Pete and Molly Skinner bought Skinner’s 23 years ago, but it’s been a beloved West Seventh dive since not long after Prohibition. Come for the exceptional pizza — thin-crust, square-cut, and made from scratch — and the warm, timeless vibe that only a century’s worth of friendly ghosts can conjure.

Spot Bar is a proper Hamm’s bar — it serves Minnesota’s favorite golden elixir on tap. (Or a Pig’s Eye pilsner, if you prefer.) As far as old-time dives go, it’s hard to compete with Spot Bar. It’s been a neighborhood staple since 1885. Come for the meat raffles, the pull tabs, and the hotdish cookoffs.

Cedar Inn is famous for its jumbo “pterodactyl” chicken wings, slathered in buffalo sauce or coated with a punchy dry rub. The bar has a friendly neighborhood vibe, plus darts, arcade games, and pinball in the back. Dive bars are sparser in south Minneapolis compared to Northeast, but Cedar Inn is well worth a stop.

Cheap enough to continue to inspire rock n' roll miscreants who make the local music we love and dark enough to make you fall in love with a new friend. Put a quarter down on the pool tables in the back.

Low-key and welcoming, 19Bar is the best gay dive bar in the city. Bring cash for cheap margaritas and play pool all night — or grab a spot on the seasonal patio.

Whiskey drinks like water inside this Northeast fixture. Note the old phone booth, which gives Dusty’s a bit of a time traveler’s vibe. Buy a couple of pull tabs to while away the minutes while waiting for one of the famous sandwiches, made with Italian pork sausage, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and sweet peppers.

Minneapolis-born Polish pro wrestler Stan Mayslack and his wife Ann “Butch” Mayslack opened Mayslack’s in 1955. While Stan whipped up garlic roast beef sandwiches in the kitchen, Butch ran the till. The pair hosted many a rowdy polka night. These days, Mayslack’s hosts plenty of live bands (and plays polka on the jukebox) and is still serving its famous slow-roasted beef sandwiches, heaped with banana peppers and onions and served au jus.

Grumpy’s has everything you could ask of a great dive: Plenty of great beer, unpretentious decor, and perfectly cheesy bar pizza, cut into proper squares. This is a popular gathering spot for local musicians.