Durty Nelly’s

Charlottesville, Virginia

Field Note

Every college town needs its live music venue-dive bar hybrid institution and Durty Nelly’s qualifies as Charlottesville’s contribution to that longstanding tradition. Housing a mixture of University of Virginia students, local bands and long-time patrons, Durty Nelly’s almost feels like a slice of of Upper Midwestern drinking nestled in the much more forgiving Virginia climate.

Opened in 1978, Durty Nelly’s has long served the Charlottesville community not only with alcohol but with cold cuts, yes, cold cuts. Rare is the dive bar that uses the term ‘deli’ in its name, but Durty Nelly’s is an exception, splitting the structure’s square footage into equal parts dive bar and sandwich slinging restaurant. The Durty Nelly’s menu features every sandwich you’d expect to see at a classic diner, unique attention paid to a highly regarded reuben.

Outside, the Durty Nelly’s space is a simple one to describe, a brick lined rectangle of a building with minimal signage and a green awning over the front door. Old barrels ring a makeshift outdoor patio that spills into the bar’s parking lot, one of two patios attached to the structure. Because Virginia weather is relatively friendly, these patios and the bar’s almost perpetually open door create an open, connected flow across the bar’s interior & exterior spaces.

What makes Durty Nelly’s special though is the wood paneling-lined interior that creates a vibe akin to grabbing a drink at an old uncle’s house somewhere in semi-rural Minnesota. Vintage mugs, a sports pennant or two, string lights and a fireplace all mix to create a supremely cozy atmosphere, bricks used extensively within the space lining everything from the floor to the bar itself. Unique is the Durty Nelly’s carved wooden sign along one wall inscribed with dive bar wisdom “here’s to the nights we’ll never remember with the friends we’ll never forget.”

Live music has long been a part of the Durty Nelly’s appeal, the dive bar’s events calendar filled almost completely with nightly entertainment options. A snug stage under a red neon sign reading “Durty Nelly’s” can be found in the corner of the bar, a thin railing dotted with stickers the only separation between band and crowd. The focus on live music also explains some of the bar’s permanent fixtures, like the long drinking rail and bar-heigh stools found in the center of the Charlottesville dive bar, perfect for a packed crowd.

The stage is not reserved only for professional musicians, a night each week devoted to what Durty Nelly’s calls the best karaoke night in Charlottesville. Though not exactly campus-adjacent, college students and recent graduates do have a tendency to turn up on karaoke evenings, swelling the crowd past its usual level. The interior obstructions here are minimal, however, making it easy to shove the chairs to the side of the room to accommodate large groups.

Put up for sale in 2020 (on Craigslist naturally), Durty Nelly’s is today under relatively recently installed ownership, changes to the space thankfully minimal. Thankfully, the classic dive bar smattering of framed photos, artwork by locals, witty sayings and beer signage is left intact behind the Durty Nelly’s bar. One sign in particular in the corner of the space captures the feeling inside the Charlottesville dive bar well, reading “Durty Nelly Says! Welcome Future Regulars.”