Pretty swell local dive bar. It's no well-kept secret, and can be a little crowded on the weekends, but that's OK because it makes for excellent people watching as well as providing you ample opportunity to meet new folks. Everyone is pretty friendly, and the bartenders don't cop an attitude. Again, a very local place where a lot of the patrons know each other but aren't icing out any new faces. Patio in the back. Pool table inside, too. The offer food, in the form of microwaved hotdogs and burritos. This aint no fancy establishment that is seeking to elevate your taste buds that way. They want you to drink, socialize, and have fun. To that end, they've created a great spot for those activities. read more

One of the only neighborhood/dive bars in Eureka. Great place. Don't ruin it, stay away. I have never seen a brawl there (sure a guy got stabbed, but that could happen anywhere), it's not scary (you are), and get over yourself (Eureka is not that creepy!). Owners and staff are cheerful, friendly and without prejudice. read more

Cash only! There is magic in their jukebox, so be warned. Get a Shanty Dog, because it's not organic, and no one cares if you die from eating it, just make sure you kick the bucket outside and off the bar premises. Don't smile at the bartenders. Don't wave money at them. Just go and buy some ping pong balls and take them to the back, and play ping pong with strangers. No one cares what type of beer you get. No one judges your choice of alcohol. Don't fight or get married to anyone you meet. read more

Nothing bad to say about this bar. It's got a nice outside smoking area, nice bartenders, nice place to grab a drink before dinner.

I love this place. Great bartenders, good drink specials, friendly clientele, and just the right dive bar atmosphere to make me feel at home. I highly recommend this bar to anyone. read more

Besides the "unwashed men's bathroom" smell that permeated the indoor area (that apparently no one else but I noticed) it was alright. Divey setting- check Tons of holiday crap all over the walls and ceiling- check Decently priced drinks - check Pool tables- 1 indoor and 2 outdoor. (Yes, outdoor) Ping pong table- 1 outdoor Seating- tons indoor and outdoor Outdoor covering in case of rain- plenty Chill place for a chill time- check read more

My favorite place to stop off on my way home from work. Always entertaining, if I go in by myself I'm not alone for long. Best bartenders in town! read more

This place has great drink specials, cheap prices and an eclectic mix of people. They have a beer garden (that allows smoking) with heat lamps, a pool table and a Ping pong table. There's also a good variety on the (non-digital!) juke box and the owners are wonderful and always throwing special event parties for everything from Fat Tuesday to the Oscars. The occasional build your own Bloody Mary bar, the pinball & Pac Man machines, cool art work as well as fresh squeezed juice drinks in the summer and homemade mulled wine and apple cider in the winter make this the best bar in Humboldt. The staff doesn't tolerate drama, which is nice for patrons who feel the same way. (I'd venture to say that any negative reviews on here came from people who lack in the humor department and thrive off of drama...) It's usually my first stop when I come to visit because The Shanty is awesome!!! read more

Super amazing place....funky fun and great service!!! Great art, cool local fur friends, the locals are amazing!! Can't me check them out you won't be disappointed !!! read more

My boyfriend was super skeptical about this place since he'd heard some sketchy occurrences associated with the Shanty, but it was an enjoyable experience! This was our last stop on our Friday night Eureka bar hopping tour and it was really busy at 1am when we stopped by. Drinks were well priced and I liked that they had an outdoor back area. We played table tennis in the back until the bar closed and it was overall a pleasant way to cap off the night. read more

Great dive. ping pong, pool, nice patio. bar tenders usually play decent music. They let me dring my dog in. id give it 5 stars, but its one of thous bars. Where you walk in and say damn this place stinks. but then you get use to it (kinda like eureka as a whole). read more

I would give 6 stars if i could! Best Bloody Mary in CA!! Todd rocks the garnishs in a way that shows you the staff cares about the product they put out. I always find a friend, or end up makin one, it's my backyard, if my back yard have a sick BAR!!! read more

Great stiff drinks. Most drink specials are fresh fruit puree! Patio is always put together with beautiful flowers. They have patio heaters which is awesome once it gets later in the day. Bartenders were attentive and cool. Now with the food truck it adds a bonus so we don't have to leave to find something to eat! Delish! Highly recommend. read more

