Let's talk about the Buckaroo, because this place is a classic Spenard dive bar and honestly one of Anchorage's old-school gems. We really love this spot. It's a great place to grab a cocktail whether it's 8 PM, midnight, or 2 AM--it just works at any hour. They've got pool tables and a cozy little section with a fireplace, which is such a nice touch for a dive bar and makes it feel way more inviting than you'd expect. The bartenders are always nice, and the drinks are solid every time. What surprises me, though, is that the place is usually pretty dead whenever I'm there--which I genuinely don't understand because the drinks are good and the ambience is actually really nice. All that said, it's still one of the better dive bars in Anchorage and definitely worth stopping into, especially if you're in the Spenard area and want something low-key but reliable. read more

Buckaroo Club - Patio - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Daaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmnn rocky was on point tonight... as always. Will be referring to my friends and family to enjoy the ambiance and good times to be had at the buckaroo read more

First the booze is expensive, if you ask for a tall it is 1.00 extra. No extra shot, about 2 ounces more of soda! f^*+#%* sad. You should encourage more fluid intake with alcohol! Less incidents! read more

Great local place for a couple of beers while playing pool or shuffleboard. Friendly service and a great jukebox.

I liked this place. Sat at the bar and watched my sports & an old movie had some popcorn, listened to good music from the AMI music box, met some locals and enjoyed my evening. Will be back. read more

Buckaroo Club - Drink local! Alaskan white - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

First time in and I was pleasantly surprised. It's got a fun atmosphere and we had a fast attentive bar tender.

I was only here for maybe an hour but it's nice inside, pool tables are clean and sturdy. There happened to be a memorial for someone going on when I stopped in. The group of people there for their friend were just so nice and offered up pizza they had bought for their group to my friend and I. I didn't even actually have a drink here either, just really enjoyed my time. read more

From an out of towner, cool little dive bar with a good vibe. Had sports in the TV plenty of pool tables, and good selection of beers.

Outoftowners finding non-tourist bars. Saturday night at 7pm (hey it gets pitch black dark at 430 in late Fall) the bar looks dead, like not even open, from the main street, but apparently they like using the back door around here, the rear parking lot is a decent size. The vodka and Cranberry is mostly vodka, which isn't a bad thing, and most of the beers on tap are of the local brews. So far we are digging the vibe, and over hearing stories from locals is quite entertaining. More to follow. read more

Buckaroo Club - Vodka & Cranberry - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

When I first saw this place, I was skeptical. Not so sure it was my kind of place. Then I went inside, TONS of people and it is CAVERNOUS. Much bigger than you'd expect judging by the petite front-end. I had one of those "moving up to the bar" moments of anxiety. You know the one. You're trying to saddle up to get the bartender's attention, and so are 80 other people, and it's loud, and you don't know the bartender on a first name basis, and you're preparing to wait 15-20 minutes to get a drink...and then you'll probably get 2 drinks so you don't have to wait 15-20 minutes again after finishing one drink, and then you're "double-fisting", and then your friends wonder about you, and then you're talking about your feelings at your intervention. Anyway. I was served promptly, and with a smile. I've been here a couple times since, I still don't know the bartenders, and I still get served quickly and with a smile. Awesome. As someone else pointed out, it can be hard to tell if a dive bar is a dive bar or "just a bar" in Alaska. I'm not sure about this place, it veers towards dive, it definitely has the faux wood-paneling like the basement where your dad used to pound your mom. (and 9 months later they had you!) Beer selection is decent, prices are good (for AK). People are always both rowdy and friendly here, I plan to become a semi-regular guest. read more

Buckaroo Club - rear entrance - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

This place was great!! Our bartender TC was incredible. Honestly, if I was a rich man, I would pay him be my bartender at every bar I attend. Myself and a friend were in Anchorage for about 6 hours while we waited in between our arriving plane from Kenai and our departing plane to Phoenix so we decided to check out a few of the local bars to kill some time. We ended up wandering into the Buckaroo Club as our second spot and we were not disappointed. The Buckaroo club was a place where you just felt comfortable. It seemed like every persons hometown bar with a great selection of local (in this case Alaskan) draft beers, a friendly bartender, a great mix of people (you could tell some were regulars), a good juke box, and some sweet bar games. The pool table we played on was as level than any other we had played on in our 10 day Alaskan adventure and the beer was ice cold. Great spot for a great time! Awesome smoking patio that is Alaska friendly. If you're a casual passerby in Anchorage, waiting for a flight and needing a cocktail (or two, or a few pitchers of IPA) to take the edge off, then this is your place!! If you're really lucky you'll have TC as your bartender who has customer service on lock down. read more

