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Tiny's Hi-Dive Bar area
Photograph: Courtesy Tiny's Hi-Dive

The best dive bars in Los Angeles

You're never far from a dive bar in L.A.—we sipped and swigged across the city to find these worse-for-wear watering holes.

Edited by
Patricia Kelly Yeo
Contributors
Stephanie Breijo
&
J. Fergus
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Dive bars in Los Angeles are as varied as the city’s neighborhoods. Even the definition of a dive bar varies, from somewhere with low lighting and cheap beers to a place for locals to meet up, week after week, year after year. From tiki drinks in El Segundo to a storied biker bar in Hollywood, we’ve got your guide to the city’s diviest dives, where you can sing your heart out with karaoke, drown your sorrows with a couple stiff drinks and, quite possibly, kick off one of the best nights of your life. 

RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Los Angeles

The best dive bars in L.A.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Hollywood
  • price 1 of 4

In business since the ’30s and with one of the finest neon signs in the Los Angeles area, the Frolic Room remains what it’s always been: a straightforward, friendly little room in which to get loaded with others of a similar mindset, a neighborhood hangout in a neighborhood without many of them, and a bar not for dilettantes but drinkers. Look out for the beautiful Al Hirschfeld cartoon mural on the back wall.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Koreatown
  • price 1 of 4
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Naturally, L.A.’s best nautical-themed bar sits a full 15 miles from the water. Located in Koreatown, this agreeably egalitarian bar is famed for the warmth of its welcome and the cheapness of its drinks, characteristics that are embraced by everyone from visiting rockers to residents of the Gaylord apartment hotel directly above the taproom. Saddle up to the bar or stake out a red leather booth where well-seasoned waitresses serve up dishes—don’t miss the Famous Baseball Steak—from a traditional American menu.
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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Los Feliz
  • price 1 of 4

The first thing to know about this dive bar in Los Feliz: The chicken wings are the stuff of legend. Ye Rustic Inn has a full menu of pub grub, as well as a regular rotation of both old-timers and a younger (and rowdier) crowd on the weekends. There's an old school jukebox (no touch screens here), kitschy mood lighting (chandeliers!) and TVs playing the sport of the season. Get here early to score a comfy booth inside, or hang out on the back patio where patrons can smoke—but, inexplicably, can't drink.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Venice

This funky shack has been sitting beachside since 1969, slinging cheap, frosty mugs of beer, free popcorn and a pretty damn good burger (there’s a veggie option, too). Though they have an extensive food menu, the place is really a bar: Note the sawdusted floors, pool tables, jukebox and minimal seating. Expect colorful regulars, frequent live music and a couple TVs for game-watching. The place only serves beer and wine, and it's also home to one of the city's best burgers, which even comes with a bag of chips on the side.

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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Playa del Rey
  • price 1 of 4

Harbor Room is the tiniest bar in L.A. County, and the third smallest bar in the country. Which means there may be a wait for a bar stool (all seven of them)—but don't let that dissuade you from stopping by. The drinks are strong and cheap, and the bar has an insane amount of charm, from the classic jukebox and vintage cash register to the salty old regulars taking up all those stools. Check out all the old photos on the wall and get the bartender to tell you neighborhood tales while he makes you one of the best dirty martinis in town.

  • Clubs
  • Santa Monica
  • price 1 of 4
Santa Monica’s ultra-divey karaoke gem provides casual libations and a high energy, low brow atmosphere. Anything goes at the dimly-lit watering hole, from the varied clientele to the diverse array of musical stylings. Open from 4pm til 2am every day of the week, the Gaslite provides many opportunities for the late night (or, uh, midday) rock star in you to make an off-key public appearance.
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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Long Beach
  • price 1 of 4

An institution in Long Beach, this iconic dive has been serving guests since 1924, but it may not be the drinks that keep patrons coming back over the generations. They’re particularly well known for the apothecary jars of neon yellow pickled eggs that still bob around, reminding us of the bar snacks of yesteryear. They’ve apparently gotten the trick to making them down after nearly a century, because they now even market a mix so you can make your own at home when you can’t pay a visit to the wood booth and oil painting bedecked bar.

