Tommy’s Pub

It breaks my heart that I’ll never be able to go back to my favorite lil dive bar.

A low-​maintenance bar for low-​maintenance people like myself! Beer in a can, live music in the room next door, and excellent people-​watching. This is slightly off the beaten path on Central Avenue– blink and you’ll miss it. I’ve found that there are two camps of people– those who have never heard of Tommy’s, and die hard Tommy’s fanatics. While I wouldn’t consider myself a regular, I am definitely in the second group. This is solidly among the Milestone and Thirsty Beaver in competition for Best Dive Bar in the city. Luckily there are 7 days in a week so you don’t have to choose– just make sure Tommy’s is in your rotation.

So I’ll tell you how great of a place Tommy’s pub is… Band’s playing & everybody’s sitting by the bar having a good time… I even took some family photos for folks watching the band; and that’s really swell. And after they pack up and leave Jim switches the TV over to classic movies. Now, I’ve been at Tommy’s before and closed the place down watching old movies…
So Jim turns the channel to TCM and we proceed to watch a classic Fred Astaire movie through to the end. Such a great atmosphere, to be sitting in a bar, enjoying a beer and watching timeless movies. The company, the movie, the general vibe, is just magical…
You can’t find this type of enjoyment anywhere today. It’s a testament to a bygone era where you could walk in to a bar and just be there and have a truly good time, not worrying about anything but just enjoying the moment.
Tommy’s pub is just a place where you can be yourself and hang out; and spend some time and not worry about everything else that’s going on.

Nice little hole in the wall bar. Friendly staff. NASCAR stuff everywhere. Reminds me of bars back home in WV.

I just moved back to Charlotte and I am elated that Tommy’s is still a fixture in the area :) So many great memories & I look forward to hanging out!

I’m sorry but the Thirsty Beaver might have to start playing second fiddle to this place. Let’s just start out with the fact Tommy’s actually has IPA beer. Oh, and let’s just point out the fact the beer is kept in a green fridge much like you’d find in grandpa’s basement or garage.
The amount of knick knacks in this place gives it its appeal. Mostly a Nascar bar so beware. I have no issue with that being southern born and the son of a die hard Nascar fan.
Parking is around the side and I can’t imagine it ever being full so no issues there. This IS your neigborhood bar.

Are you looking for a dive bar with cheap beer and good music? Do you want a small place that feels like a piece of Midwestern heaven? Tommy’s is the place. This place reminds me so much of the small, hole in the wall, dive bars that you find up north. It doesn’t have southern charm or southern hospitality– but that is sort of a nice change of pace.
Yes, there is a young, hipster crowd that loves the place. This is good b/​c they bring the music in. This is bad because it can be annoying. This place is meant for old men complaining about the light rail, the unethical mayor and the Panthers.
Cash only, y’all.

Beer is cheap, free music, cramped, smokey, eccentric, dusty, dirty, friendly staff. It’s pretty much everything you’d want in a dive bar.
I’m not sure how they get away with the smoking in here but it’s still a safe haven for those who like to light up a cigarette while they cocktail. I’ve become kinda accustomed to not smelling like a ash tray (call me spoiled) when I’m out and about or else I would have given this place 5 stars.
The bands are awesome as well. It’s usually a lot of local people just jamming out and you kinda get the feel like they came and set up right in your living room to play specifically for you.

As it goes, I have a knack for selecting rare beauties, I have to say this is one of the coolest dive bars that I have ever ventured into!
Since I am new to the area, first let me say Thank You Unilocalers for ranking this one so high!
I was initially delighted to find that all the cold beers are served in cans from a fridge circa 1986. Cool refreshing $ 2.25 domestics hit your pallet as you embellish conversations with the locals. I very much heart the feel of this place!
While enjoying a fabulous conversation, a few people stepped up on stage to play music. I was overwhelmed with the talent of the locals as they stepped up to the stage to strum some tunes and sing:) What was the best part… they have a bathtub bass on stage! WHAAAT? I had been joking with some of my friends saying I would locate one of these, and to my utter surprise, this beauty was being strum in the background!
We stayed for a few beers and then decided to go. The bartender actually said, «come on now, you don’t want to leave». If this didn’t make us welcomed, I don’t know what would. As we were leaving, another pleasant surprise unfolded… a few locals stood up from their barstools and said, «please come back and visit». WOW, if that isn’t hospitality, I don’t know what is.
Forget the el deusch bars, if you need to sit back, relax, and enjoy a cool one with some awesome people, this is your spot!
…definatley my new favorite spot:))

