Best dive bars in America? Locally loved spots worth the road trip

USA TODAY NETWORK

We love spotlighting the country’s top restaurants , but America’s best dive bars offer something equally appealing – dim lights, cheap drinks and a fiercely protected sense of place that can feel like stepping back in time.

From Florida’s beloved Bahi Hut in Sarasota, pouring potent tiki cocktails since the Eisenhower era, to South Dakota’s Ice House Bar in Yankton, where $2 beers pair with a century-old tradition of smashing bottles against a brick wall, these spots define their communities as much as they serve them.

You’ll find everything from cash-only joints and chili-famous lounges to music dens where legends cut their teeth, plus bars where locals have warmed the same stools for decades. Here are standout dive bars worth the detour – or the pilgrimage.

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