Dive Bars Around The World
Upon Googling “dive bars,” the Wikipedia page for Dive bar appears close to the top of the search page. It proclaims that a dive bar “is a colloquial American term for a disreputable bar or pub. It may also refer to a neighborhood bar where local residents gather to drink and socialize.”
The best way to find the best dive bars (and steer clear of the disreputable ones, unless that is what you are into) is to follow the advice of locals. Porter & Sail asked locals for some of their favorite dive bars around the world. Add these to your “must visit” list!
Achilles Heel, New York
Achilles Heel is a throwback to the kind of warm but spartan room that hard-drinking fishermen might have frequented at the turn of the 19th century. But true to its lack of pretension, the place isn’t full of knowing winks and thematically named cocktails; just a cool, older, creative crowd.
AleBrowar, Wroclaw
The bright, white Scandinavian aesthetic of this L-shaped venue is twinned with dandelion-colored armchairs and doodle-style wall art courtesy of the same hip team that designs AleBrowar’s beer labels. The style is lapped-up by everyone from beer dorks making tasting notes, to cool guys and girls with tight vests and skateboards.
Klubokawiarnia Towarzyska, Warsaw
A neon sign hangs over a Communist-era pavilion with two distinct personalities. On the ground floor, a bustling crowd sits on the chipped furnishings of a modest, bare concrete café. Climb down the stairs on your right to a late-night, Lynchian space with dark, moody colors and shadowy corners.
El Rinconcillo, Seville
Things haven’t changed much here since it opened way back in 1670. Flagstone floors polished with age, a long wooden bar where the bill gets chalked up as you eat and drink, barrels that double as tables and insist, most seductively, that you to stay for an hour or three.
Come to rub shoulders with locals who adore the place just as much as visitors. Explore hallowed, home-cooked dishes like carrillada (pork cheek slowly braised in wine), terracotta casseroles of pinky-nail sized clams in sherry, and, when in season, much revered wild asparagus omelets.
Robert’s Western World, Nashville
Robert’s is known as Nashville’s Home of Traditional Country Music. The stage may be small, but the twang is big. Local bands play covers of classic country hits daily from 11am to 2am, and even when it gets crowded late at night, there’s always room for dancing.
The daytime vibe is more relaxed, and definitely less crowded, but the energy at night on Lower Broadway is contagious, and Robert’s is king.
The bar’s house band Brazilbilly still plays Friday nights at 10:30pm. They’ve been playing together for 18 years, a historical feat on this stretch of street.
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