30 late-night dives worth the night across United States, editor-ranked. All United States guides.
Hopleaf Bar ★ 4.7 · Chicago
Andersonville · 5148 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
Hopleaf in Andersonville has poured Belgian beer on Clark Street since 1992, with 62 taps, 200 bottles, mussels and frites and a conversation-only no-TVs house rule.
Tip: Open 12:00 to 23:00 most nights, 24:00 on Friday and Saturday. Kitchen runs through to 22:00 or 23:00. Limited reservations via Tock, walk-in usually fine.
My Brother's Bar ★ 4.7 · Denver
highland · 2376 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202
My Brother's Bar at 15th and Platte has poured since 1873 as the oldest continuously operating bar in Denver, with a Jack Kerouac letter on the wall and a brick patio overlooking the Platte.
Tip: Open until midnight weekdays, 02:00 Friday and Saturday. The Johnny burger and JCB cheeseburger are the food orders; the jukebox is classical only.
West Alabama Ice House ★ 4.7 · Houston
Montrose · 1919 West Alabama Street, Houston, TX 77098
West Alabama Ice House on West Alabama at Hazard has poured cold beer since 1928. Open-air cinderblock walls, picnic tables on a gravel lot, food trucks at the fence and a domino game most nights.
Tip: Open daily; the front-yard tables fill on cool evenings. Cash works fastest, the beer fridge takes precedence over cocktails, and dogs run free.
Atomic Liquors ★ 4.7 · Las Vegas
Downtown · 917 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Atomic Liquors on Fremont East has held tavern license number one since 1952 as the oldest freestanding bar in Las Vegas, with neon-lit booths and a rooftop once used for atomic-test viewing.
Tip: The Atomic cocktails on the menu reference the rooftop's atomic-test history. Open until 02:00 most nights, 03:00 Friday and Saturday.
Herbs and Rye ★ 4.7 · Las Vegas
Chinatown · 3713 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Herbs and Rye on West Sahara runs a pre-Prohibition cocktail program with hand-pressed juices and house bitters, plus an Old Vegas steakhouse menu, until 03:00 Monday through Saturday.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Late seating is the play for the cocktail program; the kitchen runs through the listed close.
Tiki-Ti ★ 4.7 · Los Angeles
Silver Lake · 4427 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Tiki-Ti on Sunset in Los Feliz, opened 1961 by Ray Buhen, is the 12-seat LA tiki room pouring 90 family-recipe cocktails over three generations.
Tip: Cash only, no reservations. Closed Sunday through Tuesday. Order the Ray's Mistake, the bartenders ring a bell.
Santa's Pub ★ 4.7 · Nashville
Wedgewood-Houston · 2225 Bransford Avenue, Nashville, TN 37204
Santa's Pub on Bransford Avenue in Nashville is the year-round Christmas trailer karaoke dive run by Santa himself, $2 beers and karaoke from 19:00 every night.
Tip: Cash only, 21+ with ID, karaoke from 19:00 nightly and 21:00 on Sundays. Open Wed to Sun 16:00 to 03:00.
Donn's Depot ★ 4.6 · Austin
Clarksville / West Lynn · 1600 West 5th Street, Austin, TX 78703
Donn's Depot on West 5th Street in Austin is the converted railway-car bar with Donn Adelman at the piano since the 1970s, country and honky-tonk dance most nights to 02:00.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Live music nightly from 21:00, no cover; the rail-car back rooms are the quieter conversation spots.
Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar ★ 4.6 · Chicago
Bridgeport · 960 W 31st St, Chicago, IL 60608
Maria's Packaged Goods in Bridgeport opened 1986 and pairs a working liquor store with a bar that shares a wall with Polish Korean restaurant Kimski next door.
Tip: Thursday through Saturday run to 02:00. Walk between the bar and Kimski with the same drink; the cocktail program goes deep on Malort.
Mac's Club Deuce ★ 4.6 · Miami
South Beach · 222 14th Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Mac's Club Deuce on 14th Street is Miami Beach's oldest bar, opened in 1926 and registered post-Prohibition in 1933, the South Beach dive where Anthony Bourdain held court and the cash register still rings 21 hours a day.
