Dive bar? It absolutely is, and one of the best dive bars in Charlotte. How can you not love this bar? Stiff mixed drinks and tall boy cans of beer, this is the type of place you walk in, start talking to strangers and then you start buying each other shots. The place is filled with old, retro, honky tonk memorabilia, including Billy Dee Williams Colt45 signs. It is a blast from the past. If you live in Charlotte then you have to come to this place at least once.
Review Source:Just so you guys don't think I'm biased, I want to be upfront about the fact that my girlfriend's friend's sister's girlfriend's cousin's boyfriend owns this joint. Seeing as how we're so close, I was able to buy a full round for six people with a $20.
Wait a second...I'm being told that the prices at The Beav are just that awesome. That makes sense, because everything else is awesome as well. Let's run down the list:
There's the kickass jukebox that is only topped by the live music they occasionally have (we heard the funkiest of blues bands that incited a dance party). Don't worry, you won't have to pay a cover, because everyone knows the Beaver is always uncovered. (Just tip the band.)
There are the two pool tables in the back, and a PacMan for good measure. There are the PBR tallboys and the heavy, heavy pours from bartenders who're having a better time than anyone. There's the surprisingly clean bathroom, and the picnic tables outside where you'll find your new best friends sitting next to you.
There's the striking decor with ads from yesteryear like Billy Dee repping Colt 45, and Burt Reynolds repping...paternity.There's the friendliest crowd of folks of all ages, including falldown drunken kids doing their best to hook you up with their female friends, and middle-aged men toasting, "To the Possum."*
As far as I can tell, the only downside is that they'll play NASCAR over the Knicks playoff game. But the losers couldn't beat the Pacers anyway (to be fair, they were also up against the refs), so I guess it's just as well.
________________
*That's all I overheard, but it was pretty distinct.
Made it back into the aptly named Thirsty Beaver this past weekend for the first time in a long time. I guess it's a good thing when you haven't visited a place in over a year and everything feels the same. This honky tonk-style dive bar is a perfect place for nightly gatherings around a few tables and the jukebox, a few rounds of pool, maybe a couple quarters in the Pac Man machine and ended with a few more beers on the porch in the night air.
Crazy decor, tons of throwback signs and posters (favorites consisting of Burt Reynolds and any of the old Colt 45 ads), and the couches in the back lounge are so old and awesome.
Beer is just fine. Nothing on draught or local, but plenty of PBR and a few other domestics to keep you nice and drinky.
Great to see plenty of regulars here. Even if you've never been or know anyone who frequents this place, it's a great spot to plop down for a bit after dinner. Great place for meeting friends!
Best people watching in the entire city! My fiance would be crushed if he knew I only gave "the Beav" 3 stars, but it only has canned beer and we usually have to stand the entire time we're in there so I just can't rate it any higher.
Complaints aside, the Beaver has the most amazing cross-section of humanity darken its door. I'm talking anywhere from truck drivers to corporate executives are in there chatting it up. One night while we were enjoying the beav, (we go way too often) a gentleman walked through the door and placed his hand on the door jam -not realizing a longhorn skull full of bras and panties was directly above the door jam. After grazing the longhorn skull with his hand, the skull came crashing to the ground and bras and panties started flying across the floor -it was a truly amazing experience. During our first Beaver experience, an elder gent at the end of the bar told us about how he spent the first 70 years of his life en route to and from Mars. He told us that the government had been sending infants to Mars for space exploration since the 1940s and that the feds were withholding this information from the general public.
In addition to hilarious people patronizing the bar, there's a pretty clutch juke box with classic country, Heehaw plays on the tv 24/7 and there are several country/bluegrass bands the frequently play at the joint.
I really do enjoy the Thirsty Beaver, it's the best place in town to "enjoy" a Schlitz, listen to country music, gaze at a velvet Elvis and watch Charlotte's finest parade about.
The place is divey but kinda cool. You have to sign in. I don't know why, reminds of Utah, but there's not really a problem if you don't sign in....I'll have to investigate that more.
The crowd there is....meh. Older wanna be biker-ish folks mixed with some younger folks from PMW area. It's an ok stop for a tall-boy PBR on your way to bike around PSW and NoDa.