Buckaroo Club - people standing in front of a restaurant - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Buckaroo club is just a hair away from being awesome. They get major points for not attracting too many tourists and also for not charging a cover. As many reviewers noted, you get a REAL cross section of society at the Buckaroo... It's everyman's bar. I love that it's not a meatmarket full of horny teeny boppers. Yeah there's always a few people trolling to get laid, but not so much that you can't relax. The bar is roomy and comfortable with an assortment of games. The bar is also really well stocked and the bartenders are decent by Anchorage standards. Parking generally isn't a problem, although it is limited. If the bar was as popular as it SHOULD be, parking could get to be a problem. I'm not sure why this place isn't more jammed because it has an awesome relaxed-Alaska vibe. Love the couches in front of the fire place and the fact that they don't have an obnoxious DJ blaring tech. I wish that they had either A: more TV's or B: live music once in a while. The bar is definitely large enough to handle a stage and some dancing. The juke box and crappy sound system kinda blow... no one EVER dances at the Buckaroo, which is kind of a bummer because you can barely hear the music. Especially awesome is Saturday night, the Urban Bamboo food truck parks outside the Buckaroo for late night sober-up munchies. Coolness. Overall, Buckaroo is my 2nd favorite bar in town. Yay. read more

It's a dive bar close to the old REI and next to a decent pizzaria...it's big open space is awesome, many dark boards, a lot of good times with a good crowd. Sometimes they have free snacks in the back that the staff makes and sets up. Just really chill. read more

Any bar with free popcorn is a favorite bar of mine. I managed to pass this place a few times before finally checking it out. I would classify this as a borderline dive bar. Although smoking is not allowed inside, it definitely reminds me of a smoking bar. Someone told me it's a Hells Angels Biker bar, though the 10+ times I've been inside I've never had that impression. They have a few pool tables, one table shuffle board, and 2 darts set up - and free Popcorn! Pretty cheap drinks for Alaska. Friendly service. They have about seven cocktail tables with bar stools spread about, and about 15 bar stool seats at the bar. They have an ATM which never seems to work. It's located across from REI. The front has about 5 parking spots. Otherwise park behind the building- there's a door for front parking and back parking. I've only parked in the back once and noticed a few homeless walking around asking for change. Very chilled out bar. Nice for a low key night out, or a night with friends wanting to play pool. read more

Eh, this place is okay. Sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss. There is quite an assortment of people that come here: resident alkies, frat boys trying to mack on hot chicks, hells angels etc... There are a couple of nice bartenders and servers, and a couple of really crappy ones,which is part of the hit or miss. There is a shuffle table, dart boards, pool tables, and arcade games make this place fun when wanting to be a little more active while drinking. Check it out. read more

My favorite bar in town! Great priced booze, pool, darts, shuffle board, a great crowd of people and free soup and popcorn! I would recommend everyone to check this place out! Love you Bizzle! read more

Buckaroo Club - the front of the building - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

See all

Just a relaxed place with plenty of space where you can: sit down and drink beer with friends without being crowded, play shuffleboard on Anchorage's best table for free, most of the time, play darts for free, most of the time (if you don't like the darts -- which are just normal bar darts -- get your own!), play coin-op pool, almost always, meet actual people instead of the same old bar crowd, eat free popcorn (and top it with Frank's Red Hot if you are so inclined), sit outside, but still in the bar, and smoke a cigarette or cigar if that's your thing, get a coke if you're DDing and have the bartender wave off your attempted payment. This is all I can think of right now. Man, I love this bar. read more

There are two kinds of bars: regular bars and dive bars. I have found that the distinction between the two blurs as I travel farther north, and at this point I am not entirely sure how to classify the Buckaroo Club of Anchorage, Alaska. The Buckaroo is an acceptable place and has everything I look for in a bar: cheap beer, shuffleboard, darts, and pool. On my visit I had good luck with the bartender, who was friendly and didn't mind a little small talk from an out-of-towner. Though I am not a local I don't feel like I stood out because there was a true cross-section of society congregated there: young, old, drunk, on the make, stoned, weird and normal. Lots of weird, actually. I was in early and it was not too crowded, and I appreciate the laid-back vibe after a whole day of travel and another day of sightseeing. If you are in town, I recommend stopping in and checking out some local personalities. Life is too short and you should slow down every once in a while and take a look around. Happy Motoring! read more

