Nice little dive spot in Spenard! I actually really like…read morethis place, free pool on Mondays a great rotation of Karaoke nights, you'll often find a live band playing on the weekend and they have a FREE taco bar on Tuesdays!!! Super friendly bartenders, and quick to get service. Not a huge selection on tap but let's be honest you're not hitting up a dive in Spenard for the craft beer....its for the Spenard "Ambiance" *pro tip* Keep your eye on their socials for great party events!! This year (2025) they served up a free complete Thanksgiving dinner for folks.

Got to love me a nasty bar with carpet that looks like the from the 1980s but in argyle pattern…read more... This place is great love the karaoke Love the small town atmosphere!!!

My wife and I are one our honeymoon and wanted to stop by a bar to play pool... Turned out to be…read morethe best bar experience we've ever had, chatting with locals and our bartender JD turned out to be amazing. MARINES, go to this bar, you will feel at home and will have an amazing night, trust me. Thank you JD for an unforgettable experience, we will recommend this bar to every person we know visiting Anchorage. Semper Fi, we will be back

The only bartender was working her butt off and the live music was good. A lot of the locals come…read morehere and I was able to mingle with them. It was a great to just chill at this place. I do recommend this place. They did provide hotdogs & chips for those need a bite to eat. I will be back.

"True Dive Bar Vibes in Anchorage"…read more October 2023 - Van's Dive Bar really puts the dive in dive bar -- and I mean that in the best (and sometimes worst) way possible. It's small, dark, and a little sketchy, with writing covering nearly every wall and a tiny stage where local bands play -- some decent, some not so much. The drinks are very reasonably priced, and the service is friendly and quick, which goes a long way here. You'll find regulars who clearly know each other, and the atmosphere is exactly what you'd expect from a true neighborhood watering hole. If you're looking for something polished or upscale, this isn't it. But if you want a no-frills local spot in Anchorage with cheap drinks, good service, and a ton of character, Van's Dive Bar is absolutely your place.

Trivia: What brass instrument is unique due to its slide feature?…read more The parking might be the first thing that stumps you. If you don't park in the front, you might wonder, like I did, whether the side of the building is an okay place to park. Then you'll wonder if you should park sideways, angles, or straight on. By then you'll be to the back of the place and down a short hill and trying to figure out where to park or where to turn around. You may even decide to just leave. But don't. Vans is a cozy spot. Due to the hum of the ice machine, and the friendly conversations, you'll not be able to hear any of the street noise so close to the entrance. Five beers on tap, and probably 30-40 cans and bottles in the cooler. Plenty of liquor, though they didn't have any scotch I would want to drink. Maybe four bottles? As advertised, a dive bar. Both in look and smell (which wasn't bad, per se). There was a blue grass group starting to jam a little after I got there. The patron next to me said they were part entertainment, part jam session. Which sounded pretty darn cool to me. Basically everyone in the place was there to hang and/or play. I was asked if I was a musician. Not since high school. When I played it was the answer to the trivia question.

Since our trip to Ireland, we've been looking for THE bench-mark Irish coffee in Anchorage - and…read morewe found it here! Enjoyed chatting with the bar-keep and one of the regulars, so felt right at home.

Excellent little bar. Plenty of TVs to watch the game. Lots of beer options, but try the Irish…read morecoffee. Friendly staff. Free parking!

Service was great. We were here for a conference and we went to the bar to get drinks and went…read moreoutside. The bartender came out to check on us. I had the Boombox and it wad absolutely delicious. I was tempted to purchase the glass but $30 was a little too much. *Suggestion* If someone does want the glass, take the price of the drink off the purchase price. I definitely would have purchased it that way. I will give the bartender credit for attempting to make the sell. He was overall great. I would definitely recommend and say try the Boombox!

Menu is minimal and disappointing. Don't plan on eating here if you're staying here…read more Nice looking space and the drinks are ok

This was my first time coming in after work and I was able to get a cold PBR, I ate some good…read morepopcorn and the nice bartender allowed me to change the station on the tv I was watching. She even gave me a charging station for my dying iPhone. She was great. Pool tables were being used. The TouchTunes June box played great tunes. I will stop by again.

Was done with a client and had like 30 mins to kill before my wife's flight landed. So I've always…read moreseen this bar beside a hotel off International Airport Drive and decided to check it out grab a cocktail. With only time for one quick drink, I was happy it has a full bar. The bartender said she's been upgrading the place having the owner make needed changes like new pool table felts and dartboards. The place has some older style tables and chairs but it has a large bar and nice display coolers, nice beer taps and a new jukebox it's a cool joint. I got my standard double Makers Mark and soda and not 5 minutes into relaxing Judy calls and says I've landed. That's Alaska Airlines for ya! They like to be 10-15 mins early. I'm going back. This will be the place I come to if early waiting on a arrival. The bartender was super nice and friendly.

S Lounge is a bit of a surprise. It's attached to the most notorious and shady motel in town (bum…read morebum BUUUUM!!!! Travel Inn). At the bequest of a friend, we bopped around town and this was one of his requisite stops. When I realized where we were, I shuddered. Truly, the Travel Inn makes motels in the 3rd world look luxurious. I was not optimisitic about the bar. I was surprised that the S Lounge is a moderatley pleasant dive bar/concert hall. The bar has a smallish stage and dance floor for live music events. There's a cover charge, so that keeps the rif-raf that abound in the neighborhood out. The crowd was mostly goofy but well behaved college kids. Drinks were okay, snacks were okay, the bar was clean enough. Although I REALLY wanted to complain (because did I mention how horrible and ashamed the Travel Inn should be of itself? It's a scourge to humanity!) but I really couldn't. I'd go back if the right band was playing. We happened in on a women's empowerment fundraiser thingie, so it was mostly angry lesbians singing badly. But it was a novel experience and we enjoyed ourselves well enough. I'm going to have to revisit this place to see how it stacks up over time. Check it out. Post a review. I'm really interested to know what other people's experiences will be.

This place is a dive bar, but if you like dive bars, it's a pretty solid one. I've been there…read moreprobably a dozen times for shows, and consistently enjoyed the venue. It's relatively clean, staff is pretty friendly, and the drinks are reasonably priced. They've had some pretty interesting shows there, and a good crowd usually turns out. While it is in an area of town frequented by some pretty shady characters, the people I've encountered in the bar have mostly been regular non-shady Anchorage folks.

Michelle is the best. I had been in town for roughly 5 days and she was the most personality I'd…read morerun into.! Drinks weren't expensive and she had so much knowledge and fun facts about Anchorage. I definitely recommend stopping in having a few and grabbing some knowledge from this gem.

The bartender Besty was great. The Bar is one of the most blue collar dive bar's I been to and I…read morewould come back anytime.