Zissimos Bar

3.5Decent dive bar. I've been upstairs for comedy shows and downstairs at the bar for drinks. I don't recall having food here, but wish the beer selection was better. Bartender was cool tho, good customer service.

Something I really love about living in Hampden is that there is a bar for everyone and for every mood. Zissimos is where I go when I'm tired of fussy, fancy, hipster places or when it's super late or when I just want a classic bar drink without a single frill. The service is good. It's dive. It has a room upstairs that hosts comedy shows. And Zissimos has been around since 1930!! Some nights just feel like Zissimos nights. Check it out and find out for yourself.

I did not know they would be playing loud as * metal (?) music with screaming and reverb upstairs in the usually-used comedy space, but then I came here for a glass of Chardonnay--which decades ago would've gotten me laughed at or kicked out. Then again, this is only my third time here despite having been to most bars in Hampden and the city. Apparently, Zissimos is not nearly as sketchy as the defunct Dimitri's on Falls (now a Papi's), which I also managed to stay far away from. Zissimos is what we call a neighborhood dive bar--or old Baltimore/Hampden, hon! You can sit in silence or be ignored, observe a guy talking to himself (or is it to someone in his invisible earbuds?) or chat with the bar tender, share some laughs with a character or a story with a couple, or get a whiff of sharp cologne as a local of a certain age passes by to sit at the long long bar to watch a game on TV. I came for a bar tender I like who used to work nearby for many years--and stayed for the "show."After a small bite at the much hipper, trendier Food Market, I decided to get my Chardonnay on here (no food to speak of except Cheetos, chips and pretzels). You DO get a real sense of what the world used to be like, or sometimes is, when you wanted to be on the inside not looking out! With some new bar tenders bringing some fresh ideas for food and music and possibly shortening the long bar, Ziss's might just become bougie enough to be cool--but then nobody here really cares a fig--or should I say a hop--about all that noise. I give a solid 4 for personable bar tenders, good service and old-school atmosphere just like Uncle Joe used to like!

The Lou Room upstairs is a jewel in the crown of Baltimore dive bars. The DMV's best, and the world's most mediocre performers on display in Hampden. Cheap drinks and delights.

Shelly is the best bartender. Opens at 10. Full bar . Much more reasonable prices than anywhere local. Wagyu hotdogs ,chips, tater tots. Middle of hampden, very friendly .

We stumbled on this bar around 2pm on a Wednesday. Kim was bartending, and man was she a delight! We only had one drink, but the conversation and energy that Kim provided was excellent! We loved chatting with her over a beer and playing a few games of Keno with the locals.

A solid little hole in the wall bar. It's a great place to go when you want something uncomplicated. Just a great spot to wind down.

Bartender was really abrasive, she wouldn't accept my military ID, and she then couldn't understand what "DOB" stood for on my driver license.On the plus side of the place itself, it was very clean and smelled clean.

I came here, for the first time, to watch my friend's improv troupe when the bar was hosting a comedy night.The upstairs was a comfortable space and rather perfect for hosting the show. There were some seats set up in the show area (not enough to accommodate the very large crowd), which were comfortable and gave a good view. The bartender was a super nice guy who cracked some jokes about current events. The drink prices were actually pretty good for the area.Overall, this was a good experience that I would return for when I can.

Terrible service. Waited forever for a bartender who was playing a slot machine. She actually said, "hold your fucking pants on. Then she proceeded to wait on regulars before us. Never told us her name but I think it was Shelly. How do such bartenders even have jobs. What a let down. And she was clearly drunk slurring her words and walking crooked. She needs to go.