Comments (3) Best Dive Bar - 2010
Darrell's Tavern
Darrell's Tavern used to have a fleet of big, old Lincolns permanently parked in its front lot on Aurora Avenue North, right next to Highland Ice Arena. Rumor has it that back in the day, anyone who was old enough to drive one of these Lincolns off the lot was also old enough to order a beer at Darrell's. But Darrell's is now under the stewardship of Dan Dyckman, a longtime local bartender who's pulled taps at Maple Leaf's Fifth Avenue Tavern and the Dubliner in Fremont, among other places. Since purchasing Darrell's a year ago, he's left virtually all the tavern's shaggy-dog aesthetic—Country Club malt liquor signs, '60s grandma's-house light fixtures, floor-to-ceiling carpet, the horseshoe bar, bingo tables—intact. But there's hard booze and live music (even jazz) now, and Dyckman's made it so the bar no longer scares off youngsters—or even middle-agers. Aurora's always deserved a friendly neighborhood dive bar like Darrell's. —Mike Seely 18041 Aurora Ave. N., 542-6688, darrellstavern.com
