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Twelve dollar cocktails and handlebar mustache-sporting bartenders are great, and we appreciate fancy ice as much as the next person — but sometimes you just need a good dive bar in your life. Next time you're in the mood for a strong, cheap drink and maybe a game of pool, consult this list of the city's best dive bars (and don't forget to bring some quarters for the jukebox).
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The Finest Dive Bars in Dallas, Mapped For Your Drinking Pleasure
Because sometimes you just want a friendly bartender, a great jukebox, and a cheap bar tab.
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Lee Harvey's
Tucked into a slightly sketchy part of south Dallas, Lee Harvey's huge gravel yard with fire pits and picnic benches make it the perfect place to get cozy with cheap canned beer on a chilly night. The inside is covered in wood paneling and most of the vinyl booths inside are pretty busted, but the burgers are killer and there's live music on the weekends.
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Adair's Saloon
Adair's is Sharpie-graffitied within an inch of its life. Pop in to this Deep Ellum haunt located next door to pizza legend Cane Rosso to leave your mark while waiting for a juicy backyard-style burger. Live music happens often and it could be anything from punk to country.
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Lakewood Landing
A slightly upscale dive (and by that, we mean they have Stella Artois), the Landing is dark, smoky, and did we mention dark? There's a jukebox, a pool table, plenty of wood paneling and ripped vinyl booths. A late-night, hand-dipped corndog from the Landing is practically a Dallas rite of passage.
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Double Wide
The Double Wide may be overrun with hipsters, but it's somewhere every Dallasite should experience at least once. Order a delightfully trashy frozen Yoohoo drink or Boone's Farm-tini (it is a trailer, after all) and grab a seat at one of the toilets-turned-chairs out back. Great place to catch a local punk band.
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The Grapevine
Where else besides The Grapevine can you play basketball with a dude in high heels while drinking Everclear bellinis? This dark and slightly dingy Maple Avenue bar is known for its cheap drinks and diverse crowd, and the jukebox has pretty much every Lady Gaga song ever.
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Ships Lounge
Before you go to Ships, you oughta know of the "no cussing" policy. That, in addition to the the year-round Christmas lights, excellent jukebox and unique regulars, make this place one of a kind. Ships only serves beer and wine, meaning you can bring your own liquor and just pay for mixers. (Really.) Cash only.
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Tradewinds Social Club
Dirt-cheap drinks, a slightly sketchy location with no signage, Schlitz in a can, pool tables, a dance floor, and friendly bartenders make Tradewinds a quintessential dive. DJ nights bring a slightly younger hipster crowd.
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The Goat
Feel like playing hooky from work?This Lakewood "neighborhood blues bar" opens at 7 a.m. The bar is partially held together with duct tape and the bathrooms are pretty sketchy, but you don't come to The Goat for the atmosphere--you come for the amazing live blues and the friendly regulars. Sunday night karaoke is legendary.
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Arcade Bar
Located at the historic Lakewood Theater, this cramped little bar has a whole lot of charm. The bartenders are friendly, the patrons are unassuming, and you'll never wait too long for a refill. Just beware the karaoke, which can seemingly strike up on a moment's notice.
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Cosmo's
This Lakewood stalwart has a great jukebox, a fireplace, kick-ass pizza, and strangely enough, has a never-ending rotation of 80's movies playing (on VHS, of course). They also have a drink called Stripper Sweat, so that's something.
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Reno's Chop Shop Saloon
Yes, it's a biker bar -- and if your biker knowledge is limited to what you've seen on Sons of Anarchy, a visit to Reno's is probably in order. It's dark as hell, the drinks are strong, the regulars are surprisingly friendly, and the burgers are great -- maybe leave the chinos and boat shoes at home, though.
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Windmill Lounge
The drinks at the Windmill are so damn good, we're hesitant to even call it a dive bar -- but it is totally unpretentious, with an awesomely stocked jukebox, entertaining regulars, $3 drink specials daily, and some of the very finest bartenders in town. Dive bar or not, the Windmill should be on everyone's list of places to drink.
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