Founded in 1969 by Vietnam War veteran Joe Mahuffer as a haven for veterans seeking camaraderie, Mahuffers at 19201 Gulf Blvd in Indian Shores has grown into what multiple reviewers and travel writers have called the best dive bar in America. The sign out front says “Wurst Place on the Beech” and the bar lives up to every word — bras and underwear hang from the ceiling like Christmas ornaments, dollar bills paper every surface, church pews and roadside couches fill the rambling open-air rooms, a ship bow protrudes from one wall, and a live iguana resides out back alongside a junkyard of forgotten signs and broken neon. The original owner’s ashes reside here. So, reportedly, does his ghost — along with that of his grandson Mikey, who managed the bar after John and was famous for riding a motorcycle in a hotdog suit. In Mikey’s memory, 14 staff and regulars have a hotdog tattoo. The specialty is tequila shots. The beer is famously cold. A staple gun behind the bar awaits your dollar bill. Open until 2 AM daily.
