If you are looking for dive bars in Lakewood, you only need to know two streets. Madison Avenue and Detroit Avenue both run the length of the city, and between them they hold a run of low-key neighborhood bars with pool tables, karaoke, drink specials and simple kitchens.
Lakewood borders Cleveland on the west, and the east end of both avenues, near the city line, is where these bars bunch up. This story sorts them by street and by what you want to do once you are inside. For the rest of the city, from the Flats to West Park, open the full Cleveland dive bar guide.
Several of these bars share the same basic setup: a dark room, a few TVs, a pool table and a kitchen turning out burgers and wings. What sets them apart is the kind of night each one is built for, so the notes below focus on karaoke, games and live shows as much as on the drinks.
Madison and Detroit
Where to drink in Lakewood, street by street
Lakewood
The Flying Rib
Best for: Cheap drinks, pool and ping pong
The Flying Rib sits at the east end of Madison Avenue, close to the Cleveland line, and it is the value pick of the group. Drink specials are cheap, the plates of pub food are big, and there is both pool and ping pong.
It sits just west of West 117th Street, the Cleveland line, which makes it an easy stop for west side Clevelanders and a good first stop if you want to eat before a longer night on Madison.
Lakewood
Iggy's Bar
Best for: Pool, foosball and the game on TV
Iggy’s Bar is a plain neighborhood bar on Madison Avenue with pool and foosball tables and sports on TV.
Iggy’s and Lakewood Village Tavern are a few doors apart on the same block of Madison, so you can play a round of pool here and walk over for karaoke without moving the car.
Lakewood
Lakewood Village Tavern
Best for: Karaoke with burgers and wings
Lakewood Village Tavern is a dark neighborhood bar on Madison Avenue with burgers, wings, plenty of TVs and karaoke nights. It is a well-liked stop for people who want food, sports and a turn at the microphone in the same place.
Check which nights karaoke runs before you go.
Lakewood
Mars Bar & Café
Best for: A bar and grill in west Lakewood
Mars Bar & Café is farther west on Madison Avenue, past the cluster of bars at the east end, and it runs as a straightforward bar and grill.
Go when you want a drink and bar food close to home in the west half of Lakewood without heading back toward the city line. The kitchen makes it an easy dinner stop, too.
Lakewood
Five O'Clock Lounge
Best for: A dive bar that books shows
Five O’Clock Lounge sits on Detroit Avenue at the east end of Lakewood and doubles as a place that hosts shows. It is the closest of the Detroit Avenue bars to the Cleveland line at West 117th Street.
Look at the calendar before you go. A night with a band on the bill feels very different from a quiet weeknight at the bar, and both have their uses.
Lakewood
Corky's Place
Best for: Karaoke, DJs and a jukebox
Corky’s Place on Detroit Avenue is a low-lit bar with karaoke, DJs, pool and a jukebox, and it draws one of the bigger crowds among Lakewood’s dives.
On karaoke nights, get there early to get your name on the list. On other nights, the DJs, the pool table and the jukebox carry the room.
Picking a bar
Which Lakewood bar fits your night
For karaoke, the choice is between Corky’s on Detroit and Lakewood Village Tavern on Madison. Corky’s adds DJs and a jukebox, while Village Tavern is the better bet if you also want wings and a game on TV. For games, The Flying Rib has pool and ping pong, Iggy’s has pool and foosball, and Corky’s has pool too. For a band, Five O’Clock Lounge is the one that books shows.
Madison Avenue is the easier street for a short crawl. Start with food at The Flying Rib at the east end, then head west to Iggy’s and Lakewood Village Tavern, which sit a few doors apart. The gap between the first stop and the second is a long walk or a quick ride, so plan for it.
On Detroit Avenue, Five O’Clock Lounge and Corky’s Place are too far apart for an easy walk, so treat each as its own night, or pair Corky’s with a Madison Avenue stop a short drive south.
Across the line
Dive bars close to Lakewood
If you want to cross into Cleveland, Parkview Nite Club on West 58th Street in Detroit Shoreway has big bar burgers, live music and blues jams. The Little Rose Tavern on Lorain Avenue in West Park, near Puritas, is a west side favorite. Downtown, Johnny’s Little Bar in the Warehouse District is known for a half-pound burger ground from steak trimmings, and Harbor Inn on Main Avenue in the Flats, with its nautical decor and big beer list, is where a lot of people start. See every dive bar on the map.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
Are there dive bars farther out in the west suburbs?
Dover Gardens Tavern is a bar and grill on Detroit Road in Westlake, and Post & Beam is a hole-in-the-wall bar with food on Snow Road in Parma Heights.
Is there a dive bar near Cleveland State?
Becky’s on East 18th Street in the Campus District serves pub food late, with arcade games, darts, a jukebox and sports on TV.
Beyond Lakewood
Every dive bar in and around Cleveland
Find neighborhood bars from the Flats and the Warehouse District to West Park, Parma Heights and Westlake on one map.