The best dive bars in Los Angeles

In business since the ’30s and with one of the finest neon signs in the Los Angeles area, the Frolic Room remains what it’s always been: a straightforward, friendly little room in which to get loaded with others of a similar mindset, a neighborhood hangout in a neighborhood without many of them, and a bar not for dilettantes but drinkers. Look out for the beautiful Al Hirschfeld cartoon mural on the back wall.

The first thing to know about this dive bar in Los Feliz: The chicken wings are the stuff of legend. Ye Rustic Inn has a full menu of pub grub, as well as a regular rotation of both old-timers and a younger (and rowdier) crowd on the weekends. There's an old school jukebox (no touch screens here), kitschy mood lighting (chandeliers!) and TVs playing the sport of the season. Get here early to score a comfy booth inside, or hang out on the back patio where patrons can smoke—but, inexplicably, can't drink.

This funky shack has been sitting beachside since 1969, slinging cheap, frosty mugs of beer, free popcorn and a pretty damn good burger (there’s a veggie option, too). Though they have an extensive food menu, the place is really a bar: Note the sawdusted floors, pool tables, jukebox and minimal seating. Expect colorful regulars, frequent live music and a couple TVs for game-watching. The place only serves beer and wine, and it's also home to one of the city's best burgers, which even comes with a bag of chips on the side.

This Manhattan Beach dive bar has been a staple for locals since 1927. Nondescript and proudly showing its age with initials-etched into wooden booths, Ercole’s keeps regulars happy with its legendary burgers, which some like to swear are the best in LA. A dubious claim, but you can hardly argue with thick, juicy beef (fresh from next-door gourmet deli Manhattan Meats) and toppings piled high. The prices are reasonable across the board—pair your burger with a cold beer, or opt for a Dodger dog. Better yet, step in at the right times for the best deals, like $9 pitchers at happy hour (10am-6pm daily). With a crowded pool table in the back, classic tunes from a jukebox and a diverse crowd evenly split between salty old-timers and bro-y surfers, there is no lack of character. Cash-only, but there’s an ATM inside and several banks are walking distance.

Drive past Tiki-Ti in Silver Lake and you will almost always see a line out the door. Its popularity is a factor, but so is its size: Tiki-Ti is tiny. Getting inside, especially on weekends, feels like winning the jackpot, but once you've settled in and gained some bearings, you'll see that there are all the usual suspects—a menu filled with classic tiki drinks, tschotskes galore, a mechanical bull trotting down the bar...wait, what? The bar's unofficial mascot, a small robotic toy bull, often makes an appearance as the night wears on, walking past patron's drinks as they cheer him on. This, plus the fact that two of their house drinks topped with maraschino cherries are more than plenty, seems to drive Tiki-Ti's fandom. Just remember: Patience is a virtue.

At Crawford's, what you see is what you get. The simple signage on the bar’s brick exterior reads “Fried Chicken” and “Ice Cold Beer,” and that’s exactly what you can expect: delicious Southern-style fried chicken (hot or not) and beer served in thick, frosty mugs. There’s something familiar and comforting about this Westlake haunt, which skillfully treads the line between homey nostalgia and hokey gimmicks. You won’t find $11 tater tots on the menu, for example, and while you can order a PBR, it won’t come in a brown paper bag for the sake of someone’s idea of “irony.” Once you find parking, the atmosphere feels effortlessly friendly and relaxed. Renovations certainly didn’t leave this place with that polished “new bar” feeling—think partially stripped brick walls, a perpetually busy pool table and eclectic but restrained kitsch. Despite the narrow focus, it’s far from a concept bar—it’s just a bar that serves chicken and cheap beer, and that’s more than enough to win our hearts.

Hipsters pack into this Tijuana-themed Silver Lake bar illuminated by a lone “Lounge” sign out front. Inside, the thatched roof bar serves Pacifico by the bottle or PBR on tap. Join the party, decked in the festive, Mexican knick-knacks from sombreros and colorful flowers dangling overhead to portraits of drag queens and blacklight paintings on the walls. The bar’s décor is a confusing conundrum, which is just one of many beloved Cha Cha quirks appealing to the locals. Photo booth, foosball and oversized, shiny black booths—all in view.

