Naugahyde abounds at this 60's-era watering hole where it's often standing room-only. Order stomach-steeling bar bites(burgers, fried stuff in a basket) from the bar's kitchen window.

Gauzy painted-lady portraits, cougars on the prowl, an old school menu(entrees are served with a single giant cooked carrot). Oh, and it's in a Travelodge.

Pac Shores is a block from the beach, so the under-the-sea theme (depicted in black light paint) seems fitting. Enjoy the cheap drinks and the way your date's teeth glow in the dark.

The hotel that houses it may have gotten a makeover, but this dimly-lit piano bar (its rooms were transplanted here from England in the 20's) remains its friendly, worn-in self. (RIP Shirley!)

A dive-y holdout in the middle of Gaslamp, the neon-lit Star Bar is cheap, but cash-only. Though to fit in with the neighboring club scene, there's a cover charge($5) at door.

May have come close to jumping the dive bar shark with a recent feature in Maxim, but the enormous whiskey selection (400+), large comfy booths and lack of pretension keep it on the list.

Touted as San Diego's oldest tavern, regulars are grateful for their early morning breakfasts (open at 6 a.m.) and burgers, both popular hangover cure-alls.

This mellow, neighborly dive has been pouring stiff ones for nearly 40 years; it's refreshingly scene-free.

Once a 1950's hub for the horse-racing set, the Turf's now slightly overrun by hipsters who flirt over classic cocktails and meat cooked at a communal grill.

This waterside North County dive is a go-to for the biker crowd. Don't ride a hog? You can go for the live music or go to play pool, just don't go to the bathroom.