This is the quintessential dive bar. In fact, it pretty much matches the concept of dive bar I had in my head long before I ever stepped into this ironically-named spot.
Brady's isn't the place where you go for your appletinis and wear your shortest skirt. I'm sure you would have no problem getting laid here, but really, do you want to? Let's go with no on that one.
Brady's has a slight stench and sometimes the bartenders are a little surly. They're a nice surly though, like that cranky older relative who really just wants nothing but the best for you. There's a pleasant, familial sense here, and the drinks are made cheap and strong. Don't ask for a fancy cocktail involving ten ingredients because you're not going to get that. That's like getting a burger at a Chinese restaurant. Sure, you can, but why would you? Go for liquor, neat, or a can of beer. Throw a few bucks in the jukebox and pick out some rad tunes. Bring your dog to hang out. Try not to get poked with an errant pool cue while sitting at the bar. And more importantly, don't be a jerk.
This is a bar that will allow you to bring your leash free dog inside to wander around and bark at strangers. Most of the bartenders are downright rude, especially the girls. It's sort of just...a gross bar. Nothin' but a bunch of drunken pirates and slutty hot messes. They regulate to death on expired IDs, but allow blacked out homeless dudes to basically harass any woman that walks in here. Gross. Seriously. Ew. Get it together Brady's. We knoe your local and "don't really give a fuck", but come on. Regulate appropriately and learn some customer service. Thank god my friends have finally agreed that we never have to go here ever again.
Review Source:Fantastic for a neighborhood bar. Had my neighborood a bar such as this in walking distance, I'm sure I'd be there more often, especially with a great restaurant next door who will deliver your meal to you when it's ready.
It's a little hole in the wall held together by the sticky bar and the numerous stickers all over the back bar area. They have a great stock of alcohol and a pool table that appears to be about 30 years old. There are 3 TVs and a decent juke box (no Fleetwood Mac that I could find, and only 3 Stevie Nicks songs). The rest room was small and typical for a dive-bar, seems to use urine-scented aroma therapy. And people sit RIGHT OUTSIDE the front door to smoke- I mean about 2 feet from the open door; not 20 feet like the law mandates- so really, there is smoking there. I do wish they could ask their patrons to move from where the breeze doesn't blow their cancerous asthmatic potions right into the bar, but that's me.
They have ladies night on TH and a student's night and a local's night. Specials are $1 off drinks excepts Hamms and PBR.
I forgot her name, but I LOVE the lady bartender with black hair and tattoos. She is always smiling and very lovely.
If you like your drinks wet and strong then you'll enjoy a brief sit at Brady's.
i love a good dive bar. Â and in the world of dive bars i've visited i would say the place is less than welcoming, Â it smells real bad, and the bartender looked like he wanted to kill me when i ordered a bloody mary right when the place was jammed packed. Â but as i am always on the quest for the best mary, once he got to it, it was a super good drink. Â yep, i'll be back, i just hope i never have to use the bathroom.
Review Source:As dive bars go this is about as good as it gets. They pour really well, I mean their drinks are strong. It is a popular local bar, and justly so.
The eclectic decor ranges from the Yacht theme, nautical, to ghosts of halloweens past, like the giant leafy green man with the huge eye-ball hanging over the much-used pool table.
I love this bar, it is a home away from home. I met many of the loves of my life in this old neighborhood, dive bar. Pretentious and judgmental need not apply. I applaud all the effort of the patrons, owners and crew to give back.
Monday night football dinners...donations go to a good cause.
Swampy!!!!
Toy and Food Drive
Swampfest...
just a few that I know of.
I have been enjoying food delivered from The Clubhouse Kitchen next door lately too. Perfect!!!!
xoxo
Just stumbled upon this dive tonight by chance, because the Seabright Brewery closed early...
and I'm in love.
This is the dive, and I mean TRUE dive bar, that I've been waiting for all my life. The vibe just struck me as so... real. And the bartender was so genuinely nice. And the music was just right and it's just the right, intimate size.
It's like the perfect bar.
