The Hub Bar

Easily perhaps the signature staple bar in Tampa to acquire the whiskey-​squirts, but what to do with said squirts upon acquisition? Well, you are in for an experience. They maintain their old-​time essence with the seldom-​seem ice trough urinal. The dimly lit commode shack adds to a sense of privacy with a waft of serenity. However, the poor lighting can make determining your level of cleanliness difficult. Between the relatively high level of grime, the tracing paper utilized for TP, and the level of finesse it takes to actually secure the stall door, you may wonder why the 3 star review stands. Bonus points were awarded for the profanity-​laced reading material and other glorious inscriptions that brought the experience from «has to be done» to «I could do this again». Solid three stars for the shit hole of the greatest shit hole in Tampa.

Cash only bar with great character. The crowd was friendly and interesting. The drinks were strong. Smoking allowed indoors. I enjoyed this bar. This bar would be perfect with a fresh set of paint and new tables/​chairs, but it was still a great bar.

The Hub is 1. A dive, 2. The most historic bar in downtown, 3. A melting pot where everyone can feel welcome, and 4. Simply the strongest and best priced drinks in town (a single is poured in the least as a double).
The scene at the Hub is so diverse that anyone can feel welcome. It’s vibe is that if an old time bar (operated since 1948) and you can lose sense of where you are once inside. However it’s a very casual and welcoming environment. In keeping with the authenticity there is smoking inside (a potential negative for some). Yet an experience that cannot be replicated and for the price is well worth it.

Great place; bar gets crowded so you have to squeeze in to grab a drink. Good fooseball tables and really strong drinks. After 3 take a cab/​don’t drive. Little seedy with some rough looking people but hey, its a hole in the wall.

PBR is ice cold. Juke box is great. Came from Nebraska for frozen 4, closest bar to hotel, just lucked into it. Happy happy.

When you order a gin a tonic here, it is a cup of gin with a splash of tonic. The drinks here are cheap and strong.
The place is a Tampa landmark. The atmosphere isn’t for everyone. It is rather grungy. It feels like a Ybor dive. It is smoky and dark. The bathrooms definitely feel like a five bar. I don’t feel 100% comfortable but that is just me.

I’ll disagree with the snobby other posts. You don’t go to the Hub if you are looking for upscale. The part that makes The Hub so great is that its so downscale, its fashionably chic. True, you may stick to a bar stool… but the bar tendress has some wicked stories and the drinks along with interesting atmosphere is what is most appealing. It’s a place that needs to be experienced to truly enjoy. Some will like, others will not. If you are the type of person who brings your own party wherever you are… this place will be fantastic. If you are a priss looking to be entertained with muddled drinks, and fancy shit. Go someplace else.

The hub has a very special place in my heart because it’s this little dive bar in tampa with a super dark vibe and it feels like a hole in the wall type of bar because it is. They only take cash and it’s almost a little charming they stick to the old ways. When I was a broke college student and needed a cheap drink I would there. One hub drink and you’re tipsy, something known as «The Hub Pour» to Tampa locals. Two Hub drinks and you’re there. Three Hub Drinks and you won’t remember your night. The crowd that goes is very mixed. It ranges from college students, to hipsters, to older regulars, to bikers, and whoever else is out there. The bartenders are friendly and will tell you like it is. The jukebox consists mostly of rock classics and the bar has come computer games and pool tables. There is also a liquor store attached in case you’re on the run. If you live in tampa or if you are visiting, make sure to stop by and check the hub, it’s worth it. But don’t use the bathrooms, they’re disgusting.

