Durham’s newest dive bar offers chandelier + cheap beer vibes

There are champagne moments and cheap beer days, and a new Durham bar is aiming for a bit of both by offering a highbrow take on the traditional dive bar.

The new Durham bar High Dive opened this week on Mangum Street from the owners of Bar Virgile and Annexe . High Dive opens across the street from those imbibing destinations in the windowless space that was previously cocktail bar Glori and arcade bar Quarter Horse.

“It’s chandeliers and (cheap) beers,” said High Dive owner Daniel Sartain.

Bar Virgile has been one of downtown Durham’s drinking destinations for nearly a decade, sought out for a prized burger, well-made cocktails and warm service. Annexe opened in the weeks just before the global COVID pandemic, but survived as a basement bar drawing weekend DJs and tiki drink fans.

With High Dive, Sartain tried to buck the trend he sees in downtown Durham, of a crowded collection of medium and high-end spots.

“Most things opening (recently) in Durham, everything in the glass and on the plate is fairly expensive,” Sartain said. “I just thought the one thing we’re known for at Virgile is warm hospitality, why not try and carry that hospitality into a dive bar.”

The term dive bar is generally earned rather than self-proclaimed, but for Sartain the aim is simplicity.

High Dive won’t be a craft beer destination. Instead, the tap list will be classic big names: Stella, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada pale ale. There will be basic beers in cans and bottles, and simple cocktails. Slightly less simple options will include frozen espresso martinis and other boozy slushies.

Sartain argues that hospitality and dive bars aren’t at odds. Even the glassware was selected to be better than it needs to be.

“Hospitality is a deep, deep thing to me,” Sartain said. “It’s having that mindset of service and a guest first mentality — when you’re controlling a room and have that built in inclination to check the bathrooms and the coolers and asking guests if they want another round before they flag you down.

“We wont be serving from the left and clearing from the right, but the warmth will be built in from the top down,” Sartain said.

High Dive has a pool table, darts, Golden Tee and a juke box from the early 90s playing CDs.

“There’s a lot of nostalgia in there,” Sartain said. “It’s loaded with everything from Bob Seger to Biggie Smalls.”

There’s not a kitchen in High Dive, but there is a vintage popcorn machine, which is free to snack from, plus baskets of nachos with glowing liquid cheese and pickled jalapenos.

High Dive keeps dive bar hours, open 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day of the week.

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