Cowboy Bar Magnets

Where you go to find love

Pickle Bill's Bar-B-Q opened its doors in 1941 at 2712 Pico Blvd in Santa Monica. From the sawdust-covered floors to the giant pickle on the restaurant's marquee, Pickle Bill's truly was 'soooo different' from every other establishment at the time. It offered a true roadhouse experience right in town that managed to do the impossible by attracting raucous crowds and families alike. Of course, it wasn't just the experience that drew them in - it was the food. Aside from all kinds of barbeque, Pickle Bill's menu included steaks, seafood, and their famous French dip sandwiches.

Denver's Colorado Mine Company was one of those places that wasn’t what it seemed. It was a dive bar of sorts, but slightly classier and wrapped in a unique style of western kitsch with a menu to match. It was the kind of place your mother had warned you about, but that only made it that much more fun to hang out there. The restaurant lives on in America's collective consciousness as the creator of the "Fool's Gold" sandwich, one of Elvis Presley's all-time favorites, so much so that he would fly his private jet from Graceland to Denver just to get his fix.

Powder River, Wyoming is little more than a ghost town these days, but it used to have two restaurants, a motel, and a gas station, supporting not just locals and travelers along the U.S. 20 highway, but also the Standard Oil refinery. Now all that remains is an elementary school, a post office and a handful of very rural residences. One of those restaurants was the Tumble Inn, a roadhouse in every sense of the word. The log cabin housing the Tumble Inn was moved to Powder River from Ten Sleep, Wyoming, in 1923 and operated as several businesses before the Tumble Inn took up residence in 1942. With a full bar and kitchen, the Inn kept passersby happy for decades, but after the refinery closed, things slowed and topless dancers were added.

Want to go cut a rug down at a place called The Jug? Well, Linda Lou and her gun-happy boyfriend probably won't be there, but an altercation between Ronnie Van Zant and another patron at The Jug Saloon in Jacksonville, Florida, inspired one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's most memorable songs. You can still go grab a beer there, though it's worth noting that it was called the West Tavern when Van Zant had his run-in. The band changed the name of the bar to make it sound cooler and the bar returned the favor a few years ago in a nod to the hit song.

Based on the Spanish market release of the 1978 film, Every Which Way but Loose, this one is a truly unique piece of cinematic history that you won't likely be running into many people wearing. De todas maneras pero suelto!

While there are many country-themed bars that claim to be a honky-tonk, very few live up to the iconic name. Founded in 1978, Clifton, Tennesee's Julie's Place was was as genuine as it got and kept the spirit of the original American honky-tonk alive. This slightly divey bar wrapped around a dance hall had just enough of a tawdry reputation to deliver the promise and kept Wayne County residents coming around for years for live country music 7-days a week.

The High Time Tavern opened its doors in 1935 in the small Arizona border town of Nogales, making it one of the earliest watering holes in the Arizona Territory after statehood. Aside from a full bar with an extensive tequila menu, High Time ran a full kitchen that made it a popular stop for anyone passing through between Tucson and Mexico. The tavern had live music every night on their respectably sized stage, most commonly featuring country and honky-tonk artists. When they closed up shop is unclear, but it appears that they were still hanging around in the late '80s. While they may be long gone, any business that can make a 50-year run is a success in my book.

When hot off the trail head on over to Honcho's where everyone is welcome...people and horses.

Another great illustration from renowned artist Paul Cemmick's Country Music Artists Collection

Located in Tucson, Arizona, The Buffet Bar & Crock Pot has a fascinating name and a long, storied history beginning just after prohibition in 1934. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but then it’s not supposed to as it's one of coolest dive bars in the country where the drinks are stiff and won't set you back much.

Your best bowling buddy

Armadillo World Headquarters (also known as The 'Dillo or Armadillo WHQ) was an influential Texas music hall and beer garden in Austin, Texas. Located in an old National Guard armory tucked behind a skating ring at 525 1⁄2 Barton Springs Road, just south of the Colorado River and downtown Austin, The 'Dillo flourished from 1970 to 1980. The venue officially opened on August 7, 1970, with Shiva's Headband, the Hub City Movers, and Whistler performing, and caught on quickly with Austin's counterculture thanks to the cheap admission and that the hall tolerated illicit drug use. The final concert at the Armadillo took place on December 31, 1980. The sold-out NYE show featured Asleep at the Wheel and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen.

The Gem Theater was a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota, owned by Al Swearengen. Swearengen opened the Gem Variety Theater on April 7, 1877 at the corners of Wall and Main streets to entertain the population of the mining camp with "prize fights" (as was customary with Swearengen's previous establishment the Cricket Saloon, no prizes were actually involved), stage acts consisting of comedians, singers and dancers, and primarily, prostitutes.

