There's something to be said about home-grown bars, whose life is as eclectic as the owners and customers themselves. Think about it, go to the nearest chain "bar" or "brewery" and it's all too sterile, devoid of character or worse forced character. This is where a cozy little and aptly named watering hole named "The Basement" resides. To be honest its location is a "blink and you'll miss it" other than the fact there's a protruding addon sticking out of the other uniform shops. I stopped by several months ago and it looked like an entertaining little pub but immediately left as my then girlfriend wanted coffee. I'm happy to report, I returned on a Saturday night to give it a proper go; as the British would say. I'll add that The Basement does have food, however I didn't indulge as I just came from a late lunch. To give a small bit of context, I worked at ACME bar and grill which is now Arts and I love the vibe it had as it was years of authentically cumulated goofiness from inebriated patrons . Now, inside The Basement, customers will notice hats hanging from the ceiling, dollars stapled to the support beams, the seats are weathered, picknick tables are inside with the patrons ranging from business casual to downright at home in flipflops, torn shorts and wife beater shirts. In other words, people come as they are and feel right at home. What I really enjoyed, along with the bar being the central anchor point off-center are two things. First, they have live music inside. I was with a pretty lady on our first date this evening and I don't know of a better excuse to get close and very comfortable so "we can hear each other" (I have my petty techniques yet they're affective). The music was typical low country, a couple people jamming out to familiar tunes that forced the audience to sing and toe tap. The second point is there's an arcade section of the establishment. Pinball games light up the room, a bb game, foosball, ancient arcade games like Mrs Pacman, ski ball; basically a "big kids" wonderland oozing with modern day novelties and 80s era nostalgia. All of these fun activities are vigorously guarded by an ever-watchful alligator! As for the staff, they're extremely nice and quick to serve up your favorite adult beverages that are reasonably priced. Even at 9pm on a Saturday night with the place starting to fill up, I never waited for more than 4 minutes or so. If I'm being honest with myself and I lived in Mt Pleasant, my name would change to Norm as I would be a fixture at the end of the bar. Overall, The Basement is a no-frills neighborhood bar that one can feel safe with great fellow patrons and good suds to enjoy during their stay. They offer many diversions from the normal TVs and phones which have become so prevalent. If you're in the area and the itch needs scratched stop on by and relax; The Basement has you covered in every way imaginable. read more

The Basement - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

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As always, the Basement is a great dive Bar. Alan & Josh are the best bar tenders ever and do a superb job dealing with the deluge of people who descend upon the bar every night. It's cheap & cheerful with friendly customers & staff. The bar menu for bar food is pretty typical but tasty. They have a large outdoor area with nice lighting, ideal in the summertime. The bar itself does not have walls per se but plastic sheeting that they can roll up in the summertime. Just love the whole vibe here. Team Trivia on a Thursday night always makes for exciting times. read more

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If there ever has a dive bar award for Mount Pleasant I think the basement would win the title. We came here thinking it was a typical higher end MTP bar and shocked it was an actual dive. The inside is inviting and they have an outdoor patio and even a gaming area which will bring me back. The crowd fits into a typical dive bar, nothing wrong with that! We didn't order anything just checked out the place and left. I might be back. read more

Incredible hole-in-the-wall that we just happened to stumble upon! Perfect ambiance for low key food and drinks. The music isn't overwhelmingly loud or aggressive like so many places these days. PRETZEL PRETZEl PRETZEL Get the Pretzel! It's huge, fresh made, and I guarantee you've never had one like it. Also, the CHICKEN TENDERS are fresh and house made, not some reheated frozen factory crap. Their custom menu items offer a break from the usual fare as well. It shows that they care about their food. The bartender A**** was easy to talk to, gave honest opinions on food, and accommodated my MIL's quirks!! All around fantastic joint, I wish we didn't live 510 miles away :-( read more

a poor choice for drinks food and service! The bartender was rude and inconsiderate. Their sign in front of the restaurant advertised happy hour but the bartender said the sig needed to be burned. ANY other restaurant would be a better option read more

Overall: A go-to dive, especially given that there aren't too many in the area. The good: Great dive atmosphere, cheap drinks, arcade games, and outdoor seating. Haven't had any food there yet, but service is always friendly and they play good music. The not-so-good: Can get pretty loud and a limited amount of seating. It's not a place for everyone, this is definitely a dive, and that will probably turn some people away (not me!). Food/drink: N/A Atmosphere: 9/10 Service: 9/10 read more

The basement is a fun place to hang out and people watch. On Sunday's there's karaoke. You can get a beer and a shot for $5 but they pick the brand. If you want to get some bar food the potato skins are a good choice. Once and awhile they forget your food order but the drinks are always flowing. Parking can be a pain but if you go at the right time most of the other businesses are closed. Love that CVS is right there if you need anything. Bonus is the arcade games. The claw, basketball, shooting games, pinball and Pac-Man to name a few. They even have a gum-ball machine for an old school gum-ball. read more

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Great atmosphere. Delicious bar food. excellent service. Gorgeous ladies room. Highly recommend.

