Ye Rustic Inn

​The debate about what constitutes a dive will never be settled, not even in a bar brawl. We realized this the minute we endeavored to write a definitive book about the subject in 2010, Los Angeles' Best Dive Bars- Drinking and Diving In the City of Angeles (Ig Publishing). After it came out, we really knew it, too. Divey is, it seems in the eye -- and liver -- of the beholder. There are things we can all agree upon, however: a realness, a sense of history, cheap drinks. Unfortunately, these qualities are becoming rarer and rarer, and bars of this ilk continue to close down, including some of our favorites. Since our book came out, the following have shuttered: The Spotlight, Coach & Horses, The Joker, Le Barcito, Dinner House M and The Cat Club.

In a city known for velvet-roped hot spots, signature cocktails, bottle service and opulent decor, here are our 10 Best Dive Bars still fighting the good fight, serving up raw, unfettered atmosphere and inexpensive but excessively strong drinks. May they pour and roar for many years to come.

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Rogue Woman/flickr

Interior, Backstage.

​The Place: The Backstage Bar & Grill, 10400 Culver Blvd., Culver City.

The Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. - 2 a.m.

The Digs: Why are bars so dark? You may say this to yourself when you step into the 70-year-old Backstage Bar & Grill. If you're drinking during the day -- which, if you're at the Backstage, you probably are -- you will be shocked when you enter. Just as your body recoils when it's tossed from hot tub to icy pool, your eyes need time to adjust.

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​The Place: Hank's Bar, Stillwell Hotel, 840 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; 213-623-7718.

The Hours: 11 p.m. - 1 a.m. Sunday - Thursday; 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. Friday - Saturday.

The Digs: Hank's is a little hole on the first floor of a residence hotel with gummy black booths in the back. The bar area has more funky mismatched wood than a shop class turned upside down. When we visited Hank's for a nightcap last week, a tattooed lady was snapping the caps off sweaty Bud bottles whenever she was able to tear herself away from the jukebox. Bars get major dive cred when the bartender doesn't actually tend bar. At Hank's, the bartender dials up deep Tom Petty cuts and kicks back. If you hate waiting, you could try serving yourself, but we don't recommend it.

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Vidalia/Flickr

The scene at a benefit show.

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The Place: Kibitz Room, 419 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 651-2030.

The Hours: Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The Deals: Well, that can be a relative term in a dive bar.

What did we think? Turn the page to find out...

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Joan S.

Interior, Scarlet Lady Saloon

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Ever since college, we've liked dives. In the semi-rural stretch of blustery Ohio where we spent four years reading and thinking, we eschewed the brick-walled "college" bar in the center of town and instead climbed into our cups at the gritty "inn," where Rolling Rock glazed the card tables, knives were occasionally flashed, and "Beast of Burden" came on the jukebox every fifteen minutes. For this reason, we felt lucky to find two great dive bars on the same block of Culver City.

As far as dive bars go, seediness starts with scent. We're not finicky, but at Roger's Exciting Tattle Tale Room in Culver City, we almost met our match. When you walk through the front door, you're greeted with a heady swirl of body sweat and industrial-strength cleanser. Distinct undertones of vomit seep in for good measure. What one of our most capable drinking companions calls "the strip club smell," this pervasive odor hangs over the room like a lampshade.

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A. Simmons

Mo of Mo's Place

​At Mo's Place in Playa Del Rey, the television pageantry of Monday Night Football is no match for the debauched live-action carnival Mo concocts.

When you first walk in, you see a typical sports bar. Faded pennants and posters plaster every speck of the interior not occupied by blinking screens. An open kitchen hugs one wall, and the bar is tucked into a crevice facing the front door. As a crowd gathers, Mo himself makes the rounds, a slight, stooped, long-armed man with a damp-looking cascade of gray curls rolling down the back of his neck.

The night starts innocently enough. Michael Vick chews up the Redskins and a few pitchers of beer suspiciously spring leaks. We order food.

The fried fish sandwich ($8.95) is barge-sized -- a fluffy white roll crowned with a puffy slab of battered fish, the outside golden and curdled, the inside flaky and alabaster-white. Although tasty, the sandwich is dry; we want a sauce, something creamy -- beyond the faint slick of mayonnaise soaking into one of the roll halves -- to offset the tangle of crunch and crumbly bread. The accompanying salad is what we expect: droopy wafers of radicchio, lettuce bits, shredded carrots, and ice-cold tomato wedges with a cup of cloudy Italian dressing on the side.

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Ye Coach & Horses

​Ye Coach & Horses' red-hues, dark crevices, cheap (for the area) drinks and Old World charm have made it a long-standing hideout for barflies, struggling musicians (Guitar Center is nearby) and celebrities for decades. Regulars over the years have included Alfred Hitchock, Richard Burton, James Gandolfini, Drew Barrymore and maybe its biggest fan, Quentin Tarantino.

The bar, which opened back in 1937, is also one of the few genuine dives in the area, beloved for its laid back vibe since even before its hair-metal heyday in the '80s.

So it's no surprise that regulars old and new have been up in arms the past two weeks, with the news that the beloved pub was given an eviction notice by building owners - and next door neighbors - Samuel French Books. According to C&H manager Peter Renaud, the bar was given 30 day notice on July 1st, but he and the current bar staff are "looking into our options" about how to fight it.

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N. Galuten

Cinema Bar in Culver City

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The Place: Cinema Bar: 3967 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City; (310) 390-1328‎.

The Hours: Every day from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.

​The Digs: The self proclaimed "oldest bar in Culver City," with live music every night and no cover charge. The room is small, with wood paneling, a small corner stage, red floors and walls covered with stickers, framed posters and mirror-backed beer adverts. There is also a small sign that reads "If It Has Tits Or Wheels It Will Cause You Problems." If the indoor area gets a little crowded or loud, there is also a surprisingly spacious patio out back. A call whiskey will cost you $6.50, and a can of PBR is just $3.

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N. Galuten

Free snacks at the White Horse Inn Cocktail Lounge

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The Place: White Horse Inn Cocktail Lounge: 1532 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 462-8088.

The Hours: Every day from 6pm to 2am.

​The Digs: It is red inside. Very, very red. The ceiling is checkerboard, the walls are obscured with photographs, there is a pool table and a jukebox. Two corners of the bar are designated for old, cushy couches, and of those corners -- the one with the pillow featuring a cartoon tiger -- is reserved for no one in particular (it stayed empty all night). White Horse is also, amazingly, located inside of a Super 8 Motel.

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N. Galuten

An afternoon with your friend Jameson at The Barrel in Sherman Oaks

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The Place: The Barrel Sports Bar, 4547 Van Nuys Blvd. Sherman Oaks, 818-990-2095.

The Hours: Every day from 10am to 2am.

​The Digs: Close your eyes and imagine a Sherman Oaks dive bar at 2 o'clock on a Monday afternoon. Was it dark inside with black and red pleather chairs, fake wood paneling and old, crusty regulars sipping beers and watching ESPN News? Welcome to The Barrel. It's a sports bar, which mixes well with a dive bar when there are 3 HD TVs, a pool table, shuffleboard table, electronic darts and video hold 'em. They mix strong well drinks for $4.25 and a nicely poured Jameson for just $6, while also standing as one of the few spots in the city where you can still find a cigarette machine.

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