Best of Philly

2025 Best Dive Bar

Mickey’s Tavern

At some point, being considered a “dive bar” became a really cool selling point. So you have bars that try to be a dive without actually, you know, being one. But not here. Local rock musicians, Ecuadorean immigrants, Irish contractors, dart-obsessed patrons, and people who’ve probably been hitting the sauce a little earlier than they should be all rub elbows amid the faint haze of cigarette smoke, the smell of whatever someone is eating from the nearby Wawa, and the sound of Jeopardy! or whatever game is on, washed down with $3 Rolling Rock pints and a general spirit of boozy camaraderie. Bonus: Karaoke night is an absolute hoot. Read More »

129 South State Road, Upper Darby, PA Website

2023 Best New Dive Bar

The Jim

To be fair, Philly isn’t flooded with new dive bars, because it’s potentially not the wisest business decision to open a place without gimmick or pretense. But the Jim is so much more than that. With (ostensibly) no natural light and a “Hang out here if you want to; we don’t really care” energy, Fergus Carey and Jim McNamara’s South Philly spot feels like the kind of precious neighborhood gathering place that cities are losing, not gaining. Don’t leave without an order of the twice-fried, napkin-destroying chicken wings. Read More »

1701 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA Website