"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.

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.

It's okay on a weekday. If you're going to get parts to start up your day then let this begin the…read moreend of your night.

We were staying at a hotel near by and walked by many evenings and decided to give this place a try…read morelast night. Well we sat at a table for over 20 minutes being totally ignored by the numerous waitstaff who were too busy talking to each other. After several attempts to get their attention we left! Do better!

What a super, friendly, cozy restaurant! I'm a frequent…read morevisitor to Anchorage, and I have enjoyed at least 2 meals at Bernie's: one in the summer when their trees and plants were in leaf, and we could eat outside, and once when visiting right around Christmas time when we ate indoors around a cozy, round table. We all enjoyed excellent, tasty food; I especially liked the light lunch I had: an order of gyoza and a cup of tomato bisque soup. Yum!

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!!!

We wanted to love this place because of the unique vibe and theme, but unfortunately our experience…read morewas disappointing from start to finish. As soon as we walked in, we were told to seat ourselves. We sat for about 15 minutes without being acknowledged before someone finally came over and asked if we'd been helped. To make matters worse, we didn't even have menus at our table. There was a self-serve water station, but the cups available were dirty, which wasn't a great first impression. Once our order was finally taken, it took another 30 minutes for our food to arrive. When it did, the food was bland, lacked seasoning, and was extremely overpriced for the quality. Honestly, you can get better Hawaiian food at L&L for much less money. The final straw was overhearing the table next to us complaining to the manager about the service. Instead of handling the situation professionally, the manager started bad-mouthing the owner and the location, talking about how he'd been telling them to change things. Having that conversation in front of customers was incredibly unprofessional and not a good look for the business.

We came here to try out a new fun place after it had been recommended to us. The night manager is…read morealso the bartender and was friendly and helpful with any questions we had as well as our server Maddy. The bar/restaurant has a fun vibe with the pacific island decor, and there is a suggestion of a future patio being added. We did not have any of the specialty drinks but there are quite a few to choose from, we did enjoy the burger which is served pink unless you ask for no pink. We also tried the Mahi Mahi over rice with a tasty lemon butter sauce was also very yummy! They are a tad more expensive here than your run of the mill bar fyi.

This review is strictly for the karaoke section of the bar. I will say that if you're looking for…read morea large bar that has lots of fun drink specials and a dance floor or two, Al's may be your place. However... I was very excited about going to Al's for karaoke. I had been there a couple of summers ago when I was visiting Anchorage, and I was very impressed by the enormous selection of music, and also the overall setup and ambiance of the place. So, when we went there last night, I was ready to have a good time. The karaoke area was fairly empty. My friends and I were there for over three and a half hours. I sang ONCE. I've done a lot a of karaoke at many different bars, so I know that even if there are not a lot of people, but everyone is singing, you may have a bit of a wait. I am not a complainer, and I'm happy to wait my turn like everybody else. But when you see the same people go up multiple times and sing while you are still waiting for your first chance, that ain't cool. I hate having to ask the KJ where I am in the rotation (seems like an obnoxiously passive way of begging to sing), but I had to last night. He put me up fairly quickly after that, but I never sang again. KJs shouldn't play favorites, and they shouldn't play to tips. That's not the way to run a karaoke setup. Like I said before, though, I have had a good time here in the past, and the karaoke selection is possibly the best I've ever seen. So, I'm not saying don't go. Just know that it may end up being an exercise in frustration for you. It was for me.

This was another favorite watering/karaoke hole of mine. This place has been around for awhile and…read morehas a regular following. I would say it has one of the best karaoke set-ups in town. Huge selection even though it is all by CD. Only complaint, as a karaoke DJ myself, is most of the DJs tended to put themselves into the cycle more than they should. My philosophy is if u r getting paid to turn the "records" for the customers that u should do so. I will only sing if there is a lag in people putting in requests. Anyway, besides that, good karaoke scene, dance club upstairs, live band pool shootin' downstairs, it has a lot to offer. I got to know the bartenders, bouncers, and DJs fairly well and all of them were cool. Al's has a very well organized Texas Hold'em Poker system that pays $1 per head each night for whoever takes first. You can qualify for other tournaments if you make it to the final table. Typically 30ish regulars there each night. Not bad They have a nice smoking area outside that keeps u warm in the winter. They provide free cheeseburgers most nights, every night they have some excellent free chili. So it is a place to have some good fun and not pinch your wallet too bad. Al Junior owns the place and you can often find him milling around with the customers shootin the sh$#. I'll certainly drop in the next time I roll into Anchorage. Eye candy wise, I suppose I 3 out of 5. Depends on the night, seen some scary ones and some beautiful ones.

I've been to this place many times since moving to Anchorage and for a dive bar it's a great little…read morehole in the wall. Just don't go in wearing your cut if you ride! 81 dominates here!!! Great food from the attached pizzeria; friendly bar staff and I've always had the best luck here with the rip tix! Tuesday night is karaoke night too!

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.

I really enjoyed my experience with this bar ! I wanna say a shout to the gentlemen who was the…read morebartender I chilled with for a bit. I came in early like 2-4pm and the place wasn't busy but I like that because I only wanted to chill and relax. This place is so close to my hotel at the Hilton it was a 5min walk if anything. The bartender was super cool we played a game of pool and I had a couple beers and relaxed. I'll come back to this place on a weekend when I'm here again but I def say check it out the have free pool and I saw darts ! Decent sized place to unwind and relax with some drinks !

What happened to this place? Used to be a go to spot. Now no food no dj. Door guy was an ass. The…read morebartender tina was drunk and rude. At least she forgot to charge me for my drink. Left $10 on the bar and went to pioneer.