Portland Maine Dive Bar Guide

Divey Atlantic Coast Alcoves

Maine is an objectively beautiful state filled with outdoor wonders of all shapes & sizes that seem to perpetually slope toward the sea. Naturally, all of that outdoor wonder can be exhausting over time and the humble dive bar makes for a perfect, air conditioned counterpoint.

Thankfully, Portland, Maine, is both beautiful and well-stocked with divey drinking options, chief among them Ruski’s Tavern, as pure a neighborhood dive bar as can be found in the city. First erected as a personal residence in the 1860s, the Ruski’s space has been serving up alcohol under one name or another for most of its extensive history.

The title of oldest dive bar in the city, at least according to the bar, goes to Mathew’s, a space that once operated as a bar named “Portland’s Oldest Pub.” The self-proclaimed opening date of 1872 attached to the bar by its previous tenant is unverified, requiring a bit of dive bar faith. Nearby, Commercial Street Pub offers a nice counterpoint to what can be a tourist-slammed Old Port neighborhood thanks to wood paneling, string lights and a perpetual PBR can special.

When a desire to take in Maine’s majestic beauty eventually gives way to the desire to take in a cold beer, countless options exist throughout Portland, many of which can be found below.

Contact Us

What did we miss? Send along your ideas on the dives and neighborhood bars we need to visit next.