In an age where $15 cocktails have become the norm, beer lists read like novels and words like “elevated” and “gastronomy” appear on menus, a dive bar can really hit the spot.
It’s hard to define what exactly a dive bar is, but it’s probably unglamorous, lived-in and decidedly unpretentious. The decor isn’t fancy, though it can certainly be fanciful. There’s probably a pool table or a jukebox. It’s likely cash only. The food — if there is any — is simple.
Dive bars in some places in Maine can be a dying breed, as profit margins shrink in the face of rising costs of doing business. But make no mistake: there are many that continue to thrive, offering a place where the beer is cheap, the company is colorful and nobody is worried about how cool they look.
Here are some of the greatest dive bars in Maine, from the farthest points east all the way to the south. Do you think we missed one? Let us know in the comments.
The New Waverly
36 Merchants Plaza, Bangor
This cash only staple in Bangor has been run by four generations of the Puiia family since it first opened on Exchange Street in 1918, and barely lost a step when it moved to its current home in Merchants Plaza in 1974. You’ll find an eclectic mix of old timers nursing a beer at the bar and younger folks playing pool and dominating the jukebox upstairs. Buddy the chocolate lab is not just the Wave’s mascot: he’s also the mayor of downtown Bangor. It says so on the T-shirts.
The Main Tavern
152 Main St., Bangor
Another local institution, the Main Tavern is also a multi-generational family business, with the Brountas family holding down the fort on Main Street since 1939, under a few different names like the Jaguar or Peter’s Candlelighter. It’s famous for a lot of stuff, including as the go-to place for karaoke in downtown Bangor, and for its infamous Bong Water shots — a proprietary blend of various sweet liquors that might get you in trouble if you have more than one.
Caps Tavern
494 South Main St., Brewer
This South Brewer bar was rebuilt and reopened in 2018 after a fire in 2017 burned the original to the ground, and aside from the building itself, not much else changed. Cheap beer. Fun mixed drinks. Lots of motorcycles in the parking lot. Classic rock and country, either on the jukebox or played by a live band.
Peppers Pub
20 Water St., Ellsworth
Peppers Pub keeps it real by focusing on friendly bartenders and simple — and good — food. Its Sunday breakfasts are a popular stop after church or before another long work week. The bar does a lot of fundraisers for people in the community struggling with medical bills or other issues. There’s a reason it’s been beloved by locals for years now.
Ole Hookers
106 Water St., Eastport
Nothing makes you feel like more of a salty sea dog than sidling up to a bar in a town like Eastport — and Ole Hookers East, across the street from the Coast Guard station, certainly fosters those vibes. You kind of feel like you’re in somebody’s house. The decor is funky, the food is home cooked and it gets extra spicy during the Eastport Pirate Festival in September.
Myrtle Street Tavern
12 Myrtle St., Rockland
Does a bar automatically get to be a dive if they have pickled sausages and eggs? Because Myrtle Street Tavern in Rockland does. There’s lots of other reasons why it’s a classic dive, however — not least because it’s been around for a whopping 127 years. You can truly let loose at Myrtle. Generations of people have.
Amigos
9 Dana St., Portland
Amigos is supposed to be a Mexican restaurant, and it is — but it’s at night when the longest-running bar in the Old Port really shines. There’s live music on the patio during the warmer months. It has one of the best happy hours in town. They may have spruced up the menu and there’s craft beer available, sure, but Amigo’s is still a divey classic amid a sea of trendy newcomers in the Old Port.
Ruski’s
212 Danforth St., Portland
The oldest continually operating bar on this list, Ruski’s opened under a different name in 1892 as an Irish-run beer hall — before cars, before phones and before widespread electricity. It’s hard not to love this place. It’s one of the few remaining bars of its kind in Portland, as mom and pop businesses get priced out.
Skip’s Lounge
288 Narragansett Trail, Buxton
This longtime rural joint has been around since the 1970s, as its elegant wood paneling suggests. It’s got six pool tables and a function room large enough to hold professional wrestling in, and a fully carpeted, floor to ceiling stage — but its dive bar credentials came first. It started out as a house trailer and has grown and grown. It’s the only roadhouse for miles around.