This is a true Santa Cruz gem. It's old, like piece of local history old, and it's charming - serious dive bar appeal - with excellent drinks for a wide array of palates, killer drink specials, a great staff, and a HUGE heart. Brady's does a lot of local philanthropy, from Swampfest to canned food drives to providing you with a bike lock in case you don't have one. There's always extra spirit around holidays (any holiday - tell them about an obscure one and if you can decorate for it, it will be celebrated) and the festivity may stay up for a while. (Mardi Gras beads hanging from Halloween branches? Always a good look.) Dog friendly, people friendly, rad jukebox, and smoker friendly without indoor smoking! Also, there are three TV's for sports fans, a pool table for pool afficionados, and other bar games if you can't keep yourself entertained with mere human interaction. But if you can, this is one of the few places in SC where you can start a conversation with strangers and not be a) ignored or b) rebuffed.
And yes, she is yar!
Ok, I have got my slacks on. The shirt is button up and sharp. Collar is popped and I cannot wait to get in there and fancy it up, after all it is a Yacht Club...errrhhhggg...hold up, there is a giant naked blow up doll above me, skeletons in the rafters, and model boats everywhere I look. The tender wants me to order my drink, sit down and chill out while Bill & Gary go head to head for hours on the pool table and the jukebox plays the B sides to all my favorite rock albums. A couple of regs are shaking dice around and I can kill time goin over all the bumper stickers and wall fodder behind the bar. I sure love this ice cold Hamm's and a cheap shot of Recession Buster booze. Unsure why no one has mentioned why I look like such a straight shooter in this dive, oh yeah because they could care less. It is a neighborhood bar and they are happy to have you. Love this place. Maybe I will have another.
Review Source:I went in with a mixed bag of people for a 21 year old's first barhop. We'd been at a couple by then but as soon as I walked in this place I felt at home. A cute guy at the bar started talking to us. Introduced me to one of the bartenders. I had a talk with  a girl who had her dog in there. Everyone was chill. The service was fast and friendly. If it was closer to my house this would be my bar.
Review Source:I have been going to this bar since 1983 and nothing has changed. They did dust once, but lots of people got weirded out so that no longer happens. It was once a infamous fisherman bar but now it mostly attracts the "cool" students and dead-beat locals (like me). The barstools are ripped and wobble and they sit on a cracked linoleum floor. Definetly NOT a place to bring a gal to if you are trying to impress her, but you know the gal is for real when she hangs with you at Brady's. Perfect place for a quick beer and late night drinking session. Tuesday Night is neighborhood night but drinks are always cheap. Â I recommend Jameson's and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
A little local Santa Cruz history, this is the last business in Santa Cruz without a public phone number. In this day and age of cell phones, this doesn't mean as much. But before cell phones, one's wife could not call in to check up on you.
Three stages of intoxication........
If you're not smiling and just staring at people at the bar....you're uptight, sober, and probably being a snob. Â No way your getting a drink tonight.
If you're showing teeth, smiling, and laughing at the bar....you've had a couple of drinks and feeling the night.
If you're lifting up your skirt, flashing your tatas, and screaming like its New Year's Eve.... well let's face it....
SHE'S GOOD TO GO BOYS!!!
or in the case of Eli...... Â Ladies..... he's all yours!!!!!
Locals.. kekekekeke
This isn't the typical place you'd find us, but since it was walking distance from the beach house, we couldn't help but ruin their impression of us forever. Yes, we did stick out like a boat load of soar thumbs @ this local watering hole however, regardless of the dark and some would say hostile reception we received we still dropped a grand in drinks, yell out loud enough to be heard from the beach house, piss off enough people and pretty much do what we are known to do that these guys won't be forgetting us anytime soon. You know, I wish I remembered more of this dive bar. Can't say that I didn't have a good time... perhaps too much but just enough but not nearly enough to stop me from crawling out of there before the major drinking began.. though I did get lost getting the hell back to the house.
FML!