Flagstaff, Arizona's The Museum Club first opened as a taxidermy shop and showcase and had evolved into a nightclub by 1936. Housed inside what was once claimed to be the world's largest log cabin, The Museum Club was a dance hall, live music venue, and rowdy cowboy bar that served generations of patrons in Flagstaff. After more than 80-years, this roadside attraction had become an icon along the historic Route 66 Highway, attracting tourists and locals alike who were drawn in by its history as well as karaoke and dime beer nights. Known by locals as "The Zoo," the venue played host to live country music and line dancing, all of which took place under the watchful eyes of wildlife mounts. most of which have been there since day one.

The perfect gift for that country girl, farm girl or tomboy who wants everyone to know they aren't going to compromise when it comes to their shoe wear. It's cowboy boots all the way for them, definitely not high heels.

Django The Cowboy

Gunman in the bar

for all country music lovers, this one is for you with love

For decades, the Buckskin Tavern was Fredonia, Arizona's local watering hole. The nondescript building sat back on a dirt lot, and utilized a worn out '55 Apache step side as an iconic landmark. With a full bar and package liquors to go, it was a place where locals and travelers along US 89A alike could count on a cold drink on a hot day. And being just five minutes from Utah, a lot of folks crossed the border for a 'real' beer or just to get a bottle of liquor to go on Sunday, back when Utah's laws on alcohol were stricter. The tavern featured multiple pool tables as well as the longest bar in the Southwest which, if you asked the bartender nicely, they would give your drink the home run treatment, sliding it the distance to you.

The Cowboy at the red bar Acrylics,11x14,paper From the 2015 book "The Puros Diary Vol "

New York’s Red Rock West could have been Coyote Ugly’s truly ugly, possibly inbred cousin. With an obvious cowboy roadhouse type vibe accented with the stench of stale beer and a Harley riding (or wannabe riding) clientele and tables with no chairs, Red Rock West Saloon was not your typical NYC nightspot to say the least. However, any shortcomings were quickly overlooked as the bartenders were hot and very much known for putting on an engaging show with plenty of audience interaction, again, think Coyote Ugly.

Wild West Saloon bar cartoon.

Originally a leather bar with an obvious western theme when it opened in 1974, this West Village gay bar eventually played host to a rather diverse crowd with campy drag shows in it's latter years up until it's closing in 2014. This design celebrates Boots & Saddle's earliest incarnation that would end up becoming a 40-year old icon of New York's diverse LGBT scene.

Vintage Chicken Pickin Whiskey

Visit an old west saloon with the cowboy skeleton who loves bourbon

Cowboys from the Bar Triangle (1904) by Charles Marion Russell is a vintage fine art American West painting featuring cowboys lassoing cattle in the desert.

No matter where you’re coming from, Marfa, Texas is a long drive. El Paso, is the closest city, and that's three hours away through the high plains and desert known as Big Bend country. Marfa was founded in the late 1800s as a railroad water stop, but long after the steam engines stopped running, the small town of Marfa experienced a transformation. The early 1970s saw artists begin flocking to the dusty town, and eventually, tourists began coming to see their art. That brings us to the Blue Bronc Roadhouse, which opened up in 1973 to make sure everybody who wanted a cold beer could get one. Best described as a quirky country western bar, the Blue Bronc was the favorite watering hole for locals and tourists alike for nearly two decades.

Inspired by the icons used to display the health of your horse in the classic western themed video game, Red Dead Redemption 2.

Joe and Pauline Saska started the restaurant in 1951, when they purchased the High Tide Bar at 3769 Mission Blvd. and gave it their name. Since day one from their prime location right in the heart of Mission Beach, Saska’s maintained it’s loungey, old-school chophouse vibe, maintaining their cool by offering straightforward steak dinners, seafood dishes, and classic cocktails in their original dark, wood-clad space with cozy booth seating and a rooftop patio.

Local watering hole from Roswell New Mexico

Greasewood Flat began life as an old bunkhouse in the middle of the sprawling DC Ranch which ranged thousands of acres of Sonoran Desert in the late 1800’s. Doc Cavalliere bought 45 acres where Greasewood sat back in 1955 to have a place to get away from the city. The property came with an old bunkhouse and café structure and in 1975, Doc fixed up the place - he built some picnic tables, added a dance floor, and opened for business. In typical old west fashion, Doc didn’t consternate on what to name the place. The area is flat and there were a lot of greasewood bushes, so Greasewood Flat it was.

Peaceful Valley Saloon by Charles M Russell

Incorporated in 1845, Paris, Texas is located in Lamar County in Northeast Texas and has a rich history as a center for agricultural trade. With a population of around 25k as of 2020, the unimaginatively named Paris Pub was one of just a handful of local watering holes serving the town for a little over two decades.

When it comes to selecting a bar that comes with a proper soundtrack, make mine country.

An old fashion game of Hold'em at the Saloon as a bar fight ensues.