#dive-bars

#dive-bars

Tiki Ti is far from the picture of Hollywood glamour, or the tourist trap nightmare of Hollywood Boulevard itself. It's located on a mostly desolate strip of Sunset between the city's Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and East Hollywood neighborhoods. Driving by it would be easy to miss the tiny bar, but wedged next to the Scientology Media Productions studios, a (currently empty) cannabis dispensary, and a cool-sculpting fat removal service, the location does have a certain grim LA character.

You can argue all you want about the very best dive bars in NYC, but this guide is not that. This is the dive bar directory. It's where you should turn when you find yourself in Tribeca and can't possibly deal with the thought of a $30 cocktail, or when you want to drink during the day without anyone looking at you sideways.

Now, however, a dive implies the kind of no-frills, incandescently-lit, happy hour staple enjoyed by young professionals and old barflies alike. It means somewhere you'll get a cold beer, a sporting event on T.V. (no matter how obscure), and conversation with good bartenders who don't pretend to know any shirt-gartered mixological mastery. They'll make you a Negroni, sure. But there's a very slight chance you'll be looked at askance.

Dive bars are the ultimate modern contradiction. The whole idea of a dive bar is that it should be unappealing, maybe vulgar, crass, and downright unpleasant for everyone except a few die-hard loyalists who keep it in business. Usually dirt cheap, it should be dark, dirty, and dingy. The counters should be sticky, the bathrooms should have broken tile, and the location should be somewhere that has never seen the light of day.

The Valley’s dive bars reflect a unique culture where patrons find comfort in the unexpected, making it a significant aspect of Los Angeles life.