One Illinois Bar Gets Crowned 2023’s Dive Bar of the Year

The Edge Eatery & Drinkatorium in Rapids City, Illinois has something big to celebrate with you, they were just crowned 2023's "Dive Bar of the Year".

What Is a Dive Bar?

In my mind, there are a couple of distinct kinds of bar people;

•  The Fancy bar people love modern, classy places that serve fancy expensive drinks to upper-class patrons, (or patrons that think/wish/pretend they are upper class).
• The hip bar people, (who can sometimes bleed into the fancy bar people), tend to flock to the coolest, new bar with the loudest music in the area, drink waaayyy too much, and just want to hang out and hook up with other "cool" people.
• The dive bar people prefer their bars to be small and casual, their drinks cheap, and their conversations plentiful. (These are most definitely MY kind of bar people).

So, now the question must be asked, what technically qualifies as a dive bar? Here's the definition of a "dive bar" according to Wikipedia;

A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele.

Illinois Bar Named 2023 'Dive Bar Of The Year'

While some people continue to turn their nose up at the term 'dive bar', more and more people are beginning to jump on the dive bar train and are quickly learning how much there is to love about them! Dive bars are usually locally owned, friendly places to enjoy drinks and eats at, and lucky for us, Illinois is FULL of great dive bars to choose from.

If you're already a dive bar appreciator, I'm sure you have a few favorite watering holes, but I think you better add The Edge Eatery & Drinkatorium in Rapids City, Illinois to your must-visit list. Here's why...

The Edge was just crowned Dive Bar Road Trip's 2023 Dive Bar of the Year!

For those that don't know, Dive Bar Road Trip is a group of guys who started taking road trips across the country visiting different dive bars in each state just for fun. Their mission soon turned into a travel-style blog that bloomed into a website and major Facebook following.

In mid-March Dive Bar Road Trip began a bracket-style challenge to determine the best dive bar in the United States, which was totally based on fan votes, and The Edge in Rapids City ran away with the win!

Congratulations! We can't wait to toast a cold brew to you soon!

Looking for more great eats and drinks in Illinois? Here are some great places to check out...