Mobile’s own Callaghan’s Irish Social Club has been named the best dive bar in the nation, topping Huckberry’s just-released list of The 50 Best Dive Bars in America.
Since owner J.T. Thompson took over in 2002, Callaghan’s has transformed a modest neighborhood pub into a cultural centerpiece in the Oakleigh Garden District. As Huckberry describes it, Thompson has “cultivated a cultural anchor with a growing list of headlining artists who started out playing its tiny front room. Sometimes they return even when they could be on the marquee downtown.” That local spirit plays out every St. Patrick’s Day, when “the green river of parade marchers pools in front of Callaghan’s for its annual street party.” And when hunger calls, Huckberry says, “an LA Burger with a spicy, part‑Conecuh sausage patty is the move.”
Huckberry opens its ranking by explaining, “Just like a good joke makes you laugh, a great dive makes you feel connected. Whether it’s your own neighborhood bar where everyone proverbially knows your name or another town’s local haunt, you belong — for a night, for a while, or forever. A great dive isn’t just a bar, and a dive isn’t great without its people.” That idea is the heart of Callaghan’s appeal…