars nurse beers at the bar while everyone else argues about the game. Come hungry and a little underdressed.
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Rank 12. The Monkey Bar
Dive Bar
While the rest of Santa Fe Drive got trendy around it, Monkey Bar stayed gloriously sticky-floored and unbothered. It's a proper dive bar where cheap drinks fund long nights of darts, pool, ping-pong, foosball, beer pong, or four-person Pac-Man, none of which cost you anything extra. The crowd brings their dogs, their worst ping-pong game, and zero interest in being seen. Losers buy pickle shots, apparently.
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Rank 12. Valley Bar
Dive Bar
Finding Valley Bar means following a sketchy alley off Central Avenue while seriously questioning your life choices, but the basement dive waiting at the bottom is absolutely worth the commitment. Cheap beers, cocktails named after Arizona politicians, a dance floor with live DJs, and a back room with skee-ball and shuffleboard keep the crowd loose and loud. The hanging mobile above the bar commemorating a local murderess sets the vibe perfectly.
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Basement Bar · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 12. R & R Denver
Dive Bar
A proper dive bar on Colfax that's been around forever, R&R has the full package: cheap drinks, great neon, and a crowd that keeps things interesting. It's been an LGBTQ bar for decades and still wears that history comfortably, without making a big deal of it. The interior has aged in all the right ways, meaning nobody here is precious about anything, including you.
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Rank 17. Lakewood Landing
Dive Bar
Lakewood Landing has been a neighborhood dive bar forever, and somehow it still feels like the real thing. Burgers, pool, a jukebox loaded with local picks, and a front patio where regulars will happily talk sports or music with a stranger. Grab the solo seat at the far end of the bar if you want a front-row view of Dallas in its natural habitat. The late-night jalapeño corn dog is non-negotiable.
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Rank 17. R.L.Blues Palace 2
Dive Bar