Twin Cities

CC Club 2600 Lyndale Ave. S, Minneapolis, 612-874-7226, ccclubmpls.com. CC Club is a quintessential dive bar: crowded and somewhat shady, with plenty of pitchers of beer and more than a few haggard souls. Around the room you'll find dartboards, pool tables, beer signs, punks, and drunks—all staples of a true hole-in-the-wall ethos. There is no posturing here, and drinkers from all walks of life are welcome—the stumbling daytime regulars to evening buzz-seekers. Today's inked-and-pierced-musician set appreciate the cheap and strong drinks, just as they have in the past (CCs was reputedly once a haunt of The Replacements). Inexpensive food comes in copious portions, and the decor could best be described as retro cabin in the woods. It all adds up to what may be the defining characteristic of a great dive: what you see is what you get.

Memory Lanes 2520 26th Ave. S, Minneapolis, 612-721-6211, memory lanesmpls.com. As a full-service restaurant, bar, and bowling alley, Memory Lanes combines a remarkable array of Americana under one roof. Young and old, blue-collar and white-collar, gutter-ballers and league-leaders all descend on this Minneapolis venue not only for the thirty lanes, but for the live music and libations. Drink specials are always available (cheap pints and pitchers—this is bowling alley, after all), and bands play everything from rockabilly to punk. What makes Memory Lanes special is not just the live music—but the fact that said music is offered on the lanes themselves, with a portable stage that's positioned right over the paneled alleys, so bowlers can rock while they roll. It all brings to mind the sage words of Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski: "Come on, Donny. Let's go get us a lane."

Half Time Rec 1013 Front Ave., St. Paul, 651-488-8245, halftimerec.com. We all have different sides: Mellow and excitable, active and lazy, whiskey and beer. Luckily, Half Time Rec is a bar split in two—each side appealing to a different need. One side is your basic neighborhood bar, full of diversions: pool tables, dart boards, bocce ball courts, and even weekly Texas Hold 'Em. The other evokes the bar's Hibernian roots—offering a "bit o' the craic" by way of authentic Irish music and karaoke. An extensive list of beers and no-frills surroundings make this an appealing stop if you find yourself in the Twin Cities. And considering the Irish reputation for hospitality and the Midwest's penchant for friendliness, you're bound to feel welcome.

Related Links:
Double Down Saloon : http://www.doubledownsaloon.com/
Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce : http://www.fortydeuce.com/
Saint's & Sinners : http://www.saintsandsinnerslounge.net/
Clermont Lounge : http://www.clermontlounge.net/
Northside Tavern : http://www.northsidetavern.com/
Star Community Bar : http://www.starbaratlanta.com/
Hemlock Tavern : http://www.hemlocktavern.com/
Creekside Lounge : http://www.thecreeksidelounge.com/
Basement Pub : http://www.basementpub.com/
Velvet Lounge : http://www.velvetloungedc.com/
Wonderland Ballroom : http://www.wonderlandballroom.com/
Madam's Organ : http://www.madamsorgan.com/
Cc Club : http://www.ccclubmpls.com/
Memory Lanes : http://www.memorylanesmpls.com/
Half Time Rec : http://www.halftimerec.com/
Pawn Shop Lounge : http://www.thepawnshoplounge.com/
Duff's Brooklyn : http://www.duffsbrooklyn.com/
Magnetic Field 97 : http://www.magneticbrooklyn.com/