Seven Daysies Awards: Best dive bar, 2023

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Vermont's Independent Voice

Drink

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Best dive bar 

T. Rugg's Tavern

click to enlarge T. Rugg's Tavern - LUKE AWTRY
  • Luke Awtry
  • T. Rugg's Tavern

T. Rugg's Tavern— There's something special about a bar located across the street from a graveyard. Maybe it just makes you appreciate your drink that much more? The century-old headstones you can spy from the pool table are only one of the many strange charms of T. Rugg's Tavern, a dive bar in Burlington's Old North End that isn't really a dive bar.

What's a dive bar that's not a dive bar, you ask? It's a spot where you can have a nice, cheap drink by yourself in peace, if you so desire. It's also a perfect place for a crew of friends to grab a table on the patio and post up for the night. The bathrooms are clean, the bartender will air-fry your drunk ass some Yummy Dino Buddies nuggets, and there are sports on the TV — but it's not in your face like a sports bar.

T. Rugg's is a unicorn bar, a place that can be your favorite dive whether you're a boomer or a Gen Zer.

Other Finalists

  • Charlie-O's World Famous
  • Finnigan's Pub
  • JP's Pub
  • The Other Place

Previous Winners

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Location Details

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