The first few times we went to the Shanty, I said never again because I ended up with a headache the next morning... Being one of the few places we found in Eureka that stayed open later than 9PM, it was easy to stroll in there and order a drink.. after another, and another... It was never super-crowded, and people would rotate from their seats to retire to the outside for ping pong or for a smoke break, so we'd be able to saddle up at the bar... The crowd was pretty chill, the drinks weren't pricey, the jukebox was belting out some good tunes.. The thing that I'm disappointed about is that I experienced it too late: the bloody marys are awesome here! I should have headed over here on those headache mornings for a fix and a great taste. read more

My favorite dive bar of all time, bar none. Cool bartenders, hip crowd, seedy neighborhood ambience, great microbrew selection, decent jukebox, smoking patio, gangs of marauding raccoons haunting the surrounding shadows waiting to pick off stray drunks and strip them to their bones . . . Just kidding, though there are a gangs of fearless and well fed raccoons in the vicinity. Check it. read more

Maybe my standards have got lower after being a resident of Humboldt County for 11 years now, but last time I went here, the drinks weren't bad and the out back atmosphere was decent. People playing ping pong and usual loud banter. It's a dive but popular amongst the younger crowd. The bar area is very small, so if you're not one to get cold easily in this northern climate, the outdoor area out back is certainly better. read more

Never judge a bar by its cover. This is quite possibly the BEST BAR EVER, with the BEST JUKEBOX EVER (it's like your favorite college radio show, in a bar!) and BEST COCKTAILS EVER. And Jesus, people, if Old Town in EUREKA scares you, you must have never ventured out of your parent's house. Come ON! Anyways, diverse crowd but everyone seems to get along, and the bartenders actually know how to make a proper drink. read more

Well respected dive with best jukebox in town, funk smell present, filthy men's room (hold your breath), great rotating taps and always Guinness, dirty old men, strong pours, cheap drinks, daily, monthly and seasonal specials, big back patio, friendly regulars and bartenders, many tatts, piercings and freaks, weirdo and usually dog friendly, and now accepting credit cards. Everyone is welcome but check your ego at the door. read more

Was in town a few days and came upon this bar. The people stay to themselves and place is dirty and smells very bad. Bar rescue needs to get a call Asap! Bartender was okay but the locals hanging in the place needed to find a spot that offers hot showers. I'm very serious when I say they were smelling beyond belief. Don't give me the excuse of it being a coastal town and they are living free and all. Have some respect for yourself and others around you. If I'm way off base here then tell me . Go and check it out and let me know what you think. read more

Very friendly and colorful dive bar. A variety of the latest beverages craze as well as old standards. Reasonable prices too. We're sure to go back next time we're in Eureka. read more

hella bummed... so i've been hearing for years how my grandmother used to go here when she was young and how jazzy it is and all. then i hear from my brother that they have a ping pong table!! i go in.....get a feel for it... it smells, the floor is uneven the bartender is hatin on my license because its expired due to the fact that my current license was stolen. tells me i gotta go because its not valid...wtf so my age isnt valid? you can tell that its a real license but just because its expired....my age is invalid? what a hatin ass muhfuka! I come 300 miles in hopes to experience some history and you wont even let me in tha back to see tha damn ping pong table?!?! hater. oooooo i was livid! read more

Ah, The Shanty. This is a really wonderful bar. They have all kinds of nightly specials, I'm pretty sure there's one every day of the week except for weekends. The bartenders are all very friendly and talkative, willing to make your drinks to your exact specifications (especially the Bloody Marys! 3.50$ on sundays!) The crowd is usually very fun and playfully rowdy, nothing too crazy (mostly). The jukebox has a wonderful eclectic collection of tunes, especially for its age. Ping pong and pool tables outside, and some nice seating under heated lamps for the colder nights. Another important factor here is the very tolerant, open-mindedness of both the employees and the patrons. A sign above the door reads "Leave your intolerance outside" (or something to that effect) and this rule is followed. People are not ostracized or called out for sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or much of anything else, which is a very important quality for a place in an area as diverse as Humboldt County. Only issue: floor is kinda dirty, and the men's bathroom is always a mess. Nothing to gross (usually) but never all the way clean'. Oh well, you can't have it all, I guess. read more

Delicious fresh fruit juice cocktails, wonderful seasonal cocktails, and a great jukebox. One of my favorite bars.

