I love Dive Bars. Go figure I met ‘my guy’ in a dive bar. There are great dive bars in every state but I bought my local lohud newspaper last Sunday just to read reporter Jeanne Muchnicks’ story about my local dive joints. She found a great bunch of ‘under the radar’ dive bars to showcase in the Westchester and Rockland N.Y. areas but there are great local dive bars all over the country. Many were challenged during the pandemic, but many prevailed and now serve up just the right nostalgic vibe people are craving. For a national perspective on dive bars a fun read is the Best 33 Dive Bars in America from Thrillist.com. NYC dive bar fans will appreciate that TimeOut.com just published the 18 Best Dive Bars in NYC.
Today’s conversation was sparked when I picked up my local newspaper and read the SUNDAY LIFE section of The Journal News.
I’ve become an online information junkie, but feeling nostalgic I did buy an actual ‘physical’ newspaper when the dive bar story caught my eye. I thought it might be fun to keep handy and figure out how my boyfriend Dave and I could have some fun trying to hit all those dive bars at some point. Keep you all posted on that.
Why are dive bars called dive bars? According to Wikipedia, the term ‘dive’ was first used in the press in the U.S. in the 1880’s to describe disreputable places that were often in basements into which one ‘dives below’. Once considered a derogatory term, dive bar is now a coveted badge of honor bestowed by aficionados looking for authenticity in such establishments. “
Jeanne Muchnick, the fun and fabulous food and dining reporter for lohud.com & The Journal News says, these days we’re all craving ‘nostalgia’, so these neighborhood stalwarts have become more popular than ever.
Jeanne describes the modern day dive bar as, “Humble decor (most often highlighted by a dart board and/or pool table or both) cheap beers, a long history and dedicated regulars.”
Dive bars are places where all kinds of people from all walks of life drop by to feel ‘community’. And everyone has a favorite.
Jeanne featured fan favorite dive bars in the NY area. 24 are listed in her article from the Sunday Life Section of The Journal News part of THE USA TODAY NETWORK called “UNDER-THE-RADAR 24 dive bars beloved By Rockland Westchester fans.” I’ve listed a few below and the rest are mentioned in her article here . Be sure to read her article for the entire list and pick a few to stop by and hey maybe I’ll see you there.
Please enjoy our fun dive bar podcast conversation.
Follow Jeanne on Instagram @lohud_food
You can sign up for Jeanne Muchnicks Newsletter here :
https://profile.lohud.com/newsletters/lohud-food/
Peppermill South, Congers
Plan B Suffern
Sportsview Stony Point
The Pearl River Hotel Pearl River
AJ’s Bar & Grill Yorktown
Cellar Bar Larchmont
Duck Inn Bar & Grill Mamaroneck
Foleys Club Lounge Plesantville
Set Back Inn Tarrytown