Tip: Cash only. Happy hour 08:00 to 17:00 runs two-for-one drinks; the pool table and jukebox keep going until 05:00.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar ★ 4.6 · New Orleans
French Quarter · 941 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop at Bourbon and St Philip is the candlelit 1772 cottage commonly cited as the oldest standing structure used as a bar in the United States, with no electric lighting.
Tip: Open until 03:00 most nights. Order the purple Voodoo Daiquiri; cash and card both work but the line in the back is faster.
Manuel's Tavern ★ 4.5 · Atlanta
virginia-highland · 602 N Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Manuel's Tavern in Poncey-Highland has poured since Manuel Maloof opened the doors in 1956, a National Register tavern with worn booths, political-press regulars and a beer-and-burger menu late.
Tip: Open late, kitchen runs to 23:00 most nights. The back rooms hold pool, the front bar holds the press; cash and card both welcome.
Lala's Little Nugget ★ 4.5 · Austin
Burnet Road / Allandale · 2207 Justin Lane, Austin, TX 78757
Lala's Little Nugget on Justin Lane in north Austin is the year-round Christmas dive open since 1972, boughs of holly on the walls and Santa on the roof every single day.
Tip: 21+ with valid ID. Open weekdays 16:00 to 02:00, weekends from 12:00. Cash and card both work; jukebox is the soundtrack.
Highland Kitchen ★ 4.5 · Boston
somerville · 150 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143
Highland Kitchen on Highland Avenue has poured craft cocktails and Southern-leaning American comfort food in Somerville since 2007. Upscale dive feel, no reservations, a killer jukebox and a 01:00 last call.
Tip: Kitchen closes 22:00, bar runs to 01:00. Mai Tai is the canonical order; the back booth fills first on weekends.
Recovery Room Tavern ★ 4.5 · Charleston
Upper King and Cannonborough · 685 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403
Recovery Room on Upper King is the perennial Charleston dive: ice cold PBR, late-night gourmet tater tots, pinball, pool and bingo or trivia at 21:00 nightly. Voted top dive in South Carolina.
Tip: Open weekdays 14:00 to 02:00, weekends from noon. Kitchen runs late food until 01:30; DJs Friday and Saturday, no cover.
Innertown Pub ★ 4.5 · Chicago
Wicker Park / Bucktown · 1935 W Thomas St, Chicago, IL 60622
Innertown Pub on West Thomas has poured cheap beer in Ukrainian Village since 1983 with free pool, darts, a Tom Waits jukebox and a back room of taxidermy and rummage art.
Tip: Cash preferred, kitchen-free. Open to 02:00 weeknights, 03:00 Saturday. The crowd shows up after 22:00 and the booths fill last.
Nisei Lounge ★ 4.5 · Chicago
Wrigleyville / Lakeview · 3439 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
Nisei Lounge in Chicago opened 1951 as the oldest tavern in Wrigleyville, two blocks south of Wrigley Field, with pool tables, board games and a wall of infused Malort.
Tip: Game-day mornings open at 11:00, regular open at 17:00. The Malort wall has six flavors poured neat; the dart boards are free.
The California Clipper ★ 4.5 · Chicago
Humboldt Park · 1002 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
California Clipper in Humboldt Park has run a 60-foot mahogany bar and a tiny stage since 1937, reopened after a two-year pandemic hiatus with cocktails and live country.
Tip: Closed-ish Sunday, opens 16:00 Friday and Saturday. Saturday runs to 03:00. Live country and rockabilly bookings most weekends, no cover.
Frankie's Tiki Room ★ 4.5 · Las Vegas
Arts District · 1712 West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Frankie's Tiki Room runs 24 hours on Charleston Boulevard as the only round-the-clock tiki bar in the world, with Bamboo Ben interior carvings and exotic rum drinks at any hour.
Tip: Bar-side video poker keeps regulars in seat all night. The Bearded Clam and Lava Letch are the listed signature tiki pours.
Double Down Saloon ★ 4.5 · Las Vegas
Paradise · 4640 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169
Double Down Saloon on Paradise Road has been the punk and psychobilly hub of Las Vegas since 1992, with graffiti walls, the Ass Juice house pour and 24-hour Shut Up and Drink hours.
