Dive bars have been the setting for innumerable laughs, wild stories, and cheap drinks. They are often the heart of small communities and serve as literal watering holes and community spaces in towns across the country. There is one dive bar, though, that predates even the very state it lives in.
The Salty Dawg Saloon is a small but mighty dive bar in Homer, and it took top spot in Alaska when we named the best dive bar in every U.S. state. The bar’s history is as rich as the miners who came to Alaska during the gold rush.
The Salty Dawg Saloon resides in a building that was originally built as a quaint wooden cabin in 1897, then later served as the town’s first post office, a railway station, grocery store, and a coal mining office before meeting its dive bar destiny in 1957. It wouldn’t be until two years later that Alaska became a state. The Salty Dawg Saloon continues to carry on this legacy with its quirky decor and cozy atmosphere. A quick Google search brings up images of walls coated in stickers and dollar bills alongside maritime accessories and twinkle lights. It encapsulates everything that is beautiful about a dive bar and is certainly worth a visit.
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Take a deeper dive into this bar
An indoor shot of behind the bar at the salty dawg saloon – The Salty Dawg Saloon/Instagram
If you find yourself looking for a cheap drink in Homer, Alaska, then The Salty Dawg Saloon is your destination. While the bar doesn’t publish any kind of menu online, a Google review photo from a few years ago shares a range of beers that are no more than $7. Stick to the normal dive bar rules and don’t expect to be served any elaborate mixed cocktails (no, not even the intriguing Alaska cocktail, though you can ask). There’s also no food served at The Salty Dawg Saloon, though the Google listing does say outside food is allowed. And, if you’re a whiskey drinker, expect to see a slightly higher price thanks to Alaska being the most expensive state to buy whiskey.
Open from just noon to 8 p.m., The Salty Dawg Saloon has earned more than just local celebrity status, but has grown to be a true tourist destination, too. So much so, that the dive bar makes and sells an entire range of branded merch ranging from the usual hoodies and shirts to shot and pint glasses to the more comical and risqué Salty Dawg Saloon thong underwear (which, at the time of writing, was sold out). All in all, The Salty Dawg Saloon has really embodied what it means to be a dive bar and why these kinds of spaces are sacred to so many. So, the next time you find yourself in Alaska, you already know where to grab your welcome drink.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.