  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Downtown Santa Monica

Chez Jay is something different to everyone: an institution, a dive, a time warp, a wormhole to a totally bizarre experience. To us, it’s all of the above, with its red-and-white checkered tablecloths, its taxidermied fish mounted on the wall, its bit-of-everything clientele. It’s the diviest dive, but comfortable, and just as ready to serve you a heavy pour of well rum as it is some steamed clams or steak at cutthroat prices. A newer back patio lends itself to breezy day drinking, but the year-round holiday lights and darkness inside make it the best dive bar in Santa Monica.

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  • Bars
  • Wineries
  • Manhattan Beach
  • price 1 of 4

This Manhattan Beach dive bar has been a staple for locals since 1927. Nondescript and proudly showing its age with initials-etched into wooden booths, Ercole’s keeps regulars happy with its legendary burgers, which some like to swear are the best in LA. A dubious claim, but you can hardly argue with thick, juicy beef (fresh from next-door gourmet deli Manhattan Meats) and toppings piled high. The prices are reasonable across the board—pair your burger with a cold beer, or opt for a Dodger dog. Better yet, step in at the right times for the best deals, like $9 pitchers at happy hour (10am-6pm daily). With a crowded pool table in the back, classic tunes from a jukebox and a diverse crowd evenly split between salty old-timers and bro-y surfers, there is no lack of character. Cash-only, but there’s an ATM inside and several banks are walking distance.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Playa del Rey
  • price 1 of 4

If the Harbor Room is too busy, this equally beloved, much larger dive bar down the street usually has room for another person or two. Referred to as pee-oh-dubs by locals, there's a pinball machine, ping pong, darts and two back patios with plenty of TVs if you want to watch the game. On Mondays, the bar hosts trivia night with actual cash prizes—so if you're looking for an excellent Westside bar trivia spot, the Prince O' Wales is the spot to be. Dirt-cheap food and drink deals (as of writing, there's a $9.85 Monday night special that includes a burger, fries and two Bud Lights) and friendly bartenders round out myriad reasons why this Playa del Rey bar has stuck around for five decades, with hopefully many more years to come.

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  • Bars
  • Cocktail bars
  • Los Feliz
  • price 2 of 4

Drive past Tiki-Ti in Silver Lake and you will almost always see a line out the door. Its popularity is a factor, but so is its size: Tiki-Ti is tiny. Getting inside, especially on weekends, feels like winning the jackpot, but once you've settled in and gained some bearings, you'll see that there are all the usual suspects—a menu filled with classic tiki drinks, tschotskes galore, a mechanical bull trotting down the bar...wait, what? The bar's unofficial mascot, a small robotic toy bull, often makes an appearance as the night wears on, walking past patron's drinks as they cheer him on. This, plus the fact that two of their house drinks topped with maraschino cherries are more than plenty, seems to drive Tiki-Ti's fandom. Just remember: Patience is a virtue.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Historic Filipinotown
  • price 1 of 4

At Crawford's, what you see is what you get. The simple signage on the bar’s brick exterior reads “Fried Chicken” and “Ice Cold Beer,” and that’s exactly what you can expect: delicious Southern-style fried chicken (hot or not) and beer served in thick, frosty mugs. There’s something familiar and comforting about this Westlake haunt, which skillfully treads the line between homey nostalgia and hokey gimmicks. You won’t find $11 tater tots on the menu, for example, and while you can order a PBR, it won’t come in a brown paper bag for the sake of someone’s idea of “irony.” Once you find parking, the atmosphere feels effortlessly friendly and relaxed. Renovations certainly didn’t leave this place with that polished “new bar” feeling—think partially stripped brick walls, a perpetually busy pool table and eclectic but restrained kitsch. Despite the narrow focus, it’s far from a concept bar—it’s just a bar that serves chicken and cheap beer, and that’s more than enough to win our hearts.