I don't get to The 'Beaver enough and that is a tragedy. Â This. Place. Rocks! If you like dive bars, you're missing out if you have never been. Â Very inexpensive drinks, very casual atmosphere, big outdoor area and truly, if you driven on Central and you never seen it, get your vision check. Â Bright, blaze orange building.
Jukebox is loaded with classic country and there is always an interesting regular to rub elbows with. If you are looking for a classy place to be scene, look elsewhere. Â If you are an average Joe that likes good drinks, locals and a down to earth fun experience, put The Thirsty Beaver on your calendar, circle it twice and head out. Â Guarantee you will be back time and time again!
In what lookes like a used tire company disguised as a white trash Alamo lives The Thirsty Beaver. All the stuff you threw out as a kid has been re-assembled in this junk culture nostalgia magnet. It's kind of like if Charles Bukowski owned a Honky Tonk bar. PBR is the ironic cheap beer of choice. Live music most nights with the bands setting up inside , making it feel like a walk in closet with amplification. But it's all good. Crowd ranges from the Tarheel baseball cap wearing 20 something bankers to middle aged "out on parole" characters who look eerily like Jeff Bridge in "Crazyheart" , but without the charm. It all works because it's unique in a city that doesn't know what the words means.
Review Source:What a delightfully weird little bar. I've only been here once but I really ought to try to go more often. The drinks are really cheap and the bar has so much more character than the typical sports bars that sometimes seem to be the only option in Charlotte. Basically, it's like what you would get if hipsters took over the Dew Drop Inn from Charlie Daniels' song, "Uneasy Rider", kicked out the fella with green teeth but decided to ironically keep the decor and juke box the same.
Review Source:Obviously this place has to be pretty sweet with a name like the Thirsty Beaver. Â Cheap drinks, good location down the road from the center of Plaza-Midwood, friendly folks, live events, hosts some fundraisers, hosts some biker gang rallies, hosts some people with 3-button suits and others with cowboy hats, longhorn skull draped with bras above the entrance ---- yeah, they've got it all! Â
My uncle kept jokingly "checking in" his coworkers here while at work and got one of them in trouble with his wife. Â "What are you doing at a strip club when you are supposed to be work!" Â
No matter what a cowboy tells you, there are no strippers in the Thirsty Beaver.
how can you not love the beav?
great mixed drinks &pbr tallboys, good (free) jukebox - and if you're lucky a little live music, hee-haw on loop (with a second tv you can catch a game on), entertaining decor, nice patio area, free pretzel sticks, and just a grand ol' time. plus two pool tables and darts.
although some of the tables or the floor might be a little sticky by the end of the night, the ladies bathroom is (almost) always clean beyond belief. can't complain there!
I give the Beaver 5 stars because Charlotte lacks a lot of Dive bars. Â I am a yankee transplant and these are my favorite bars to go to. Â Charlotte lacks these so I was happy to stumble in the Beaver one night. Â Great people and great drinks. Â I love that they are not trying to be anything but a Bar and it works. Also I threw in an extra start for a creative name. Â I also think it fits plaza mid-wood perfect. Â Will stop back anytime I am in the neighborhood.
Review Source:WHAT A DUMP! Thats a compliment. Â Everyone was so friendly. Â Hot Girls, motorcycles, weird locals, and everyone actually talks here! Â I had great conversations with a wide array of people. $3 headache juice ( PBR tall boys) is what you need. Â Otherwsie you are just too high class. It feels like a couple country bars that have not been updated in 20 yrs back home. Â What a great place to start the night or finish it.
Review Source:Love it. It's a great dive bar with laid back staff, a diverse crowd, and good drinks.
Hanging out here makes you feel like you're in high school again, playing pool in a friend's basement. The eclectic decor and dingy furniture gives it a funky, comforting vibe so you think you'll stay for a few drinks and end up staying all night. The crowd is relaxed and friendly; everyone from different walks of life all here to have a good time.
My 2nd visit this past Sunday and I have to say, there's something to the Beaver.
My 1st visit was during a special event and it was so packed I couldn't possibly enjoy anything. Â On the contrast, Sunday was great. Â Just enough people so I didn't feel like an alcoholic loser but not enough to block my way to the bar or the pool table or the dart board or the bathroom.
