This Illinois Bar Has Been Named Best Dive Bar In America

In March you may have been following along with the madness of your basketball brackets.  While your bracket may have busted shortly after the first day, there was another bracket happening with a participant right here in the Quad Cities.  And this one brought home the title.

The Dive Bar Road Trip contest was a national contest with one simple mission.  Finding the best dive bar in all of America.

March Dive-Ness Bracket

The concept was pretty simple.  It was a Facebook contest on the Dive Bar Road Trip page with 128 dive bars in a bracket. The tournament went right along with the college basketball men’s tournament with each round one bar advancing by receiving the most likes on their bar’s picture.

Meet your 2023 Dive Bar Champions

The Edge Eatery & Drinkatorium in Rapids City is the best dive bar in America.  Owners Lynn and Donnie Hunt have owned the "dive bar" for the past decade after working in other M-F jobs for years.

During our time there (which included many Frosty Bombs) owner Donnie told us that they bought the place to get out of those jobs and have a place of their own where they can have a good time at.  And that is exactly what you can expect at The Edge.

On The Edge Facebook page they said "We are very overwhelmed with all the love!  HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE who came to help us in this competition."

Don't let the "dive bar" fool you.  The Edge has more than just cheap cold beers and history behind it.

The Edge is a great place for bikers to make a pit stop with its huge front bike parking section.  And when we're talking about bikes, we're talking both the kind that rumble and the kind you peddle.

A good dive like The Edge has everything you'd expect.  Big drinks, strong drinks, good food, and lots of fun.

And great owners willing to put their names on it.  Or I guess I should say it's name on them.

And they have fun with it...to make sure you are having fun.

As The Edge (1802 2nd Ave) now becomes an American-known dive bar and more nonlocals show up, don't expect things to change.  Lynn and Donnie will run it the same way they have for 10 years.  With a smile and a good time.

Oh, and The Edge also has a great patio as highlighted in the list of best patio bars in the Quad Cities below.