Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.
Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.
Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
29 Dive Bars, Saloons, and Taverns Where the Vibe Is Unbeatable
Come for a beer and a shot, stay for the scene.
From hand-sculpted ice spheres to baroque cocktails made with everything from olive oil–washed gin to clarified milk, there’s no limit to what the mixology wizards in a high-end bar can do. These are not those kinds of bars.
These are the kind of establishments where you go to make friends with the bartender or buy a beer for the grizzled man sitting in the corner. The drinks at these spots may be good—great, even—but everyone knows that booze is only half the fun of a dive bar. Whether the staff are slinging mai tais, absinthe, or dirt-cheap whiskey, you’re here for the history, the tall tales, and the quirky charm. From a former Klondike Gold Rush brothel to a 200-year-old Swiss tavern where customers drink while literally swinging from the rafters, if the walls in these joints could talk, they’d have serious stories to tell.
Recent Lists
16 Places to Fall in Love With The Nordics
16 Places to Fall in Love With The Nordics
Sponsored By The Nordics
16
Including Cisternerne, Forgotten Giants, and Your Rainbow Panorama
Chart Your Own Odyssey Across the Mediterranean
Chart Your Own Odyssey Across the Mediterranean
Dazzling destinations that evoke Homer’s epic.
17
Including Tophet at Carthage, Valley of the Butterflies, and Scala dei Turchi
Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.
Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.
Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook