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The Best San Diego Dive Bars

Dive into these Local Watering Holes

Saturday, September 06, 2008 by Greg Wynn

Tags: , Dive bars in san diego, san diego dive bars, san diego bars, bars in san diego, san diego nightlife, san diego night life

As San Diego nightlife grows there is a constant need for bar and night club owners to constantly be reinventing and improving their venues. More money invested in San Diego bars has consequently driven higher priced drinks, mandatory dress codes, and the ever-despised cover charge. In opposition to the posh San Diego nightclub, dive bars have risen in popularity spawning even a handful of "dive" themed bars with notably cheaper drinks then their surrounding competition. When you are in the mood for cheap drinks and good company so much so that you are ready to trade bathroom cleanliness in for a battered barstool, check out these glorious "hole-in-the-wall" San Diego dive bars and San Diego neighborhood bars.

O Hungry’s in Old Town (2547 San Diego Avenue) is known for serving 50oz yard-sized beers for under $10! At this San Diego dive bar you will pick your favorite beer and drink a quadruple-sized glass while simply talking whichever local or friend happens to be sitting nearby. The bar food is terrible (but the salad bar is ok… if that’s what you really want while drinking beer in a San Diego bar) and there is one crappy TV and no bar activities. This dark and dingy dive bar in San Diego really attracts only locals and college students who are looking to simply get drunk before going out.

Mac’s in Ocean Beach (2205 Mendocino Blvd) is by the far the most awfully wonderful San Diego dive bar of all the bars listed here. The drinks are extremely cheap, stiff, and taste and smell like pure gasoline at this true San Diego dive bar. With no food, no windows, and only a jukebox for entertainment, the only activity in this San Diego dive bar is to boozing. This dive bar in San Diego is nearly as filthy as the regulars who booze at it. Hey, ain’t nothing wrong with that!

High Dive in Linda Vista (1801 Morena Blvd) is a newer bar in San Diego has been purposely created as a San Diego dive bar. The décor is creates a vibe similar to that of a San Diego dive bar. The food is great, the beers are cheap, and there really isn’t much else to do but drink. They really did nail down the requirements for a San Diego dive bar, other than that it doesn’t smell like pee.

Bub’s Dive Bar in Pacific Beach (1030 Garnet Ave) is definitely one of the best dive bars in San Diego beach areas… and maybe all of San Diego! Inexpensive beers and great dive bar food make this San Diego bar great local’s only bar in San Diego. But since Bub’s is purposely “dive bar” themed takes the whole idea of whether not it is actually a hole-in-the-wall into question. In any case, Bub’s in Pacific Beach is one of the few San Diego bars in PB that a girl can sit and drink at the bar with minimal harassment. Pull in for a beer and decide for yourself!

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