What’s not to like about the hub bar? I have to admit I’ve stopped in here on more than a few occasions, for various reasons. It depends on the time of day weather or not you can have an actual conversation so that kind of sets the tone for whether you’re coming there too have a discussion, meet someone or just chill and have a few drinks.
Is it a dive bar? I don’t know I guess in some cases that would be considered that. I have definitely been in much worse bars and I’ve definitely been in much better bars. All I know is I can get a good drink at a fair price and nobody bothers me. In paragraph yup, it can get smoky, that’s what happens when you don’t serve food. But, you get what you pay for and that’s a nice fairly strong drink for a fair price.
Let’s face it, the company could never be any better. You have everything from executives to people that are bored, people who are on the street, people that just don’t want to go home, and a whole slew of other people that stop by just to have a couple cocktails to chillax.
I don’t find the hub or offensive in any way. I have had many lively discussions there in plan on having a few more. There never seems to be any type of trouble, none that I’ve seen. Everyone pretty much mind their own business and is doing their own thing. Yep, time and place for this place and sometimes it’s my kind of place.
What’s a girl to do? Well if you’re in the mood for a couple of really good drinks at a good price and don’t want anyone to bother you this is a place to go.

I disagree with other reviewers who say The Hub has no atmosphere. The Hub has a unique atmosphere, unchanged and perhaps uncleaned since 1946. It’s the cheap yet strong drink, cash only, chain-​smoking, stumble out in to the street laughing, fall off your stool, fun loving hard-​core atmosphere that attracts an incredible variety of characters ranging from:
Friendly homeless folks using recent donations to get a shot or four…
Tie-​wearing business people who *need* a drink but have nowhere else to go after 2am…
Couples on a first and potentially final date where the instigator is a serious risk-​taker…
Fun loving drinkers who perhaps both pre– and post-​game at The Hub…
History buffs who want to experience an atmosphere that took 69 years to create!
You truly haven’t lived in Tampa Bay unless you’ve been to The Hub.

This is THE dive bar in Tampa. They serve cheap drinks and are usually open anytime you stop by. Probably has the most character of anything in the downtown area. You need a crowd of rowdy friends to enjoy it most.

The Hub and package store is the ultimate dive bar. And I mean it’s a dive! However it is well known for its very strong drinks. The crowd on the weekends is as mixed as you can get and lacks the snobby tone of some of downtown Tampa’s other bars. If there was any bar where rival gangs or Republicans and democrats could all party togethor this would be it. Everyone loves everyone no matter what and that probably has something to do with the hip live music on the weekends and extremely strong drinks. The Hub on the weekends is definitely an experience to be had for the open minded looking for a loud drunken time. But don’t come here if you have asthma because although it has the strongest drinks in town, it’s also the smokiest bar in town.
I would never come here with just the girls it would make me nervous. Bring the guys with you for this one!

The hub bar is amazing. It’s amazing because it’s nothing special but it keeps the snotty south Tampa people away. It’s chill and smokey. It might have a hobo in the corner or two but the hub is a classic rock bar. Funky and old and the bartenders are awesome

Long story short: I had just started a very exciting job touring with Marvel Universe Live and my life was about to change in the best way. I met my fiancé in Tampa and we fell in love in this bar drinking gin & tonics and playing Galaga together on their Atari arcade set up. It is a crazy fun relaxed atmosphere where anyone and everyone fits in. Jaime was a bomb a** bar tender (also a pretty foxy blonde lady, mee-​yow!) and took amazing care of us every night we were there… I worked in Tampa for 2 weeks with the show and beliiiieve me there were many a nights she had to help me pour my drink into a plastic cup and send me on my way. LOL! Between the amazing atmosphere and connected quickmart with drunk snacks and smokes… I mean, does it get any better?!
In any case; This place holds a very, very special place in my heart. The man and I plan to go back to have a couple cocktails on our 1 year anniversary on the 5^th of July and I couldn’t be more excited
I’ve been shwasted all over this great nation and this bar has literally stolen my heart. GO THERE, NOW!

This will be short and simple. After seeing the reviews on Unilocal while on vacation some buddies and I stopped in. If you are really into dive bars I could see you loving this place. The night we went in it was a weeknight and absolutely nothing was going on. We had one drink and then departed. It was pretty boring with about 10 people or less present.

Yes. Yes. Yes. This place was missing from my life and and I didn’t even know it. Wear what you want, check. Live music, check. Strong drinks, check. Friendly service, check. My only issue was the smoke, but I’m sure that is my issue and not yours. That is expected in bars than don’t serve food. So many people called it a dive bar, I’m not sure that is the term I used. On our walk through downtown on the way to the hub I started getting anxious about the potential safety of the place, and the obvious/​not so obvious hooker hanging on that corner. However once walking in I realized it is totally safe. That my experience with «dive» bars is different than other Unilocalers.