There was an old school jukebox that was FREE and no one can skip your song by putting more money in it (that's for you Travis). Â
My $5 bourbon & coke was toxic... definitely got my money worth (practically it was 2 drinks since I had to go back and asked for a refill of coke). Â But they did away with PBR Light... oh well :( Â
Friendly patrons, easy going kind of place. Â Great local dive bar.
Been here twice - not sure what to make of it. Â On one hand, it brings me right back to the 1970's and my childhood. Â Hee Haw, Dukes of Hazzard, Burt Reynolds ... so that's cool. Â On the other hand, it freaks me out. Â I Â feel like the record scratches when I walk in. Â
One night I went with the wife and another couple. Â We were pretty much the only ones there (it was early). Â Some dude named Clint started making Grey's Anatomy comments about the wife because she's Asian. Â He was harmless but my friend didn't like it. Â We almost had some rootin-tootin bar brawling goin on - yee haw!! Â But years of being around drunks enabled me to stay calm. Â We didn't end up with guys hugging and saying they loved each other, two seconds after they wanted to rip each other's throats out. Â But the night still ended peacefully.
I think I'll be back ... something about this dive beckons me...
In reply to larry s. review.........I think my picture at the door would be a nice addition to the place vs. the circa 1969 pictures on the wall.
And just so all you folks know.......ordering PBR here doesn't make you fit it..........ever. Â Locals rule...everyone else...as per larry.s it seems.....drools.
But don't let those types of folks deter you from having fun at this bar as it like a lot of life experiences involving alcohol.......hope you remember...or perhaps not...the next morning. Â *wink*
I have been going to the Thirsty Beaver since 2009 and it is one of my top spots in all of Charlotte.
I won't write a long review, words get old. But when I want to go out, have a good time and do it in a fun environment this is where I go.
The beer is cold and cheap. The decor is stunning. The music gets you dancing.
Check this place out for yourself if you haven't.
There is nothing I love more after a long day of work than a cold PBR tall boy at the Beav...
Ok, fine, I've only been here once. But it was great. Seriously. From the bras and panties (and a tie) hanging from some horns over the door, to Hee-Haw playing on a loop over the bar, to Burt Reynolds telling me he wants me to have his baby from a poster in the corner...I just love it.
I believe another Yelper (mistakenly) claimed that they their beer selection is slim, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they served Blue Moon...what more can a girl ask for? Well, maybe Newcastle in a can, which they ALSO have, wouldn't you know it.
My coworkers and I decided, though, that they probably just serve whatever they can pick up at the grocery store down the street. Also, be advised that if any of the lovely ladies with articles of clothing tossed up on the aforementioned horns are there in the flesh, you might be able to get yourself a free shot by guessing which item is theirs. Mine was a gummy bear shot :)
God help us if they ever decide to serve food.
With a name like Thirsty Beaver what's not to love? I love this joint. Â Ever want to go to a place that's a throwback to days of Hee-Haw? Â The interior is the craziest mixture of massive bull horns (with undergarment decorations :)), juke box jams, and Burt Reynold posters. Â My ADD was in sensory overload the minute I walked in. Â The bartenders were very quick and attentive during my visit which is saying a lot because I was there during an event called "May Bash" and it was VERY....let me repeat.....VERY crowded. Â I loved it though, the small venue actually makes it even better. Â
The crowd here was very diverse and that fits me well because I'm not one that wants to be with the everyday mundane types. Â I felt very at home the moment I walked in and all night long.
I will be back for sure!
Initially started coming here because they were the only bar with a pool table that didn't allow smoking 3 years ago.  Remains one of my favorite spots,  Cool people, cheap drinks  (and VERY strong) and free jukebox.  the owners are very cool guys!  If you are a frequent club goer in uptown, this probably wont be your scene...
ALWAYS a good time!
