Charlotte’s Best Dive Bars

If you’re looking for a night on the town in the Queen City, don’t overlook the variety of quality dive bars out there. You’re not always in the mood to put on the nice clothes and spend $10 on a Gin and Tonic; sometimes a good beer or a cheap drink, coupled with live local music, billiards, or a good tray of pub munchies can be the perfect backdrop to a night of fun with friends. Though Charlotte is fast becoming one of the more upscale hubs of the New South, the old-fashioned smoky bar hasn’t disappeared. Put on some jeans, take a Twenty, and have a good time gritty-style.

To find some good local music without having to pay a cover, check out The Room. Located on Montford Drive in the heart of South Charlotte, The Room is the city’s self-proclaimed Best New Live Music Venue. Featuring a weekly open jam and a variety of live acts (it’s a favorite hangout of P Dawg Seven and the Suburban Gangsters), there’s something going on at The Room pretty much every night. Beers are cheap at the brick-walled venue, starting at around $2 for a PBR, and mixed drinks are available for under $5. If there’s not a show, The Room, with its numerous ceiling-mounted TV screens is a great place to watch the game. Thrift store couches and chairs give the bar’s main show room a laid-back feel, while pool tables are available for free play all the time. You might have to use a broken cue, and you might find yourself running into the wall, but hey, it’s free! There’s usually not a cover, though when a big show is around, you won’t have to shell out more than a few bucks. Come here on rainy nights during basketball season to get warm and shout at the Bobcats on TV with the locals.

For a step up in the billiards department, Elizabeth Billiards is by far the best place to play pool in the entire city. Home to the largest local APA-sponsored Nine Ball league, you’ll find sharks and novices alike here every night of the week. On Tuesdays and other random nights, two or more of EB’s four tables are open for free play, and games are a good deal at $0.75 if you have to pay. Built like a strip club and about the size of a double-wide, exposed brick walls remind you that you’re in a dive – but it’s a good one. Thirsty Tuesdays feature all of EB’s draft beers for $2, and if you can find a cheaper pint of Bass in the city, you must be some sort of wizard. Wednesday nights have $3 Seven and Sevens; tip the bartenders well, and they’ll mix them nice and strong. In addition to the strangely-addictive football and golf video games located toward the back of the bar, a half dozen televisions broadcast sports and other events, including seasonal television shows (a word to the wise, don’t even waste your time trying to get a drink while CSI is on, unless it’s during the commercials). On Friday’s, if the bartender’s feeling nice he’ll order a few pizzas for the bar crowd, so you’ve got a chance of scoring some free munchies. And the jukebox is at once both typical and eclectic. You can count on hearing Jimmy Buffett covering the Grateful Dead at least twice a night, and there’s no telling how many times someone will spin Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”. EB’s is situated on the edge of Elizabeth, so it’s just a couple of blocks from at least three other bars if it looks like you’re about to get cleaned out by one of the local pool pros.

Right around the corner from Elizabeth Billiards is The Penguin, the diner/dive bar legendary in the Southeast for its jukebox and its fried pickles. It’s hard to put your finger on just what draws people to the Penguin; the crowd is always eclectic, ranging from upscale business types to tattooed and pierced hipsters. Some come for the menu, which features the best down-home food in town for just a little bit of cash; burgers check in at under $3, and the hush puppies and brunswick stew are unrivaled in the city. Others come for the jukebox, which is overflowing – literally, a three-ring binder hangs on the wall adjacent to the Wurlitzer with a full list of albums – with an eclectic mix of old country records, Van Halen-era metal, and tunes to dance to; imagine mohawks and Johnny Cash t-shirts. And if those draws aren’t strong enough, $5 pitchers of Yuengling and oversized shots of Jack Daniel’s served in Dixie cups guarantee that the Penguin is packed night after night. It can get pretty loud after midnight, so don’t count on having too involved of a conversation unless you have a really good shouting voice. But if you can score one of the bit tables under the iron “BARBEQUE” sign, the Penguin is a perfect spot to hang out with friends and drink without apparently spending any money at all.

The Room
1812 Montford Dr
Charlotte, NC 28209
(704) 527-4511

Elizabeth Billiards
1400 Central Ave
Charlotte, NC 28205
(704) 342-2663

The Penguin
1921 Commonwealth Ave
Charlotte, NC 28205
(704) 375-6959