Category: Features

The Upper Midwest is friendly territory for the classic neighborhood dive bar. Minneapolis in particular is home to a rich tradition of grab-a-burger, hunker down during the winter months-style neighborhood bars that have been in business since Prohibition.

Liberties have been taken with this list, a collection of Florida dive bars across Tampa, St. Pete Beach, Clearwater and all points south and west of Tampa proper. There’s something magical about the union of a lean-to beach shack and a rustic dive bar, a combination Tampa excels in supporting.

Picking a favorite New Orleans dive bar is a bit like picking a favorite child. The confluence of cultural forces that created New Orleans continue today as the backdrop to a rich collection of historic, authentic neighborhood dives.

Cleveland’s deep roots can be overlooked at times, a trait that has allowed the classic Midwestern dive bar to thrive there. These are hearty Cleveland dive bars for hearty, unapologetic Cleveland residents.

Though the city is growing faster than any other in the Midwest, the Columbus dive bar is alive and well. From timeless diner-dive combos to dive bars embedded in residential blocks, Columbus is an underrated dive bar hotbed.

Though the distinction is subjective, the precise traits that make a dive bar a dive bar is a worthy debate to be had (preferably over a beer).