It's a cool place in this side of town. Small arcade and a local bar feel. The food is unexpectedly good. I will and have returned.

we stopped here last night for a quick drink. it was my first time here. I gave my card to the girl. it was roughly 11:30pm. Google says they stay open until 2. there were maybe 3 other people there. and there were 3 of us. there was some confusion over if I had an open tab that the girl behind the counter was incredibly rude about to my friend. i think there is a way to speak to people And she never learned that. then at about 11:45-11:50 this other dark haired girl comes outside and starts screaming at everyone - she said ( bars closing - close your tabs and get the fuck out) its not even close to closing time and that is the rudest crap I have ever heard. I already closed my tab so was confused. I will never go there again. That's a fact. Your staff has a huge impact on business. Teach them how to speak to people like people read more

Returned as promised and sat at the bar this time. Service was very attentive and friendly! Had the Wagyu Beef Hot Dog special (1 for $8 and 2 for $14) and it was terrific!! Accompanied by a huge portion of perfectly done Tater Tots and an Edmunds Oast Pale Ale. Thursday nite is Quiz Night - crowded and lots of fun!! Terrific dive bar in North MP read more

The Basement - Wagyu Beef Hot Dog with Tater Tots Hot dog toppings included chili, onions, melted cheese, mustard - fantastic!! - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

BARTENDERS are amazing!!! Food is good! Now let's talk about one of the owners... he is one of the RUDEST person I ever met. He treats people like dirt especially his employees. I tried giving a compliment about his employee and he turns around and says: " you know what I like is that everyone gets the F.... Out" Many comments were made throughout the night and I couldn't believe how his employees didn't quit on the spot. read more

Me and my sister stopped by for wings and beer. We asked the bartender if they had stout or porter, she said no. When we asked what beers they had she pointed to a chalk board, then said they only had a few of those still available. Her service was non existent, the bar had trash from other diners that wasn't picked up the entire time we were there, bartender served us beers in a can and did not ask if we wanted glasses. Luckily they were within reach and we got our own. Never got a menu, another customer handed us his, which is when we saw Guinness in the menu, which is indeed a STOUT!. We were never approached to see if we wanted to order food. We paid for our two beers and walked out...no tip. Place seems to be run by a bunch of unsupervised kids. read more

I have loved this place for years, haven't been in a while, big WOW what a change. Dirty bar, no one there, batender terrible!!! Asked if they had a porter or a stout, No was the answer but handed the next customer a Guinness, learn your job loser! So bad, so sad. I adore dive bars, but this one has dived below tolerance....stupidity and ignorance, a beer each and we were out. So so sad.... read more

Cold beer. Good bar food. Good replacement for Richards as the local dive bar. Video games for kids read more

The Basement - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Great neighborhood dive bar! You want to play games and cut it up, this is the place!!! What a great place to meet and just have fun, nothing fancy, just good ole fun!!! read more

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Great dive bar with amazing burgers! Had the wedge salad which was perfect. Great bartenders too. read more

The Basement - Bar view - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Nice low key kinda place. Not fancy but cold beer and sports. They even have a game room:) read more

The Basement - My truffle fries. - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Awesome time. Best damn dive bar in Mt Pleasant. Food spot on. Service and bartender excellent. Shaved ribeye, collards, fried okra, and small wedge with house pickled onions for $12????? Smash burger and a beer for $10??? Awesome! Plus the girls played Mortal Combat for the first time. Bonus. Sub-Zero Wins!!! read more

The Basement - Freaking awesome. - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

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I was so excited to come here but was really disappointed. Food was mediocre, drinks were not good at all. Sat down at a table and we were convinced that you just order at the bar. As soon as I was about to head over there, a table of 4 sat next to us and was immediately greeted by staff and had their drink order taken. We were waited on next, but it was still confusing. Hoping it was just an off night for them, I don't think I will be coming back to find out. read more

Food was excellent, and drinks were priced reasonably. Bartender /Server Was very polite and very welcoming. I think her name is Mel or Melissa. Very good at her job, I would recommend this establishment to the locals and everyone coming thru Mt Pleasant. A+ read more