This Los Feliz dive boasts "the stiffest pour in town" and "all your favorite beers," both of which are true as long as your favorite beers come from large corporations. The Roost isn't as divey as it used to be (we miss the old jukebox and the free popcorn), but the vibe is surprisingly quiet and and cozy, you'll always see the same regulars (for better or worse) and if you're into cider, they have Stella Artois's version—by far the fanciest thing about the Roost. Alongside bar staples like wings and fries, you'll also find a menu of Thai takeout staples like pad thai and yellow curry. Note: This place is cash only. There's an ATM, but with a hefty fee, so come prepared.

Rather than lean into the craft cocktail trend, the latest iteration of this longtime dive bar at Hollywood and Highland has returned to its roots. During happy hour, you'll find $3 PBRs, plus affordable drafts and bottles at any hour. The current classic cocktails skew a little weak, but in this part of Hollywood, they’re a relative steal at $12. A new, small back patio is as no-frills as the interior, serving as a smoker’s retreat complete with dart boards. A community mainstay since 1947, Power House has reemerged as a strong neighborhood bar for those looking to avoid tourists and transplants.

Does El Segundo conjure up images of low-flying planes and plumes of smoke coming from the Scattergood electric plant? It should. There’s a heavy industrial feel to this city, but the Purple Orchid, a dive-y tiki bar just around the corner from Main Street, brings a lighter touch to the beach city. Pass by regulars smoking under the neon purple sign and enter a tropical mecca of fruity drinks and kitschy decor. There are the requisite bamboo-lined walls and tiki lamps, and tiki masks hang throughout the bar. You may or may not get an umbrella depending on who is working, and sometimes the bartender confuses the Vic’s Grog with the Navy Grog (a tarter version of the rum-based cocktail), but the Purple Orchid is like the grungy, cheap offspring of a tiki bar and a dive bar, and we’re here for it.

It’s not every day in Los Angeles that a new neighborhood dive comes along, and while Tiny's lacks the scuffed, mysteriously sticky floors that traditionally accompany the genre, this Chicago-inspired watering hole serving Italian beef sandwiches is a welcome addition to the Westside drinking scene. Sip on cheap house cocktails and snack on affordable bar bites—including some seriously delicious hot dogs—inside Tiny’s red leather booths, or break out into the adjacent covered patio for pinball, arcade games, a photo booth and the latest NFL game. Inside, there’s a jukebox and a pool table, plus Mallort and Hamm's for those homesick for a taste of the Windy City. Plus, unlike many L.A. bars these days, Tiny's stays open until 2am—so if you’re the type who enjoys a spontaneous nightcap, you’re in luck.

While the neighborhood around it continues to gentrify, this mostly-locals bar keeps things honest with top-shelf tequilas and Mexican League futbol. Sure, there’s now a section of the menu devoted to “specialty cocktails,” but this family-run bar is still the same dingey dive to the core. The jukebox has amazing Mexican hits mixed with hilarious stateside hammers (think Meatloaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love”), and the strip of ceiling above the booth seats has tiny lights stuck in it, making for a kitschy indoor night sky. The Gold Room is great, but not the place to flaunt a weird haircut or bust out a lofty attitude: locals and staff have zero tolerance for posers.

Located next to Pizzanista, Tony’s Saloon is a favorite for Arts District locals who come to play a few rounds of pool, down a couple well-crafted drinks and indulge in cheesy slices from next door. For those looking to challenge their drinking buddy to some friendly competition, there’s darts and table tennis in addition to pool. And if you’re hungry? Pair your Peroni with a piece of pizza (you can either order from the bar or pick it up at Pizzanista to bring into Tony’s), then head to the back patio for some fresh air under twinkling lights.

Depending on who you ask, this retro-fitted mod bar in Highland Park is either the best or worst thing to happen to the area. Taking over the former Dusty’s Sports Bar, the Offbeat has ditched the questionable hygiene but kept the emphasis on no-frills drinking. Aside from the mod motif, nothing about The Offbeat indicates that it’s anything more than a simple neighborhood bar. Behind the bar, there are bartenders, not mixologists. The nightly live music and DJs and occasional drag shows on the back patio make this Northeast L.A. joint more of a dance-y, upbeat spot than most other dives, but the cheap cocktails and casual ambience definitely place the Offbeat squarely in this drinking genre.