I walked in at around noon on a Wednesday to a smoke-​filled bar with guys with tattoos bashing Obama and talking about conflict in the Middle East. The bartender approached me, with most of her upper teeth missing, and said «wooo boy! You got the devil’s horns on you!» I thought «shit, I’ve been in here all of 30 seconds and they’ve already figured out that I’m Jewish!» She then pointed to a few hairs standing on my head and said «maybe you’ll want to check yourself in a mirror and comb those down.»
Got myself a Warsteiner for under $ 5. The prices are quite reasonable and the people are interesting. Especially on a Wednesday afternoon.

Cash only. A Tampa institution… and a total crap hole. Cheap strong drinks and domestic bottle beers. A must stop in dive (with smoking inside), but good for a one and done.

Updated with five stars because The Hub has captured my heart with its strange mix of hobos, frat boys, lonely old dudes, trashy ladies, hospitality workers, and hipsters.
There is no telling what type of music may be playing here thanks to the eclectic jukebox, but if I’m around you can thank me for the Hall & Oates. They also randomly have live music and I’ve seen everything from a rapper to a soulful band with brass instruments.
If you can’t have a good time here, you’re not my kind of person.

The Hub Bar is a Tampa classic, and you need to visit here at least once just to scratch the place off of your bucket list. Who knows, you might even fall in love with this smoky dive bar, and decide to make it your new home?
I had a late-​night dinner around the corner, and was feeling adventurous after my meal, and so I walked down Polk Street to the corner of Franklin in downtown Tampa and found myself standing outside of the Holy Grail of dive bars — The Hub Bar. Now it’s tough to believe that this place was once a distinguished piano cocktail lounge, with gentlemen dressed in their finest eveningwear. But the photos on the wall show the Hub during the 1940s when this was considered a classy night spot.
The Hub is still a popular night spot, but I’d now replace the word «classy» with «eclectic». The nighttime attire is now jeans and t-​shirts, and the patrons are students from the nearby University of Tampa and also many of Tampa’s homeless community who have crawled out from their hidey holes underneath the bridges for cheap and strong drinks. The atmosphere is really laid-​back and you’re not likely to be hassled by anyone, but don’t be surprised if someone wants to bum a smoke or a light.
Speaking of smoking… since they don’t serve food at The Hub, they allow smoking — and you’ll be immersed in a cloud of cigarette smoke from the moment you walk in the front door. The air is dingy and smelly, so if you’re not happy with clouds of second-​hand cigarette smoke then you probably wont enjoy this bar.
The crowd is very friendly, and they’ll be singing along with the tunes on the jukebox along with spontaneous moments of dancing across the black and white tiled floor. Expect to hear a very odd mix of 70s and 80s classic rock, mixed with country standards, and some indie rock. Some folks are tapping their toes to the music, while others are holding on to the bar and just swaying.
Once you’ve taken in this eclectic scene you’ll be ready for a drink, and this is where The Hub really shines. They’re known for their $ 3 PBR tall boys which they serve nice and cold. Best to drink right out of the bottle instead of waiting for a clean glass. Besides, you don’t want the crowd thinking that you’re from NEW YORK CITY!!!
Along with your beer I highly recommend one of their very strong, free pour drinks. There’s no such thing as a watered-​down drink in here. Everything is top-​shelf liquor, generously poured, and then topped off with a little mixer. Don’t go expecting a bunch of frou frou frozen drinks with little paper umbrellas, nope just take a sip of your vodka tonic and wait for your eyeballs to quit rolling around in your head. You said you wanted vodka, right?
Enjoy the music, play some pinball, and just take it all in. The people watching is phenomenal, and the drinks will knock you on your ass if you’re not careful. Go to The Hub, have a great time, and then burn the clothes that you were wearing as you’ll never get the smell of cigarette smoke out of them!