I keep asking myself why I ever drove past this garish orange building adorned with a cowboy-hatted, bucktoothed, waving beaver. Â I love this bar and would drink here more often-- and would drink more here more often-- if Charlotte would get a better cab system. Â
Here's the straight talk: Â if your idea of a fantastic night is dressing your boyfriend up in a skintight vintage-inspired tshirt and drinking martinis, the Thirsty Beaver is not for you. Â Now, if you like some salt of the earth people and a fantastic vibe, this is your kind of place. Â In classic workingman's bar style, the beer and liquor selection is quite small. Â I've yet to drink a Bloody Mary here, but the Bloody Mary list is as long as my arm, and I'm no dwarf. Â The free jukebox is a plus, and it's an even bigger plus that it's all good music. Â It's mostly classic country with a sprinkling of Dylan, Springsteen, Pavement, Sam Cooke and other true artists. Â
One note: Â this place is a hipster paradise after 11 PM on the weekends. Â PBR is the Veuve of college kids, and with cheap tallboys this place can get packed.
Oh I love the Beav....or as my friends and I like to call it ...the Angry Beaver... Â You never know what you will encounter here. Â Dont come as a snob, you will not be welcome!!!! Â Ladies please feel free to dance on the bar but take it easy....if you watch while someone is up there you will see that the poor bar looks like it is gonna cave in. Â The owners of this place are DOLLS and they will recognize you even if you just pop in occasionally. Â Fantastic neighborhood place!!
Review Source:So I read in the Creative Loafing's 'Best of Charlotte 2010' about the BEST DIVE BAR The Thirsty Beaver Saloon and have been dying to try it.
I LOVED IT!  We walked into a semi crowded pretty small 'bar' where music was blaring and people where chilling.  Great Juke box selection but also a DJ spinning tunes.  We ordered PBR's to fit in but then realized that we really didn't fit in because everyone else had the big 24 ounce PBR's!  You can come as you are...no pretentiousness here.  Small outdoor area too.  Thumbs up to a just  an easy place to hang.
What a fun an interesting place to hang out! Â It's a great little honky-tonk with lots a character! Â
My friend's band plays here on occassion and it's always a treat to go and have a little fun. Â The beer is always cold and CHEAP and you can bet there will be some great people watching as well!
YEE HAW can't wait to go back!
Located by the train tracks, a modest-sized orange structure with a giant, buck-toothed beaver on the side of the wall is hard to miss, especially when it serves tallboys and slim jims [yes, Slims Jims!]. This is a serious place, guys, for serious people.
The thirsty has all of the charm of a dive without the unpleasant odor, distasteful drunks, and suspicious corners. I first came here with a group friends and we all had our fill of undecorated drink and merriment.
The bathroom (ladies) is a bit cramped and the light switch is lower than one would expect  and somehow recessed- tricky but not entirely UNaccessible.  Not for the froufrou, yall.
The decor is truly awe-inspiring- Â ambient fluorescent sign-lighting and some dark overheads, velor Waylan and coyotes (? I think I saw them somewhere) in addition to some pretty obscure forty-fives.
This is a place for visionaries, suits, hippies, bikers, and all those who want to be one or none of those. Â It's unfair to bring out the labels, but none of them stick here anyway.
Come one, come all!
N.B. This is one of the few places in Charlotte that I would actually go to alone, just to have a drink and sit at the bar.
I didn't realize straightaway that a 'big one' PBR in these parts was some sort of giant 24 oz beery monstrosity. Temper that, North Carolina - we out of towners only manage to handle what we can. What I discovered outside of that idea was not much short of brilliant. Sketchy and brilliant. Both, in a giant salt shaker of 'yes please.'
The jukebox had something in the neighborhood of a 600 songs queued up, and I'm sure they were fine ones, but by the time I wrapped up that PBR and teetered off into the night, I was the beneficiary of some prime Southern hospitality. See ya later Thirsty Beaver, and and thanks for the chuckles.
The jukebox is incredible.
The Bloody Mary menu is fabulous, although not all of the bartenders know how to make all of the drinks listed - but that goes along nicely with the Beaver's je ne sa qua. Â The Bloody Mary with wasabi in it is inspiring - even more so if the wasabi isn't mixed in well and (like me) you like to get every sip possible out of the bottom of your cup.
Can get crowded, but there is room to mill outside.
This place has the creepiest vibe I have yet to experience in Charlotte.
