It doesn't get any better than this if you want a friendly, laid back, welcoming atmosphere with a very diverse group of patrons that all get along well!!! You may run into folks in business suits, jogging suits, work uniforms, tuxes - prom/wedding gowns, swim suits and even costumes. Cool thing is...everyone is welcome & you can just be yourself, whether you're 21 or 91 years old!!! You may toast a beer with Peyton Manning, the mayor, a country music star, a famous lawyer or even some of us common folks on any given night!!! The owner, Barry Cook, makes everyone welcome and his staff is absolutely awesome (reminds you of "Cheers" because they know your name & your beer is poured before you even sit down)!!!!!! I highly recommend visiting the BDT if you have never been there!! You'll be happy you did. The people make it --- ALL the people: owner, staff, customers and even first time patrons!!! Lisa Simmons Forever customer read more

The Back Door Tavern is a must try in Knoxville! It is what you would call a "major dive bar" but you have to love it for what it is! There are plenty of TVs and an outdoor area that has TVs! They have a good selection of beers, however, they only have chips - so there is no real meals. It is definitely a must try! read more

I really want to love this bar but if you are not a local it is known! But what can you do....nothing!! Bartenders do better

This is probably a cool place for locals - it seemed like everyone in there knew each other. But as an out of towner our group walked in and felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb. We literally had one beer and left. It was apparent from the moment we walked in that we were "out of place". read more

I'm not sure what's going on with Knoxville TN Liquor Board but there are way too many shity Beer only dumps. This place has beer only, bar food chilli dogs or chips. Outside area right out of a campground. Plenty of beer, nice bartender gal. That's about it. Another Knoxville TN Beer Dive. Bottle beer about 3.50. Geeze read more

Great place to just hang out. Staff is always friendly and attentive. It's like having your best friend behind the bar. Always a good time.

I was coming through knoxville on my way to the smokies and we decided to spend a few hours getting a drink/eats before heading on. After the requisite research on the net and yelp (which apparently isn't utilized in many towns in the south), we came up with this place as our destination. We read on another website that they had the best brats EVER, and it seemed pretty divey (always a plus), so we pulled in on a friday night hungry for beer, food, and a good time. The outside of the building advertised a polish sausage buffet, only adding to our excitement. We went through the back door (of course), and sat down amongst a mostly middle-aged male crowd at the bar. After ordering a beer, we asked about food and were disappointed to learn that the only food they had currently was some nuts, popcorn, or a hot dog. BOO! After finishing our beers, we headed out to get food elsewhere. Despite it living up to its reputation as a serious dive bar, I would probably not come back here the next time I'm in Knoxville, at least until I'm older, and a man...and not hungry for sausages! read more

Best dive bar in Knoxville. The new ownership has made this place even better. This is probably my favorite place to hang out in Knoxville!

It is an OK neighborhood dive. Went after work for a couple beers. Enter the back door (imagine that.) Small, dark and well worn. By far the oldest, dirtiest, worn out carpet I have ever seen anywhere. The bathroom doors are only about 20" wide. It's a good thing I don't weigh a bit more or I wouldn't fit. There were mostly older regulars when we were there. Cheap drafts, good selection of bottles, no booze. Skilled bartender. She makes you feel right at home. No food except for potato chips and some crackers. Nice outdoor set-up. I would give 3.5 stars if available. A-OK beer bar. read more

What an wonderfully kept secret on Kingston Pike. I didn't know that dive bars like this existed in Bearden, but they do! A cozy, divey interior and a large backyard with firepits set the tone for low key evenings or ones that get out of hand. The bartender has at least 50 different bottled beers from breweries all over the country, half a dozen beers on tap, and lots of mixers and solo cups. But if you want to drink hard liquor, bring it yourself and pay a couple dollars for a Coke and limes from behind the bar. I'm definitely adding this gem to my bar rotation next time I'm in Knoxville. read more

