The Best Dive Bars in Vegas

It’s Vegas and you have a plethora of bars and clubs to choose from, but why not get off the Strip and experience a true local dive bar. A place where the cheap drinks are strong and the company will never be boring. Below is a smattering of must-visit dive bars to put on your checklist.

Saddle ‘N’ Spurs Saloon It’s your good, old-fashioned country western meets biker bar. The folks here are super friendly, but it is off the grid a bit. You’ll find this little gem south of Cheyenne directly on Jones.

If you want to get your two-step in while listening to live music, this is the dive for you. It’s spacious and includes a dance floor as well as a stage. It’s a great place to mingle with locals who live in North Vegas. If you’re a lady with a group of girlfriends, don’t be shocked if a gentleman donning a 5-gallon hat asks for your hand on the dance floor.

The best part about Saddle ‘N’ Spurs Saloon is definitely the cheap tricks and good conversation. There’s plenty of parking out front, but you may want to cab it because you can spend hours here having a good time sipping on a number of cocktails. Huntridge Tavern As far as dive bars go, The Huntridge is a lot nicer on the insider than it appears on the outside. You can get in a little bar gambling or a game of darts all while enjoying a stiff drink of Jameson neat chasing that with a draft of Bud Light. If that’s not your poison, they’ve got plenty of beers on tap or in the bottle plus hard alcohol galore. This bar celebrates their whiskey drinkers with a Jameson Century Club for those that have consumed more than 100 shots of the libation (not in one sitting of course). The patrons are easy going and commonly of the rockabilly-type. So hit up the jukebox, grab a cocktail or two, and chat up the local sitting next to you.   Dino’s Lounge Dino’s is located downtown just off of Las Vegas Boulevard. It's won awards for Best Dive Bar in Vegas. A little tidbit about Dino’s is that before it became Dino’s it was Ringside Liquors, run by Eddie Trasher – a notorious mobster in town. Today, the bar is owned and operated by two of Dino’s granddaughters who have made it the swanky dive it is today. If you’re able to get there on a Friday or Saturday night, you will catch some amazing karaoke. Even if you're not a fan of karaoke, the performances and energy of the crowd will blow your mind. Just be sure to catch a seat early, cause this place gets packed quickly. Every other night of the week, enjoy jamming to a full list of jukebox tunes while playing a game of pool with a stiff drink from one of the lovely, and likely very tattooed bartenders. Frankie’s Tiki Room Anybody headed to Vegas must experience Frankie’s at some point in time. It is an intimate venue on Charleston under the I-15 freeway. Only a bright pink neon sign reading “Frankie’s Tiki Room” will let you know you’re in the right spot, well, that and a giant tiki totem. If you have a big group, getting there early is a must as this place fills up quickly and you don’t want to miss your chance to enjoy a 3-plus-skull cocktail at the bar. To clarify, each drink is rated with skulls as to the level of toxicity you will experience with your libation. Two drinks that you must sample – both being the popular choices among the Galavantier crew – include the Dr. No and Three Rum Scum. The Dr. No is scotch based, not too sweet and good to the last drop. Just be warned, this one goes down quickly. Three Rum Scum is of the more fruity concoctions and is a 4-skull on the menu. It contains three types of rum, orange juice and a bit of coconut. So delicious you’ll forget if you’re standing or sitting after the third drink. You can even take a little bit of Frankie’s home with you by purchasing a custom-made tiki glass for $25. Double Down Saloon This is my favorite dive bar in Vegas, hands down. It’s rowdy, your booze is available to drink in a miniature toilet and the crowd is biker and punk friendly. Ironically, also operated by the same owners as Frankie’s Tiki Room. The double-D is small, but totally worth standing around just to catch the plethora of characters that walk through the doors. Yes, it is biker-themed and you’ll see a ton of punk rockers. While it can be rowdy, you will always find good conversation with the stranger next to you. If you are a female and/or have a female in your party, be prepared for a very open experience in the restroom meaning, there’s one toilet with no stall and sometimes the lock on the door doesn’t work. If you want privacy, then a lengthy line will form behind you. You can always use the men’s room if you’re more adventurous and have had enough cocktails to do so, but it is ill advised. Back at the bar, you can get a number of drinks that you’d expect, but no matter your choice, you MUST get some Ass Juice. It’s not as bad as it sounds, just a concoction of who knows what served up in a tiny toilet shot glass. It’ll make you pucker, so follow with a chaser of beer.