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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Silver Lake
  • price 1 of 4
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Hipsters pack into this Tijuana-themed Silver Lake bar illuminated by a lone “Lounge” sign out front. Inside, the thatched roof bar serves Pacifico by the bottle or PBR on tap. Join the party, decked in the festive, Mexican knick-knacks from sombreros and colorful flowers dangling overhead to portraits of drag queens and blacklight paintings on the walls. The bar’s décor is a confusing conundrum, which is just one of many beloved Cha Cha quirks appealing to the locals. Photo booth, foosball and oversized, shiny black booths—all in view.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Culver City
  • price 1 of 4
Culver City's longtime Tattle Tale may be no more, but this equally beloved dive bar in the same strip mall boasts the same cheap drinks, billiards and karaoke most nights of the week have made the Scarlet Lady Saloon a neighborhood fixture since 1999. More recently, the bar has begun hostly monthly no-cover burlesque nights—usually on the third Tuesday of every month. A recurring cast of regulars—and bartenders who will remember you if you stop in more than once a month—add to the appeal of this no-frills Westside watering hole, and you can't beat the super cheap drinks and tasty bar bites.
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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Atwater Village

This Los Feliz dive boasts "the stiffest pour in town" and "all your favorite beers," both of which are true as long as your favorite beers come from large corporations. The Roost isn't as divey as it used to be (we miss the old jukebox and the free popcorn), but the vibe is surprisingly quiet and and cozy, you'll always see the same regulars (for better or worse) and if you're into cider, they have Stella Artois's version—by far the fanciest thing about the Roost. Alongside bar staples like wings and fries, you'll also find a menu of Thai takeout staples like pad thai and yellow curry. Note: This place is cash only. There's an ATM, but with a hefty fee, so come prepared.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Hollywood
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Rather than lean into the craft cocktail trend, the latest iteration of this longtime dive bar at Hollywood and Highland has returned to its roots. During happy hour, you'll find $3 PBRs, plus affordable drafts and bottles at any hour. The current classic cocktails skew a little weak, but in this part of Hollywood, they’re a relative steal at $12. A new, small back patio is as no-frills as the interior, serving as a smoker’s retreat complete with dart boards. A community mainstay since 1947, Power House has reemerged as a strong neighborhood bar for those looking to avoid tourists and transplants.

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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • El Segundo
  • price 2 of 4

Does El Segundo conjure up images of low-flying planes and plumes of smoke coming from the Scattergood electric plant? It should. There’s a heavy industrial feel to this city, but the Purple Orchid, a dive-y tiki bar just around the corner from Main Street, brings a lighter touch to the beach city. Pass by regulars smoking under the neon purple sign and enter a tropical mecca of fruity drinks and kitschy decor. There are the requisite bamboo-lined walls and tiki lamps, and tiki masks hang throughout the bar. You may or may not get an umbrella depending on who is working, and sometimes the bartender confuses the Vic’s Grog with the Navy Grog (a tarter version of the rum-based cocktail), but the Purple Orchid is like the grungy, cheap offspring of a tiki bar and a dive bar, and we’re here for it.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • West LA
  • price 1 of 4

It’s not every day in Los Angeles that a new neighborhood dive comes along, and while Tiny's lacks the scuffed, mysteriously sticky floors that traditionally accompany the genre, this Chicago-inspired watering hole serving Italian beef sandwiches is a welcome addition to the Westside drinking scene. Sip on cheap house cocktails and snack on affordable bar bites—including some seriously delicious hot dogs—inside Tiny’s red leather booths, or break out into the adjacent covered patio for pinball, arcade games, a photo booth and the latest NFL game. Inside, there’s a jukebox and a pool table, plus Mallort and Hamm's for those homesick for a taste of the Windy City. Plus, unlike many L.A. bars these days, Tiny's stays open until 2am—so if you’re the type who enjoys a spontaneous nightcap, you’re in luck.

