In this unassuming beer haven, stories have been told, generations have come and gone, and mugs have been clinked together to celebrate the end of a workday. This place is no other than Harbor Inn, and it's been named one of the best dive bars in America.
Located in the West Bank of the Flats, this bar has been serving up cold beer earned by dockworkers and blue-collar regulars since 1895. Thrillist, an online magazine celebrating food and culture in cities across the country, has duly given Harbor Inn a spot on its list as one of the 33 Best Dive Bars in America.
Thrillist said "very little has changed over the years, save the recent addition of drafts to fuel boozy games of bar bowling and darts. Come in during the morning and the place is packed with third-shifters, while the night crams in a mix of slumming yuppies and blue-collar regulars who seem to have been here since the place opened more than a century ago."
It's the definition of a true American dive bar in a location in Cleveland that was the hub for dockworkers, manufacturers and everyone in between.
People standing outside of the Harbor Inn. Circa June 21, 1965. Photo courtesy of Cleveland Memory Project.
Mr. & Mrs. John Culner and Mr. & Mrs. Robert Haut dancing at the Harbor Inn. Circa 1965. Photo courtesy of Cleveland Memory Project.
If you want to keep it low key, stop down at the Harbor Inn. It's a classic Cleveland treasure.
Harbor Inn | 1219 Main Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
