The Thirsty Camel

Gotta love a great bar with a cook in the back chugging a 40 ( not sure what was in her jug.....) while firing up my prime rib. That's Ocean View baby! This place is the biggest hole in the wall but serves better food and drinks than its sister The Pier next door. I've listened to live music quite a few times here. Don't expect fancy. It is what it is and we love it.

In a land of chimpanzees I was a monkey.....

As a true connoisseur of The Dive Bar, I'm very picky and particular about what makes the best of the best.  TTC could very well end up in that list (mental note to self:  Make a list) after some extensive hands on research.  

If I lived in Willoughby, I'd probably have a spot at the bar with my name plate permanently attached.  It seems that good.  We had just come from another place noted for its BBQ and were highly disappointed.  After being at The Thirsty Camel (we had come to check out the local blues band playing that night) for all of 3 seconds and inhaling the scents wafting from the kitchen, I could tell that here would have been a better choice to satisfy the gastrointestinal requirements of the evening.

But we were here for two things:  Beer and Blues.

On this night, they had both in abundance.  At the right price too.

The locals that gather here are ultra friendly, this is too far off the beaten path to draw any tourists at all, so if feels like a true safe zone with a killer view of the Bay.  What could be better than that???

Everything about this place is casual, including the parking area surrounding the place.  When you drive up, the building looks a bit like a giant cinder block dropped into the middle of the world's largest sandbox.  For me, it just adds to the vibe of the place.  This night was not exactly beach weather, but as summer returns, this could be the go to spot for flip flops, ripped up shorts, and a t-shirt that should have been thrown away years ago.

Vibe, the place wreaks of it!  That and cigarette smoke from years gone by (they moved the smokers out of the main room it appears, but evidence of years of nicotine ingestion linger).  I really can't think of another place in the area truly like it...but I'll strap on my spare liver and start the research...because if I find another treasure like this, life will truly be good.

Whoever said this place had great crab cakes needs to have a real one.  I went tonight based solely on the crab cake recommendation from the other day.  I should've heeded the 'bad' crab cake advice I found from a couple of years ago--I was served the same one: mushy, doughy, chunks of onion and pepper, NO lump crab anywhere. Horrible.  Further, the crab cakes were lukewarm in the middle, and the hush puppies were COLD.  Let's see if I come down with food poisoning later tonight.

Waitress never came by to check on me or my meal.

It's a real dive bar, but I have no problem with that.  I do have a problem with them charging restaurant prices ($22.99 for a pound of steamed shrimp??) for lousy food.

Go somewhere else.  Anywhere else.