Love the place love the bartenders TC is like the best in the world it's always an event in always have fun will putting on a celebration of life for a friend of ours who drank through a lot in his younger years Don Lowe... he left the place to this five stars is from him read more

The Buckaroo is a great bar. I used to frequent the bar when I lived nearby for pool, darts, and shuffleboard. I still try and get there whenever I go out. The bartenders are great and still know who I am; they knew my name shortly after I started going there. They have free popcorn and often have something cooking in the back of the bar (free as well). Their games/activities are in great working order. This is the place to go at any time of the year and most times during the day; it can get a little crowded later at night. read more

Cheap local drafts (4.50), plus free homemade soup (?, I know - but awesome), free popcorn, free shuffleboard and darts! I thought the music sucked, but that's my opinion, and it's a big juke box - so the music will vary. Really friendly waitress. I wish I lived around there to go more often! read more

Maybe it's because I used live off Spenard but I am quite fond of this bar. It has shuffle board,darts, and pool. It is not necessarily the most happening of places socially but that is why I like it. You call some friends up and have the whole bar to yourselves. They have cheap beer too. It is definitely a dive bar you should give a shot if you out with friends for a quieter, less crowded place to hang. read more

Since they have darts, I'm evaluating them on the darts. It's old-school, and when I'm having a beer, I don't wanna do any math. The drinks weren't THAT cheap but at least there's plenty of room to move around. If you want darts, go to the Peanut Farm. read more

The darts were of poor quality and we had to break open a pool cue chalk to mark our scores. I wasn't super impressed with this place but it seemed to have a solid crowd that enjoy it. read more

I love the buck!!! Best bartenders and ice cold beer! You will never be greeted here without a toothy smile and a strong bev, best shuffle board in North America read more

Buckaroo Club - a man holding a bottle of beer - Dive Bars Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

This bar is a total piece of SH!T To summarize the experience, the bartender screamed foul comments about my mother AFTER we gave him 60 dollars. I'm not kidding, he was yelling obscene statements about my mother. This all happened when I was with three friends at the bar ordering drinks for a party of 8 and he skimped us on our rum and coke. We ordered about 60 dollars worth of drinks in one go, Everyone agreed the drinks on the end were bad and I said something about it. I called the bartender a "sleezeball" for skimping our drinks on purpose. The bartender said I QUOTE "Ohhh you don't like it huh?" Poured all three mixed drinks into the garbage, ran around the bar and forced me out. Still charged me for the pitchers of beer and drinks. All the while, still yelling profanities at me. The following statements the bartender said, I won't write on review, but were all about how he would "-blank-" me and my mother and to "-blank-" out of here before he caught up and "-blanked-" my mother. We were in a party of 8 just looking to play some pool. The girls were pissed off that the bartender acted that way, and we all left immediately. Really this place is total shit If you're okay with bartenders ripping you off for overpriced soda-hyped mixed drinks, I say go here. I may have called out the bartender for short drinks. But I never raised my voice or used profanities at him. ALL of which he did to me and my friends. read more

I had been playing pool at this place over this past summer, teaching my Chinese lady how to play pool, but the club attracts a hostile, younger college crowd when the summer passes. We were playing pool, and 6 20something kids demanded we get off the table. Because I was wearing a pink shirt, the comment was made, "what are you a faggot?, You fucked up marriage here in Alaska, now you are fucking up our bar." and my lady was called a "fucking native" even though she is Chinese, ( so much for a college education). When we didnt leave, the "night manager" came over, told us that it was a "community bar" and they played pool there, and our kind would be better playing billiards, somewhere else, I guess they consider billiards the "gay" and "native" version of pool. He demanded we leave "his bar" at once, and they didnt want our kind there. ( By the way, I go there to play pool, I never drink alcohol, but these 20somethings were toasted). I spoke to the owner of the bar two days later, when he came in, and was told he would get back to me, but he hasn't. We have seen the college children in this bar, tease a torment a extremely drunk Alaskan native, enticing him to strip on the dance floor, with the girls dirty dancing next to him, taking pictures, like he was some type of carnival show, and the employees did nothing. It is a racist, bigoted crowd that really should be ashamed of themselves, basically animals, and then employees just watch. Stay away if you have any sense of decency read more

Played at the Buckaroo club in 1981 for 9 weeks with a country/country rock band, 6 nights a week. It used to be very busy on the weekends and fairly busy during the week. It was a very fun place to play and lots of things to do for all ages. I liked the diversity of age, at that time I was 25 and enjoyed being there. Live music would probably help the business but to get decent bands you have to pay a little. read more