If you are already in with this crowd it may be a fun hang out - as for me, I brought a group of 4 to have a good time and walked out of this  place within the first minute we were there. This place does not even deserve to be called a dive bar. The clientele here is kinda weird and they have the worst selection of beer ever. If you like to drink high quality beer on tap you will be greatly disappointed with this place. When I went they only had cans of Bud Light, Heineken, and other nasty beers.
I stumbled upon this bar after a friends birthday party and it was a hell of alot of fun. Â This place is all cinder blocks, pool tables and tall boys. Â There was a little DJ action in the corner and the tunes were great. Â I think I reember tall boys being $3 - I say I think I remember because I had WAY too much fun to recall.
Go there - it's a great place to people watch as well.
If not my favorite, then one of my favorite bars in Charlotte.
No, the selection of beers isn't great, and the bar isn't stocked with every libation under the sun... but I've always had a rad night here, always had a great bartender, and have always learned something about country music listening to that jukebox.
Bloody marys are the drink to get here, if you aren't keeping it cheap and sticking to tallboys. There are coozies here to borrow if you left yours at home. Two full-sized pay to play pool tables occupy the back room, and often the front hosts a live show by either the owner's band or someone equally "back country" and talented. Eclectic, interesting crowd most every night. A very easy place to drink.
Consider yourself warned: Â the Bloody Marys are very strong. Â I stopped by this place a few weeks ago on my way to the airport. Â I am so used to watered down mixed drinks in Chicago that I just assumed the same was true here. Incorrect. Â A few hours and four Bloody Marys later, I was sitting on a plane, hammered out of my mind, wondering what the hell happened. Â What happened is that I went to an awesome bar that knows how to serve some real drinks. Â Add to that the fantastic jukebox and the amazingly colorful cast of regular who drinks there, and you have a fine drinking establishment. Â When I finally get moved down to Charlotte, I plan to be a regular there. Â I'll just take it easy on the Bloody Marys from now on.
Review Source:We kept driving by this place, and finally decided to stop in one afternoon.
What a great find. Â The specialty here is the bloody mary, and there's a menu listing the dozen-or-so variations on the drink (some of which are apparently jokes). Â I got a "standard" Thirsty Beaver version, and it was quite delicious, right down to the pickled okra on top.
Kitschy 70s and 80s toys provide the decor, the jukebox is packed with good country and indie rock albums, and the bartender was top notch. Â Oh, and two pool tables!
Great neighborhood spot, and worth a trip, too.
Thirsty Beaver is your perfect neighborhood honkytonk bar. The crowd is friendly. The music is loud. And the PBR is cheap.
It's also smoke-free, a rare find in the neighborhood (though there are smoking areas outside).
The bar is owned by two brothers, and they've decorated the spot with "Dukes of Hazzard" lunchboxes, old records and other memorabilia from their childhood.
Be sure to catch the owners' honkytonk band, the Loose Lugnuts, which often plays to a rowdy crowd of friends and Plaza Midwood regulars.
The Beaver has two pool tables, but the back room is much too cramped for any serious playing.
A word of warning: The bartenders don't have much experience making complicated drinks. Stick with beer or basics like rum and coke.
The parking situation needs some work. The adjacent gravel lot is way too tiny and people end up parking across busy Central Street. So walk or bike there if you can.
After some friends and I finished up with the Common Market off of Thomas St., we decided to try a place with stronger drinks and stumbling patrons. Â The Thirsty Beaver sat a few blocks down the road, and it was hard to miss with the twenty something hippies leaning on the outside walls, laughing and carrying on with drinks in hand. Â
The grungy spot welcomed us inside with the belting cries of Tom Waits ringing from the speakers. Â I sat with my dear friend Liz, who was visiting from Colorado, and we agreed that we had been warped from Charlotte to Boone. Â The place was filled with music heads, beatnicks, and pool players. Â
The bartender looked like he could have been a roadie for Johnnie Cash back in the 60's, wearing western wear and mutton chops. Â This is an after hours place that requires a bit of appreciation for the younger generation obsessed with the past. Â Tip your bartender well and play on the red velvet pool table in the back, just make sure you call a cabbie when you part ways.
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