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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Echo Park
  • price 1 of 4

While the neighborhood around it continues to gentrify, this mostly-locals bar keeps things honest with top-shelf tequilas and Mexican League futbol. Sure, there’s now a section of the menu devoted to “specialty cocktails,” but this family-run bar is still the same dingey dive to the core. The jukebox has amazing Mexican hits mixed with hilarious stateside hammers (think Meatloaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love”), and the strip of ceiling above the booth seats has tiny lights stuck in it, making for a kitschy indoor night sky. The Gold Room is great, but not the place to flaunt a weird haircut or bust out a lofty attitude: locals and staff have zero tolerance for posers.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Koreatown
  • price 1 of 4

If the HMS Bounty is too busy, may we steer you to this cash-only watering hole? With just 10 seats, the Monte Carlo isn't exactly built for groups, but the friendly bartenders and no-frills atmosphere have kept this Koreatown dive bar in business for decades. A pool table and two flat screen TVs make up your entertainment options for the night, but with cheap drinks and an interesting locals' crowd, we're sure you'll find the liquid courage to strike up a conversation or two with your fellow drinkers.

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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Culver City
  • price 1 of 4

What this bar lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in heavy-handed pours, a gorgeous shuffleboard table and its 6am open—plus enough Christmas lights to last a lifetime. There's also pool and darts, though for any of these bar games, you'll have to wait your turn behind the regulars, whom, it must be noted, are usually a little buzzed and a little territorial. There's no food on offer, but you're welcome to bring anything in or even order delivery. There's also a sizeable parking lot, which is great if you're only there for a drink or two—any more and you might want to get a ride with someone else.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 2 of 4

Located next to Pizzanista, Tony’s Saloon is a favorite for Arts District locals who come to play a few rounds of pool, down a couple well-crafted drinks and indulge in cheesy slices from next door. For those looking to challenge their drinking buddy to some friendly competition, there’s darts and table tennis in addition to pool. And if you’re hungry? Pair your Peroni with a piece of pizza (you can either order from the bar or pick it up at Pizzanista to bring into Tony’s), then head to the back patio for some fresh air under twinkling lights.

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  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Highland Park
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Depending on who you ask, this retro-fitted mod bar in Highland Park is either the best or worst thing to happen to the area. Taking over the former Dusty’s Sports Bar, the Offbeat has ditched the questionable hygiene but kept the emphasis on no-frills drinking. Aside from the mod motif, nothing about The Offbeat indicates that it’s anything more than a simple neighborhood bar. Behind the bar, there are bartenders, not mixologists. The nightly live music and DJs and occasional drag shows on the back patio make this Northeast L.A. joint more of a dance-y, upbeat spot than most other dives, but the cheap cocktails and casual ambience definitely place the Offbeat squarely in this drinking genre.

  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Mid City

With delicious soul food from Chef Marilyn's next door and a live jazz band on Sunday nights (and a well-stocked jukebox the other nights of the week), this cozy dive in West Adams is a no-brainer for anyone looking to grab a low-key drink in the area and listen to some blues. Just note that Fridays and Saturdays are generally reserved for karaoke, when locals ear-splittingly belt out classics on the Living Room's small stage.

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  • Bars
  • Dive bars
  • Reseda
  • price 1 of 4

This Reseda dive bar is a true drinkers' delight, with a fire pit, several dart boards, shuffleboard and affordable drinks all day, everyday. First opened in 1951, it's one of the San Fernando Valley's oldest dives, with wood panels, kitschy decor and a cast of regulars who have been coming here for decades. On weekend evenings and game days, the Copper Bucket fills up thanks to the several big screen TVs added in recent years, so arrive early on those days if you're hoping for a decent seat.

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