I’ve spent a lot of time at Tommy’s recently and will spend a whole lot more this next year. Initially, my increased patronage had to do with the documentary I am filming with Jaime (he works there). But now, it’s because it is one of, if not the only, TRUE dive bar left in this city. In the time I’ve become a regular I’ve already met and befriended some of the most interesting individuals… especially the old timers.
This is a true, working-man’s watering hole which doubles as a NASCAR ad-​hoc museum. Everyone in here, from Jim, to Jaime to the family members of obscure racing legend Buddy Shuman, will talk to you candidly about NASCAR or anything els that happens to be thrown across the bar.
The impromptu open mic nearly every day kicks ass. Musicians just go in and start playing. The vibe is incredibly awesome and friendly. Everyone is welcomed, everyone belongs.
If you’re a beer snob, stay clear. Guinness is your highest end beer but liquor and spirits abound.
Let’s just hope the hipsters & echo boomers don’t fuck it up like they’ve done with the rest of Plaza-​Midwood. (oooh! yes, I went there!)

I’m biting my nails while typing this, people. If you found the treasure of the Sierra Madre would you post a road map so everyone else could find it and steal it from you? Of course not! That is how I feel about sharing the splendor of Tommy’s Pub with the general public. However, a never-​ending stream of altruism runs through my veins and it will not allow me to hide this gem from you.
Most people call this a dive bar; I call it an old man bar. It’s the kind of place I imagine my grandfather bellying up to the bar and chain smoking unfiltered Lucky Strikes. What a beautiful thing… Cheap beer, good people, live music, great house music, and good friends. What more could you ask from a bar?
As Paige W. mentioned in her review, the walls are plastered with old racing memorabilia and some stickers that would now be considered politically incorrect. If you’re the kind of person that gets offended easily, first relax and then realize that they’re just artwork and not the deeply ingrained beliefs of the management. This is a bar, after all, and politics and religion are taboo. Jesus and Number 3 aren’t, however.

I’m a member of a country club. Tommy’s Club and Pub that is.
Seeing that I was with Tonya when I visited this fine dive bar, I don’t have much to add.
Aesthetically speaking, Tommy’s is about as divey as you get. It’s kind of like being in your neighbor’s grandpa’s basement bar in upstate New York. Bars on the window, cracked vinyl bar stools, yellowing newspapers strewn about, a few empty crock pots lined up against the wall from their last pot luck, some drunk stranger asleep at the bar.
Although NC outlawed smoking in bars this year, no amount of time or Pine-​Sol will diminish the smell of long-​ago smoked Lucky Strikes or fade the nicotine from the paneled walls and fixtures. That’s okay though. Makes it real when you’re sitting in a bar at 3:00 in the afternoon listening to Merle Haggard records.
I didn’t see darts of foosball – maybe I missed them. For sure, Tommy’s needs a few bar games.
Jimmie Mac, the bartender, is a treasure. Be sure to spend some time reading the politically incorrect bumper stickers and signs posted every where. Don’t take them personally. I didn’t.

Dive Bar: A dive bar is a type of bar or pub.
Dive bars generally have a relaxed and informal atmosphere — they are often referred to by local residents as «neighborhood bars,» where people in the neighborhood gather to drink and socialize. Individual bars may be considered to be disreputable, sinister, or even a detriment to the community.
Tommy’s Pub may not be some people’s idea of fun, but if you are a fan of dive bars, Tommy’s is a masterpiece. I had one friend say he liked it because he is always the youngest one there and he is early 40s. Tuesday is vinyl night, you can bring in your vinyl records and they will play them for you on their state of the art turn table.
We went in one afternoon, drank a couple of beers and listened to George Jones and Johnny Cash. It’s so fun to walk out of a dimly lit bar and being blinded by the sun. Feeling the sun on your face with a happy little afternoon buzz. If you go in be sure to buy your membership, it’s a private club.