Tip: Live bands play most nights with no cover or ticket charge. Anthony Bourdain shot No Reservations here, which has not made it any cleaner.
The Golden Tiki ★ 4.5 · Las Vegas
Chinatown · 3939 West Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV 89102
The Golden Tiki opened in 2015 on Spring Mountain Road in Chinatown as a 4,000-square-foot tiki fantasy with four themed lounges, animatronics and a 24-hour bar program.
Tip: Walk past the lava-rock waterfall entrance to find the Pirate's Lair and Mermaid Cove rooms. Reservations recommended on weekends.
Dino's ★ 4.5 · Nashville
East Nashville · 411 Gallatin Avenue, Nashville, TN 37206
Dino's on Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville is the neighborhood's oldest dive, cheap beer until 03:00 nightly and a smash burger locals rank against any in town.
Tip: Kitchen runs late, burger and fries about $10. Cash and card both work; cheapest pours every weeknight until 19:00.
Erin Rose ★ 4.5 · New Orleans
French Quarter · 811 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
Erin Rose on Conti, half a block off Bourbon, is the locals' Irish pub with frozen Irish coffees out front and Killer PoBoys serving sandwiches from the back kitchen until late.
Tip: Open 21 hours a day. The frozen Irish coffee is the order; cash bar runs faster than card on Saturday nights.
Mona's ★ 4.5 · New York City
East Village · 224 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
Mona's on Avenue B runs the city's best free live music in a dive bar: Monday bluegrass jam, Tuesday jazz with Jon Weber at midnight, every week, no cover.
Tip: Mondays for bluegrass, Tuesdays for jazz (10 piano starts at midnight). Cheap Guinness Thursday, no cover any night.
Tattooed Mom ★ 4.5 · Philadelphia
South Street · 530 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Tattooed Mom on South Street in Philadelphia is the two-floor dive, sticker-walled bar and vegan-friendly kitchen since 1997, with the city's only graffiti gallery upstairs.
Tip: Open until 02:00 Friday and Saturday, 23:00 weeknights. Upstairs has the pool table and the bumper cars converted to booths.
Bob & Barbara's Lounge ★ 4.5 · Philadelphia
Graduate Hospital / Point Breeze · 1509 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
Bob & Barbara's on South Street West in Philadelphia is the long-running Pabst-and-shot lounge with Thursday drag and a Friday jazz set, plus a wall of Pabst Blue Ribbon signs.
Tip: Citywide special, a shot of Jim Beam and a Pabst for around $4, runs every hour. Thursday drag, Friday jazz, Saturday DJs.
Aero Club Bar ★ 4.5 · San Diego
Little Italy · 3365 India Street, San Diego, CA 92103
Aero Club on India Street, established 1947, is the Middletown San Diego dive bar pouring from over 1,200 whiskeys, with an arcade, pool table and a food truck on the patio most nights.
Tip: Open weekdays 14:00, weekends from noon, to 02:00 daily. Cash and card; dog friendly. Happy hour 14:00 to 19:00 daily.
Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe ★ 4.5 · San Francisco
north-beach · 12 William Saroyan Place, San Francisco, CA 94133
Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe sits down an unmarked alley off Columbus in North Beach, a sailors' and poets' bar since 1968 with maritime relics and cheap beer.
Tip: Knock on the yellow door at 250 Columbus to find it. Cash bar runs faster; the back booths are the local seats, not the bar.
Vesuvio Cafe ★ 4.5 · San Francisco
north-beach · 255 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
Vesuvio Cafe on Columbus in SF, across Jack Kerouac Alley from City Lights, has been the Beat-generation bar since Henri Lenoir opened it in 1948 with two floors.
Tip: Upstairs balcony has the best people-watching over Columbus. The bartender will pour a Jack Kerouac cocktail to anyone who asks.
Zeitgeist ★ 4.5 · San Francisco
the-mission · 199 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Zeitgeist on Valencia in SF is a German beer garden and Mission dive with a backyard the size of a city lot, 60 taps and a kitchen turning out cheeseburgers late.
Tip: Cash bar only; the patio sets at picnic tables. The kitchen runs Bloody Marys all weekend and shuts the grill by 23:30 most nights.