This Iconic Massachusetts Bar Named Best Dive Bars in the U.S.

Massachusetts is filled with so many fantastic restaurants that it's hard to pick a favorite. From delicious farm-to-table in the Berkshire hills to some of the best Italian food outside of Italy in Boston's North End, and everything in between, Massachusetts is chock-full of culinary greatness.

Besides awesome restaurants, Massachusetts also boasts some of the best BARS in the country. In fact, Bay State has quite a history with alcohol. Historians agree that bars in Massachusetts are about as old as the state itself. Early settlers wasted no time setting up local taverns, even before schoolhouses in some cases.

Massachusetts is home to what are believed to be the oldest bars in the United States like the Green Dragon Tavern, which dates back to 1654, or Warren Tavern in Charlestown, which was the first building the town erected after the British burned the whole town during the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775.

Since the country's inception, the bar business in Massachusetts has continued to boom. In 2023, the state was home to 828 bars and 1,645 beer, wine, and liquor stores, so needless to say there are plenty of choices.

Certain bars in Massachusetts are simply iconic. Cheers, Bell in Hand, and the aforementioned Green Dragon are some of the most well-known bars in the nation, full of history and pride. While those places are great, there is just something magical about a dive bar.

Massachusetts Bar Named Best Dive Bar in America

Hop Culture compiled a list of the 25 Best Dive Bars in the U.S., and one Massachusetts bar made the list.

So, what actually constitutes a dive bar? According to Hop Culture the characteristics of a great dive bar can be up to interpretation but their list of attributes contains things like cheap drinks, ripped bar stools and/or vinyl booths, dartboard or other bar games, chatty, mostly local clientele, low lighting, Christmas lights, neon signs, and of course, a grimey bathroom.

Which Massachusetts bar took the title? Delux Cafe in Boston, Massachusetts. Here's what Hop Culture had to say.

A dive bar that has stood against time and gentrification, Delux Cafe has defied all odds in the South End neighborhood of Boston. As chain restaurants and bougie dining groups moved in, driving up rents and the price of eating and drinking, South End’s small businesses started being driven out. But not Delux Cafe. Located at 100 Chandler Street, the dive bar has remained for over five decades as a place to grab a cheap can of ‘Gansett. While the hole-in-the-wall has changed hands and names a few times during its historic run, it’s always been a place for locals to bathe in the glow of Christmas lights, revel at the collection of album covers on the wall, and enjoy a cheap pint or two.