The Spigot Cafe – Hartford, CT

If you’re looking for a constant flow of good times, good vibes, good people and good value—The Spigot is gushing over! Opened in 1963, this dive bar is all about interaction with interesting people; an eclectic crowd where you will often see a soccer mom sitting next to a truck driver or a drunk leaning on a company CEO. Leave attitudes at the door and try not to talk about the big three: politics, religion, and the hated Boston Red Sox (this is a Yankees bar).

This place is one of those dive bars that prides itself for not having “frills and gimmicks”, which means you will never see people wrestling in sumo costumes or playing competitive Sudoku. It’s all about booze served the way you like it. They don’t serve food, but they have a great BYOF policy. (Please Note: If a bar does not serve food, but does not let patrons bring outside food in, let us know—because that would immediately disqualify as a genuine dive bar.) They also occasionally have food truck events and a potluck on some Sundays.

Portraits of regulars and bartenders by Paul

One of the real attractions here is the lineup of bartenders, each with their own bio listed on the website. People love conversations with smart “cocktail chemists” who are well-rounded and can talk about everything under the sun (or moon). These include Big Daddy Danny, Sunday Alex Sunday, Dennis “Blue Steel” Tracy (reported as a real “bad ass” who wears sunglasses at night), Jason of the Golden Fleece, and the only woman in the group—Kee-oh-mee Dammit.

I knew a bartender years ago who had an encyclopedic memory. If you asked him a trivia question and you stumped him, you got a free beer. He was so good people rarely got that free brew, but it sure was fun trying to beat him.

Games at The Spigot include darts, board games, video games, and their own signature game called “Spigball” which is also known as the “Hook and Washer” game.

This place also counts as a sports bar and takes its job very seriously, with 12 TVs and a subscription to the NFL Ticket. That means even if you’re a Miami Dolphins fan (our condolences) you can see your team at the Spigot Café. Bring your own hot wings and wear your NFL gear and cheer as loud as you want because football (as well as baseball, hockey, basketball, and live bartender jousting) are king here.

The Spigot was included in the book “100 Things to Do in Hartford Before You Die”. If visiting dive bars is on your Bucket List, hit this spot and report back to us. Save the frills and the gimmicks for other bars, where it takes 10 servers to sing “Happy Birthday” and they’re still trying to look cool in flair. The Spigot delivers exactly what it promises, and that is simply a damn good time with a fun group of people.

Life is just too short not to visit this place!

Located in: Hartford, CT

Be sure to try: a beer! They have a collection of more than 20 on draft and roughly 200 in bottles or cans.

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