But, I survived to see another day and that's what counts. Oddly, as I tossed and turned through my alcohol laden dreams I could hear loud undecipherable prayers to the porcelain gawds, people speaking in tongues, a rather interesting dissertation on the merits of stupidity being ok on one's bday and yes, apparently a person can dry heave more than the number of years they have. The night ended a lot better than I had imagined since I didn't wake up in a drunk tank.
dun dun dun
;D
I don't usually do "the bar scene" anymore since I my nights are limited to working after work... but this little bar is tucked away near the beach and is perfect mix of tourists and locals. I had not been here in a minute until last night. when some folks decided to PAR-TAY WOOT! Anyways- relaxed atmosphere... the peeps seemed to have a good time.
Review Source:This is where I go to get away from it all. Why, I was there last night. It smells a bit rank at times, but it's nothing a few shots of Jameson won't make you forget. Look out for the local pool sharks and their wacky "Bank the 8" rule. I've seen it all here, from drunk pooping girls to ambulance rides home (if the hospital is your home) The red head chick is by far the coolest bartender there. Apparently this place has been around since 1933, there wasn't even a harbor back then, so that shows how progressive this place has been since day one.
Review Source:This is the definitive neighborhood dive bar. This is a sleepy beach town's Cheers. The atmosphere is like that of a family reunion in which people actually like each other for the most part. At the very least people know your name. This is the kind of place that almost makes cell phones unnecessary, why call when you will just see them at the bar later? The bar has as much character as it has heart. Oh and did I mention free Wifi?
Good music, company, alcohol selection and reasonable pricing. This is the kind of place where people tip more than $1 per drink and it's clear to see why. The service is outstanding. Oh and it's fairly customary to order a Jameson with each drink. It is definitely still a dive bar, but in all the good ways and none of the bad. Gotta love the French door entry.
And don't forget to look up. They have some rather entertaining decorations.
This ain't no Champagne sippin' social hangout for preppies named Blaine and Ashley, though their name may suggest such a thing. Â Instead it is a dive bar in its purest form: Â dinky space, grubby but interesting, cool bartenders that pour stiff yet cheap drinks, a pool table that you could lose $$ at, a jukebox so you don't have to hear everyone at the bar (did I already mention that this place is dinky), and of course the hallmark of any great dive, a dank and smelly bathroom (the men's at least). Â
I likes to stop in here, have a couple of drinks (okay, maybe 4 or 5) then stumble down to the beach and pass out like a mofo, only to wake up with a slight sun burn. Â That's my idea of an outing at the beach (I didn't say it was for everybody), that's just the way I roll, mm-kay.
And to that cute dark haired, tatted babe in the green dress who played Peaches' "F*&% the Pain Away" on the jukebox Â
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-aGTNS13SDU%26feature%3Drelated&s=07f6eef6c164fcdc1f2d15f6ce74dea078c217b3b6b2ba1f17bb826f177e6cef" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
*raises hand to head like a phone receiver*
while mouthing silently "call me"
*winks*
Another fun dive bar to hit in Santa Cruz.
The only negative is that it's a little off the beaten path and away from downtown so you either need to grab a taxi or have a designated driver.
I've had surprisingly good luck in getting a cab out of there at night though. Â A good idea since this place is highly conducive to heavy drinking and shooting pool. Â Bukowski would be proud!
I'm giving this place 5-stars in the context of being a dive bar. There's nothing elegant or beautiful about this place -- especially the clientelle -- but it all works together, as long as you know what to expect.
Drinks are cheap. Bartenders are hot. Customers are drunk.
What more do you really want from your local dive?
A great place of escape Tuesday nights if the Brewery becomes too packed to breathe, or you just need a reprieve from fake blondes and popped collars.
I have been going to brady's for some time now. Â Long enough to know who is working at any given time, long enough to know the majority of folks at the bar at any time. Â I've never seen a more genuine bunch of bartenders: Â Joel, Nate, Larry, Karen and Eric. Â It's a neighborhood bar, so don't feel excluded if you go, it's just that everyone knows each other. Â Try "the combo" (shot of jameson, can of pabst, $7).
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
