Time now to celebrate the dive bar. While definitions vary, there are some essential components. First, it should be an important part of the neighborhood in which it is located. Second, it should have minimal decor. The beer should be cheap, and the jukebox should feel out of time. If the regulars feel a little hostile to outsiders, so much the better. All of the spots on this map meet these criteria. While bars like Poison Girl or Cecil's are nice places to drink, they don't quite fit the definition and so aren't on the map.
Finally, any compilation of Houston dive bars owes a debt to John Nova Lomax's definitive work on the subject Houston's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the Bayou City. Houston Press cocktail columnist Glenn Livet also compiled a helpful guide.
· Houston's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the Bayou City [Amazon]
· The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Dive Bars [Eating Our Words]
· All Icons on Eater Houston [-EHOU-]