Best little arcade bar in mount pleasant! Really wish it was a tad bigger but that's what makes it feel like your in a basement and a cool little bar to either start the night or end your night! Love y'all! read more

Updating my previous review because this is consistently so delicious it makes me emotional read more

The Basement - Taco Tuesday - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Decent bar with good food...The owner/bartender was very funny and made you feel at home...Tks basement

What a fun spot! The food is amazing (gotta try the nachos) and the prices are super reasonable. I will say the arcade room is small, but there's plenty of options. read more

Hidden GEM! This is the next shelter BUT with better food and games!! Y'all seriously are missing out if you've never been here!! read more

The Basement - I got the Mac and cheese and the grilled cheese with Munster cheese and Gouda and brisket! Not to mention they have a great Bloody Mary - Dive Bars Near Me - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

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Visited here for the first time recently for some live bluegrass. Really loved the vibe of this place! Our server was awesome, the beer selection was on point, and I really enjoyed my smash burger - a single patty with fries was plenty for me, and very reasonably priced. My fiancé's wings were a bit too salty but otherwise had a nice flavor. We'll definitely come back here again, especially if there's more live music! read more

The Basement just earned a regular customer. Wanted to try something different during the quarantine and ran across this place. Ordered the duck club sandwich and it was good. Tasted one of my kids wings, the honey bbq sauce was different but better than your normal. Will suggest to ask them to fry hard. Everyone was very happy with their meal. My wife and I will be checking it out once they open back (well couple months afterwards). From my understanding, it's an adult only place read more

Don't even bother coming if want to eat at table. Had to seat ourselves and waited at the dirty sticky table for 20 minutes with no service. Then became apparent there were no waiters - just one bartender with, of course, his hands full with no time to even look who was at tables. Just left. read more

Came here on a Tuesday night a couple of weeks ago at about 10pm. There was about 8 other people there (in and out of the arcade room) and the game I wanted to see was on tv. Sat at the bar and ordered a beer. When I was done, I sat patiently and waited for the bartender to take notice. She never once glanced my way. She talked to her buddies, she went in the kitchen and chatted with someone, she made herself a drink. There was no reason for her to not realize that my friend and I were sitting at her station with empty bottles as we were the only ones sitting at the bar! My friend finally called out to her and asked for our tab. When I asked her why she hadn't been back to see if we needed anything else she shrugged. No apology. I'm so disappointed. We really love Pier 41 and this experience left a bad taste in our mouth. I get that it is a different concept but I think people still want to go to an establishment that provides adequate customer service. read more

We loved On Forty One and the still present Pier 41 but this establishment isn't for us. We were thinking it was a place to bring in the kids of the 80s to enjoy old arcades, beer, and some good bar food, BUT food wasn't that good, and when you offer $5 beer and shot combos, you end up w clientele that are either 21 and s$&t faced OR 60s and s$&t faced- it was a dive and unfortunately a step in the wrong direction- we loved the former restaurant better! read more

Best mozerella sticks I've ever had! And their wings were out of this world. Had to sit at the bar though to get service as they were short staffed but a small price to pay for the food quality! read more

Went to the basement the other night and had a great time with good friends. So refreshing to see someone go for the dive bar concept and absolutely nail it. Great place to hang with friends have some drinks, food, listen to good music, watch sports or play some games. Loved the table shuffle board and foosball table. Also went head to head with some friends in hoops. We had a dEcent size group with us and pretty much ordered everything on the menu. Everything was great! My favorite may have been the poppers. Highly recommend The Basement!!! I will definitely be going back. read more

GET OUT OF THE BASEMENT!!!!!! In a time when the majority of restaurants are hurting in America, the unfriendly folks at The Basement are turning away good paying customers...because they have kids. We aren't talking about crying newborns or toddlers running-around uncontrolled; we are talking about well behaved middle schoolers. This was my first time trying The Basement and I will not be back for a second. If they prefer you don't bring your kids that's fine by me but they need to post that on their website. We walked in tonight and were quickly told by the unfriendly bearded manager that The Basement "wasn't a kid friendly place". We are out trying to support local restaurants and were shocked by this restaurant's actions. Therefore, we didn't stay around to see the quality of the food or service. We drove down the street and spent $120 at a local Japanese restaurant we love called Umi. Go there and you'll be treated with respect, good service, and good food. read more

They have a great game room including buck hunter. Staff is great and food is yummy. Definitely a cool spot. Nat And Sarah are the best.

This dive bar has some great food and drink. Chicken wings and poppers are off the chart good! Well worth trying them out for a very casual dinner and drink. read more