Editor’s note: A version of this story published earlier this year. We are republishing it with additional info and photos following national recognition for Melody Inn.
Indianapolis is no stranger to taverns with curious characters and colorful pasts, and its dive bar scene remains strong hundreds of years later. In fact, one was recently named among the best in the country by USA TODAY.
Certainly, the term “dive bar” can get a little murky. While it literally refers to shabby, often unsavory establishments, plenty of watering holes wear the designation like a badge of honor, even if it’s not a perfect fit. You can find bars in Indy with multiple massive flatscreen TVs and signature cocktail lists that like to call themselves dive bars; on the flip side are beloved neighborhood spots like the Red Key Tavern, which you’d be forgiven for calling a dive even though it does not bill itself as one.
For this list, we’ve adopted a bit of a “know it when you see it” taxonomy. Late hours are a must, bathroom graffiti helps and there should be a fairly high ratio of cheap beer to, well, pretty much everything else. Bonus points for a welcoming embrace of tobacco smoke around the premises, even if it’s been years since anyone (legally) smoked inside.
With no work Thursday and some travelers going back to their hometowns, the night before Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the most popular nights of the year to go out for drinks. Some even call it “Drinksgiving.”
With that, here are five of Indy’s most celebrated dive bars.
Dorman Street Saloon
901 Dorman St., (317) 237-9008
Known over the last century-plus by many names including 9th Street Tavern, Mahogany Bar (or simply “The Hog”) and May’s Lounge, Dorman Street remains a favorite hangout tucked in the Cottage Home neighborhood just east of downtown. Behind a bright red and yellow vintage Royal Crown Cola mural on the bar’s front southern wall is a dimly lit hideaway where guests sip bottles from a glass fridge and clank billiards balls across soft red tables. A fenced-in backyard doubles as a patio, where friends can gather after work to enjoy slightly quieter conversations and watch the dusk dissolve into night.
Melody Inn
3826 N. Illinois St., (317) 923-4707, melodyindy.com
Opened in 1935, this Butler-Tarkington haunt boasts one of the strongest collections of live music that you can find at an inexpensive bar. With an oak bar, green-shaded lamps above the pool tables and even an old vinyl booth taken from the long-closed Tee Pee drive-in restaurant, Melody Inn sings its history aloud. Live musicians pass through most nights and belt a huge variety of styles from country to punk rock, typically for a cover fee of around $5. While some bars thrive on always offering the same comforts to regulars night after night, Melody always sounds a bit different; in 2010 its owners estimated that more than 7,000 bands had taken its stage in span of a decade.
Mike’s Speedway Lounge
3701 W. 16th St., (317) 969-6710, mikesspeedwaylounge.co
While it technically sits just east of Speedway in Indianapolis, Mike’s is still considered one of the town’s institutions. In a brick building atop a hill a half-mile from the Racing Capital of the World, the decades-old bar furnishes regulars with beer buckets and burgers every day of the week. Even though Mike’s attracts customers year-round for Wednesday biker nights and Sunday Colts games, it’s impossible to forget the business’ main event. Just look up, and you’ll see Budweiser- and Coors Light-branded racecar hoods hanging from a black and white checkered ceiling. Then there’s the ATM, a must-have on race day when the business goes cash-only because its card readers can’t keep up with the rush.
Most nights, Mike’s is a standard hum of conversation, colliding pool balls and whatever game is on TV. On race day, it’s exactly what the sign above the bar says it is: “Restaurant. Bar. Zoo.”
Sam’s Silver Circle
1102 Fletcher Ave., (317) 636-6288, samssilvercircle.com
Sam’s bills itself on its Facebook page as Fountain Square’s favorite dive bar, and the nearly century-old hangout makes a strong case for the title. The bar’s walls are crammed with as many sports posters, newspaper clippings and license plates as there is open space and then some. The music is loud, the front patio is smoky and the beer comes out sufficiently sudsy into the plastic cups. Guests cluster around tables and talk in raised voices, some sharing crackery tavern-style pizza ordered off a menu printed on a bright green basketball backboard. Against one wall stands one of Sam’s most newfangled amenities: an electronic dartboard, a nod to a time when the bar attracted some of the region’s finest dart throwers. A beloved gathering place for thousands of Hoosiers over the years, Sam’s was named one of USA TODAY’s Bars of the Year in 2024.
Whistle Stop Inn
375 S. Illinois St., (317) 602-6334, thewhistlestopin.com
Dive bars generally don’t have the sort of real estate that puts you in the shadow of an NFL stadium, but this longtime downtown bar has preserved its character well enough over the years to be recognized as one of the nation’s best dives. Unlike holes in the wall populated primarily by regulars, Whistle Stop can welcome hundreds of first-timers around Colts games or major conventions. The mix of neon buzz, wood panels and pillars completely covered in stickers separate the bar from the spacious sports bars surrounding it. Rich with history, the Whistle Stop continues to pop up in notable scenarios; a year and a half ago its caramel-colored bar was the very spot where then-Gov. Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1086, bringing happy hour back to the Hoosier State for the first time in 40 years.
Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@indystar.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin and stay up to date with Indy dining news by signing up for the Indylicious newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Happy ‘Drinksgiving.’ 5 of the best dive bars in Indy to celebrate
Reporting by Bradley Hohulin, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
