T. Rugg’s Tavern— There’s something special about a bar located across the street from a graveyard. Maybe it just makes you appreciate your drink that much more? The century-old headstones you can spy from the pool table are only one of the many strange charms of T. Rugg’s Tavern, a dive bar in Burlington’s Old North End that isn’t really a dive bar.
What’s a dive bar that’s not a dive bar, you ask? It’s a spot where you can have a nice, cheap drink by yourself in peace, if you so desire. It’s also a perfect place for a crew of friends to grab a table on the patio and post up for the night. The bathrooms are clean, the bartender will air-fry your drunk ass some Yummy Dino Buddies nuggets, and there are sports on the TV — but it’s not in your face like a sports bar.
T. Rugg’s is a unicorn bar, a place that can be your favorite dive whether you’re a boomer or a Gen Zer.
Other Finalists
- Charlie-O’s World Famous
- Finnigan’s Pub
- JP’s Pub
- The Other Place
This article appears in Seven Daysies 2023.
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