Magnolia Bar

Solid dive bar that hosts cool events like Louisville UnFair to spotlight local artists. Personally, it's one of my go-to places for summer because the drinks are cheap and the backyard area is unassuming, chill, and easy to enjoy with buddies. Have I sat next to a wad of dog doo doo? Yes. Is that kinda punk? Maybe. But honestly, give me cocktails at $5 and a place where my friends can smoke without constantly leaving, and I'll move my seat and laugh it off.Service is chill, but friendly, quick and efficient. Solid neighborhood haunt. Plus, it's so nice to just grab a slice next door at Pizza Donisi. In this economy? I'm down.

Oh hello, perfect dive bar. Left to my own devices, I don't go to too many of these anymore as I mainly stick to wine and unless you're in New Orleans, dive bars don't have halfway decent wine.Interestingly, Magnolia Bar has an array of craft beers. But no wine. Correction. Franzia in the box is available here. Legit dive. Sort of (for some reason, I don't expect to see a wall menu full of craft beers at a dive bar, but I digress). The bartender was really nice and had a lot of connections to bartenders in NOLA . There's plenty of barstools and booths (people move in and out) and it's cozy, comfortable corner spot. I appreciate a bar where the clientele isn't all young and tragically hip (when I go out in NYC, I'm finding this more and more). I spied a cool special: buy a draft get a free slice from the pizzeria next door (which is extremely good and has vegan options). Speaking of pizza, we waited in here with a drink and then when it was ready, we ate it here since there's no indoor seating next door.

The "Mag Bar", as it is commonly called, is a rite of passage for many a Louisvillian and should be the blueprint for all other neighborhood dive bars. It's been over 15 years since I last visited, but it could've been 15 days -- nothing has changed. In the realm of dive bars, this is the gold standard. Cast of characters (patrons) have different names, but play the same roles. Interior decor is rustic and not chic. My initials are covered by layers upon layers of initials on the chipped plywood next to the second booth. The neon sign outside is the equivalent of a bug zapper on a hot July night. Beer is cold and we are old. The end. :)

Pretty solid spot to visit while you are in tehe area. They have some really good cold cheap beers and live music. Its in a crowded spot so its always poppin here it appears. Good place that I will go back to when im in town. I like little dive bars like this and it is a good one

In the heart of Old Louisville sits Mag Bar. Located at the corner of 2nd and Magnolia of course. And there is the lovely street parking. Didn't have any trouble parking close of course. I wanted to come here despite the reviews I have read about this place. The inside of the establishment looked very clean on the inside. And beings it was the afternoon when there, the place look lit up by the sunlight, I expected this place to be dark before entering and it wasn't. Overall appearance of the place was good. There were not very many customers so getting to place a drink order was no problem. This place also IDs which is a good thing to keep the underage out. This place has quite a choice of beers so, you should have no trouble finding the right one for you. And another thing, if you want Pizza Donisi next door, you have to walk over and place an order, they bring it to you when it's done. Overall I had a good experience here, staff was great. My reason for the 3 star is the way the bathrooms are made. You have to come out of the bathroom to wash your hands at this sink right outside the bathrooms.

I'm a fan of dive bars, and Magnolia offers much of what you may want from a dive bar, including an old, lived-in feel with lots of things to see on the walls (and lots of interesting people to watch.) It also may have some things you don't like, such as a bartender who'd rather stare at his phone or watch TV than give you the time of day. (It was clear he knew and liked the regulars--some of whom sat down and got a drink without having to order--more than we tourists.) We visited shortly after it opened at 3 pm, and instead of music, we were treated the audio from a movie the bartender and a handful of regulars were watching. I'm a fan of The Fifth Element more than most, but that doesn't mean I want to talk over it while enjoying a beer with friends. On the whole, this is an interesting spot for a drink, but I hoped for a better dive bar experience than Mag Bar delivered.

Bad ass local dive bar, with plenty of attitude. A hidden Louisville gem! I found this bar my last week in town, and really wish I had discovered it sooner!!

Fun little metal bar. On a busy night, expect to be patient. No faster or slower than any other dive bar on a weekend. I loved the atmosphere, patrons seemed fun and staff was rad. Definitely will be back.

Used to come to the mag bar every other weekend - barhopping in the mid-nineties. This is an old classic dive bar which will NEVER DIE. This this is part of the old south and forever it will stay that way. Old wood floors, Old classic wood bar, beautiful laid back atmosphere in the middle of an old neighborhood - away from all the other dive bars on Bardstown RD.

Extremely slow service. When I finally got my beer it was frozen and ice was coming out of the top of the bottle making a mess. Staff would not give me a drinkable beer. Paid my tab and left.