Merrimaker

Gets 5 Stars for Best Dive Bar to play Live Music on the central coast! Los Osos / Baywood Locals know as well, they have some great bands here, and I play with a the number one female guitar player with a great voice.. Maheyla and The Ritual . Check us out this weekend on the 6th of July , 2013. I been going to this bar for years and it hasn't changed much and I don't mind. The sound is perfect for the bands.. we can actually turn it up!

Surly, downtrodden locals, crummy fixtures, wildly uneven drinks, an ATM next to the bar, insistently bright lighting.....surely, one cannot reasonably ask more from their local dive bar.  Its quintessence is celebrated even on the internet- wikipedia's Dive Bar page flies the iconic Merrimaker sign.

One of the finest of its kind, a kind which is becoming increasingly hard to find in the modern world of ever escalating rents & national chain conformity.

I salute you with five bright stars, Merrimaker.
May your karaoke night bray out across the estuary for generations to come.

I've been coming here for three years and it's my home bar...I kinda have a love/hate relationship. It changed ownership about a year ago and I was hoping for some needed improvements. The bar stools and flooring need to be replaced as does the bar top itself. No one can argue that this old bar needs a little TLC. For me the best part is the live bands on Saturdays. However, there is no stage and the lighting is lame... But they still manage to attract the best bands in the county and never charge a cover.
As other reviewers have said, the bartenders are all experienced and very friendly. Timmy seems to be everyone's favorite. And Sunday mornings, Jackie makes the best Bloody Mary around - she takes great pride in her mixology.
During the day it's mostly local regulars who usually sit on their regular stools. These people are always friendly and welcoming to anyone who comes into the bar. After all, it's the local neighborhood watering hole.
The one thing missing is food. It would be really nice to at least offer a few appetizers or snacks.
I just wish the owner would renovate a little and make it more appealing in general and as a live music venue. He did add new large flat screens and a state-of-the-art juke box. Karaoke is still popular and there is a wide selection of songs. But there is no stage or lighting...how hard would that be to fix? I'm sure it would attract more karaoke enthusiasts. There was talk at one point about having "live music karaoke", which I thought sounded like a great idea but it never happened.
I'm a regular on weekend nights but have lost my enthusiasm for karaoke night. I miss the Sunday night open mike jams and I would come here more often if there were a few improvements in the seating, etc. The back room smoking area is dismal and a disgrace. Ditto the mens bathroom. I'd rather go outside and smoke if they had a heater and cover from the rain...
I'll keep coming here and wishing and hoping that the owner eventually puts some time, energy and money into some needed improvements...but it's still the best bar in Los Osos.