Really dirty bathroom. Needs a cleaning. Service was good but the crowd was different. Nice backyard theme. Didn't really like having DOGS running around the bar. read more

I Would give this bar 5 stars for its delightfully genuine dive vibe, pool tables, bad ass patio, ping pong, solid fuckin music, and it's average patron. I'm giving it 3 due to customer service, well, basically the bartender tonight's version of that. She was aggressively rude and dismissive. We came in around 11:30 and she clearly was not happy about it. She for no reason gave attitude from the moment we walked in, and didn't quit. Not trying to be a snitch, but if I was the owner of that establishment, who prob puts their back into it, I would want to know it was being represented that way. So, assuming staff work the same shifts weekly, I suggest going, just not on Monday night, or whatever other shifts mommy dearest works. Cheers! read more

I don't understand why people like this place. Its loud, crowded and smelly. First time i went here was for my 21 birthday back in 2009. I don't remember the prices or the drinks here. All i remember is the terrible atmosphere. read more

Id like to thank the Shanty for contacting me directly regarding an adverse Yelp review I had made before i had all the facts..I really appreciate it. And I hope that they understand, that although misinformed , my heart was in the right place..i was wrong and im sorry ..Happy Holidays and thanks for showing some class when none was deserved.. read more

The Shanty takes the cake for Humboldt's Best Bloody Mary by far- soo delicious and so necessary for a hungover morning. (Although the Alibi might give them a run for their money) read more

One of the great bars in Humboldt County that I miss. The owner used to get really annoyed with me because every time I came around, about once a year, I would totally beat her high score on the Q-Bert arcade game. The drinks are mixed by professionals and the jukebox has great tunes. read more

Ok dive bar. Stiff drinks but needs a good cleaning.

A stiff and delicious Manhattan is made here! No food service although sometimes there is a food truck out front. Great and fast service, dogs seemed to be allowed inside!! Thank you! read more

I've gone here on several occasions with some friends even tho I hate this place. This place is beyond gross the bathrooms are disgusting. The place is always cluttered and the staff is beyond rude to the non regular customers. The back area is messy as hell as well read more

LOVE the Shanty! Bartenders are the best. No Old Town rif-raff is put up with which makes it comfortable. Drinks are stiff and well priced. Best dive bar in town! read more

LOVED The Shanty. Knowledgeable bartender, tasty and strong drinks, and a "dive bar" in only the best ways. Came here for a night out with some friends during my trip from L.A. Was super pleased the group took me here! read more

The Shanty is what I would refer to as a "cultivated dive." Like a bacterial colony sampled from a patio ash tray grown in agar, the Shanty is much more than its disturbing exterior. A true dive (read: Sal's Off-Broadway) has no soul because they attract shitty, uninteresting people. But the residents of the Shanty are more like comedic Elizabethan depictions of low class and grimy Old Town subculture, kind-hearted if misguided, uncommonly joyful if conventionally ugly.The "diveness" is taken to surreal levels, from the distorted faces of the art to the triangular men's room to the strutting clutch of baby possums that trundle atop the patio fence. The Shanty is the Eraserhead of dive bars. read more

Easily the diviest bar I've been to, filled with drunk and stoned locals, limp-wrist bartenders and a stereo system that was state-of-the-art in 1992. Bums outside might harass you for a smoke or a dollar, inebriated liberals might want to debate you about why we should no longer be allies with Israel. And the place smells, like years of spilled booze and cigarettes and human juices matted down into a shag carpet that an old dog sleeps on. So yeah, it's pretty good. read more

When you're in Eureka, the Shanty is pretty much the spot. It's got everything a great bar needs--dark lighting, an eclectic mix of surly, aged characters with young, intersting kids, an outdoor patio, kitschy wall art and cheap, cheap alcohol. You gotta love the Shanty, and hey, maybe a brawl will break out between it's patron's and the scary patrons of the scary place down the street. Shit, gotta love Eurtweeka for that matter. read more

Great bar . Good vibe. Fun atmosphere. Strong drinks

My home away from home! It's not the classiest of bars, but the atmosphere is great! The people are awesome, and the bartenders know how to make a drink. The outdoor area with pool and ping pong table rocks! Definitely worth stopping in while you're in old town. read more

The Shanty is your classic dive bar. I always run into friends and acquaintances every time I visit. Get a pitcher of beer and make your way to the ping pong table! read more