Small beer only bar with about 12 seats at the bar. Managed to score 3 together and we had a nice time on a Friday night. Seems like the kind if place you would go before you go out or to close down the night. A good Dive Bar for sure! Service was good and bartender was attentive. We didn't eat so cant comment on food if they even have any. Crowd was a bug mix from college kids to older locals watching soccer. Good for conversation and just being out to chill. read more

Thanks to Yelp for helping me find this gem as we travel the country. We were chilling outside with our dogs enjoying a sample of some of their vast selection of beer, when the owners (?) came out with a huge bag of dog treats to give treats to our dogs. They even gave us a huge pile for later. We stayed for a second round and met some wonderful locals as they passed our table and struck up some conversation. read more

Back Door Tavern - Good times for humans and dogs alike, great beer selection and dog treats. - Dive Bars Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

There are down home, dive bars and then there are bars you should never enter if you value your life. Thankfully, BDT aka Toddys is the former. A wonderful place to sit and hang with friends, Toddys is one of my favorite bars in Bearden. They have a wide selection of beers in bottles and a decent selection on tap. Cash only, no liquor, be kind to your bartender! Love ya, toddy's! read more

If you love dive bars, you'll love the Back Door Tavern. This is the quintessential dive bar. The clientele is as diverse as the beer selection. Doctors, lawyers, construction workers, landscapers, businessmen, and college students frequent this melting pot of a bar. The BDT has one of the best beer selections in Knoxville including about a dozen draft beers with specialty beers rotating on and off the tap lineup. The bar area includes a dumpy bar with lots of character including a large bar, tables, electronic darts, and a great jukebox. The Back Door Tavern also has a great outdoor area dirt/mulch floor, picnic tables, benches, outdoor tunes, and much used horseshoe pit...with tournament every Wednesday night. The outdoor area is used 12 months a year and includes a couple of large tents when the sunshine turns to the liquid sort. Food is limited to a hot dog/sausage bar with great fixn's...folks don't frequent The Door for the food. I travel and drink all over the country and The Back Door Tavern is on my top 5 list! read more

This is a Bar persons bar. Chips, popcorn, good hockey and lots of different beers and not all craft so wide range. 2 IPA's $9 so reasonable. I'm told the oldest bar on town and it has its charm. Try it read more

I lived in Knoxville for 5 years and this is my favorite bar. From celeb bartenders to UT Alumn you will find someone there worth talking to. TBDT is a local joint without a bunch of wild kegstanding underage kids. While there grab a free hotdog and a couple bags of popcorn and wash it down with a $1.50 Old Style on tap. Sit at the bar and look through the thousands of pictures all over the place. read more

Really cool dive bar! Friendly staff! Just what a dive bar should be! Love the patio/back yard! It was raining so we didn't get to enjoy it but it's a cool set up! read more

A friend of mine took 4 of us by BDT or "Toddy's" last weekend for a few beers before a wedding we were involved with. What an awesome nostalgic down to earth English type pub. A couple attractive bar tenders that were customer oriented and friendly to everyone. They seemed to know everyone that walked through the door. Eclectic group of people from older gentleman watching golf to college kids on bikes having beers. No food except for a free hot dog, passed but decent draft selection and plenty of choices in the coolers. This was a friendly bar that attracted a diverse clientele that was really laid back. We sat in the courtyard where there is a couple of large tents and horseshoes. This is not a meat market but had a lot of attractive (30 something) ladies having beers outside. Athens last of an era, huge sports bar I am told during FB, BB, Baseball and golf season. Very close to UT, Old Town and great restaurants. Really cool, will go back read more

Best dive bar in Knoxville! Great beer selection & laid-back atmosphere

The atmosphere is nice - it is a "true" dive bar - but when I went on a Saturday night, the staff provided a half-assed attempt at getting customers beer. Then there's the CASH ONLY part. It's not so much the bar is cash only - it's that they installed an ATM with a $3.00 withdraw fee. What?? If you're going to go through the effort of installing an ATM, INSTALL CREDIT CARD MACHINES!. Otherwise, you're just willingly screwing your customers. I refuse to go anywhere with bad service and screws their customers. read more