8 Best Dive Bars near San Anselmo

“Great for events and parties or just swing by for a drink. Best well kept secret in Marin. Fun funky bar and great outside patio area. There is a wonderful upstairs hall as well with a private bar and kitchen. Lots of options.“

“went in this bar Monday afternoon after walking across the bridge... very friendly and good vibe“

“Great music on a Wednesday night with a friendly crowd and Jared, the bar manager stayed on top of all of it all night. Will definitely go back on another Wednesday!Parking: there are dedicated spots in front and across the street with open street parking on both sides. Too easy.“

“We found one of the best kept dining 'secrets' in Marin county via KQED 'Midnight eats' . We read multiple reviews on Petes before taking a chance and decided to bring our 90 year old Father in Law for his belated birthday dinner. Well, we were not sure what we were in for...but we all had a BLAST!The food is delicious, the weeknight specials were recited by the super friendly female bar-back (what ELSE do you serve?), and our server was attentive and on-point. The place is laid back in an industrial area of San Rafael, NOT PRETENTIOUS, and super casual (wear jeans and a tee!). After all, you can eat at the bar or at the few tables scattered around (its dark in there like a Vegas lounge). There is one side for eating/drinking; the other is for cards/poker games. Lighting is dim, but the service is warm, friendly and neighborly. My FIL dug into the Prime Rib Special (thursdays only) and within the hour, he polished off the entire plate of food. The slab meat filled the plate along with creamed spinach, baked potato and was delicious, melt-in-your-mouth. Our compliments to the Chef and kitchen staff! My sisters in Law had 2 burgers and raved about the fries/Onion rings, and were thrilled. The meal was great and one of the BEST VALUES IN MARIN COUNTY. Dad was impressed, and it was a 90th birthday to remember. Thank you Petes and the friendly down-to-earth staff.“

“A dive bar in downtown Novato, with all the ambience you'd expect of such an establishment. The host of characters at the bar certainly contributed. We were more interested in having beers than cocktails, but the draught beer selection was pretty dismal (5 beers on tap, and one of the taps was broken). They did have Lagunitas, which we all opted for. Okay, the name of the place does say "Cocktail Lounge," so I guess we can't get too uppity about the beer selection. The place was really quiet for a Saturday night. The bartender even commented that it was slow for a Saturday. What that meant for us was that we had the pool tables to ourselves and had a blast playing multiple rounds. (At $1 a game, no complaints!) The bartender was really nice, but would sometimes disappear for a while to go grab a smoke outside (with some of the other patrons). We were pretty chill, so didn't mind waiting, but I could see others might be cranky about it. All and all, a bar reminiscent of establishments you might have oft seen in the 70s and 80s. We were feeling a little nostalgic, I suppose. We're likely to go back.“

“Exceptional service! We came for the place next door but opted for this place instead. What a good choice we made and what a special place this is. The bartender CANDICE was amazing! She was so friendly, professional, and looked right at me. I was a human to her and not a dollar sign or a consumer- she is the customer ideal.She seemed to know most of the people that came in and left by name. It was a rare treat to see that level of community these days.The picture with all the dollar bills on the ceiling is this fun game where you throw a bill, a tack and 2 quarters up and the quarters push the tack into the ceiling! How fun! A few times a year they’ll pull it all down and do something special with the money. For instance, earlier this year one of the regulars son had a medical emergency and that’s what all the money went towards. I love how true to the heart of the community a place like this is.Ok, more! Yes, there’s more. So this place was a grocery store during the prohibition and you can ask Candice all about that and the underground tunnels and fun rare things that only a local will tell you about around the area. This place has been here since the 1930’s!Cheers to them, my new favorite place whenever I’m in town. I look forward to my next visit.“

“Nascar Pete pulled it off again . Was crowded so we had to share TVs lol but never the less Pete was great today .“

“if you're looking for an unpretentious, neighborhood dive bar (that isn't *trying* to be a dive bar) this is your place. cheap drinks, healthy pours, friendly bartenders! pool tables, $2 a game or $5 for 3 (cash only). solid juke box! we will be back for sure!“