Okay atmosphere but sh!t service. Bartender was rude and tried pouring me a drink I'm allergic too. he xaught an attitude when I tried to point out the ingredients on the bottle. Only decent thing was the Bloody Mary's years ago and I've had better at John Browns. Place has gone way down hill. *pun not intended* read more

My friend spilled her drink and they gave her another one. Had to give a positive review:)

Super unnecessarily Loud past 12AM. COULD CARE LESS ABOUT OTHERS. Making some noise IS understandable, but not so much the entire city is forced to stay awake and listen to it. read more

Great place to play pool and have a drink. Staff very friendly and food great and brought to us hot.

The Cellar is my favorite business in Carbondale. I was here while visiting a friend for the July 4th weekend. The amazing dive atmosphere of this place was consistent with what I remembered as an SIUC grad student years ago. This time I ordered a G&T. Jumbo? You bet. I paid for my friend's selection, too (the bar's legendary Bloody Mary). Drinks were reasonably priced and mine tasted just right. The Cellar has proven to be a durable hangout and it's easy to see why. read more

The Cellar - a sign for the cellar - Dive Bars Near Me - Carbondale, Illinois

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I was in Carbondale for my sister in law's graduation from SIU. This place was highly recommended for their Bloody Marys. It's a cool little spot and I really liked the place, but I had a serious problem with the service. I understand checking ID's, but when there are 20 people in there and you are buying your third drink try not to card me for the third time. The 2 star rating is warranted by what happened when I purchased their bloody mary mix. I went up to the same bartender that had already ID'ed me twice and asked if I could buy a jug of their mix, as it says that they sell it. She goes in the back to "check to see if they had any". Upon returning with a jug, she asks the owner or manager if it's OK to sell to me. He gives her the green light and she comes back to lecture me that next time I need to give them at least 24 hours heads up. Excuse me? #1 I'm from Chicago and I had never heard of this place until an hour ago and #2 our group had just spent a good amount of money at your establishment. If it's a problem don't sell it to me, but please do not lecture me. After handing me the jug she asks for my ID again (isn't the mix non-alcoholic?). I give it to her and pay, but boy was I frustrated. It really was a pretty cool spot, but they should have a little better customer service. read more

This place has the best staff on the strip! They are attentive, they remember you and always friendly. We're SIU Alumni and we got here on Wednesday for homecoming and we walked here everyday! We love our new Cellar Familia! See you soon! read more

This is your typical hole-in-the-wall bar. Seriously, because we had trouble finding it. It is in the corner of that old train station. There are pool tables, shuffle board, and darts. This place was at half capacity when I went. Maybe because the students were still on summer break. We were able to find a table for 8 very quickly. Drinks are dirt cheap for my standards. Three shots were under 12 dollars. I'm used to one shot being like 8 dollars alone. read more

Really cool bar. The new outdoor space is a really nice place to hang out. However, the bartender, Laura, was extremely rude while I was trying to order a round for a group of 9 people. She told us that "I have other customers can you figure it out?" I understand that it can get busy but when I go out with friends for a good time and I waited patiently I expect a better attitude when ordering $50 worth of drinks quickly under one tab rather than 1 by 1. Just a bartenders perspective. read more

My husband went to school in this area, so we visited a lot of his old haunts while we were down in Southern Illinois visiting. The Cellar was a fun dive bar (I certainly had my fair share of these on my college campus). It was big and spacious, with a cool shuffleboard table that my friends reported was extra fast. We enjoyed the electronic jukebox and the comfy big tables. I have heard for years about the famous bloody mary at the Cellar. I was anxious to try it. Apparently you can get it with either a pickle or a stick of celery. I had the pickle. Obviously. The bloody was good but I have to say, it was really peppery. Like it felt like the bar tender poured half a shaker worth of pepper in there. It also came with a pepperoni slice, a lovely chunk of cheese and an olive on a skewer. The pickle was huge and delightfully crunchy. I think maybe I just got one that wasn't made carefully, which is a shame. But I'd certainly try it again. read more

The Cellar - Bloody, with pickle or celery - Dive Bars Near Me - Carbondale, Illinois

Nice location at the north end of the Carbondale strip. Find a parking spot next to the railroad tracks and walk down the stairs to the entrance where you'll be greeted by someone wanting to check your ID. There are a couple pool tables, and a covered area outside for smokers. The ladies bathroom is cramped and small - just fits one person, so this can create a line. Drinks are cheap. read more

I love the Bloody Marys at this place! You can taste the pepper, and the garnish is like a little snack!! They have a pool table, and a nice little outside area in the back. read more

Got told my mask was not covering my nose enough. When I made eye contact with bartender and nodded my head as I adjusted I was called a DICK by the bar tender and I did not even say a word. read more

Worst customer service I have had at a bar. At closing time the bartender started screaming and snatching a drink out of my friends hand even though he was trying to chug it while walking to the exit. We just tried to go get a couple drinks at the end of our Fourth of July night. The drinks are overpriced and water down you would be better off walking down the street to a different bar and paying half price for a stronger drink and a nicer bartender. Used to be my favorite bar where I would spend $50+ a night going but now I won't go back. read more

Shits super good, love this place been here twice already today, Shelly Tate kicks ass best bartender I've even seen. Tip her lots

This is a little bar hidden to the right a couple blocks down the road from the strip. If you drove by it, you'd never know it was there unless you had been there before. This place is a little bar in a basement with pool tables, arcade games, a jukebox, a couple tvs and what is widely considered the best Bloody Mary in town (though I can't vouch for that). The bartenders are pretty good here. The crowd is a mixture of about every kind of crowd possible. It's a low-key place to hang out and have a drink and a chat. The prices are reasonable, and if you can find the place, give it a shot if you're up for avoiding the craziness elsewhere. read more

This is without at a doubt the most laid back bar in Carbondale, catering to all ages from the newly-turned 21 to old SIUC alum that either visit daily to seasonally. Always a good mix of people from a great college town, The Cellar is famous in Carbondale and throughout southern Illinois as the home of the best Bloody Mary in Carbondale. . . or the world for that matter. They are also very good about keeping in touch with their customers. Be sure to check out their FB group page. The link is below! AND I'M JUST A CUSTOMER, but The Cellar is a big part of being a Saluki for me. GO DAWGS! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=247390593706&ref=mf read more

The bartenders know how to make classic cocktails (ie old fashioned, tom collins) without asking what's in them. Compared to other bars, that is a lot to ask for. This is the grad/law student bar in Carbondale, but beware, the hipsters are starting to move in. read more

Wow what a HORRIBLE BAR. Bartenders were unfriendly, drinks were overpriced, and crowd was CREEPY. Ladies ( and gentlemen) DO NOT GO TO THIS BAR. TERRIBLE. read more

Just a dive that has some good drinks. Similar to PK's, but a little less intimidating if you ask me. Just a bar, booths, high top tables, a few pool tables, and a shuffle board table all in a basement. A handful of TV's usually showing the Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, and Saluki's. A handful of good beers on tap. Some Goose Island and Bells. Not to mention the Bloody Mary. Nothing more, just a good place to have a beer that, depending on the day, you can get away from the riffraff of the strip. read more

The cellar tends to consistently draw an older crowd with more locals and graduate students than most other bars on US 51. Drinks tend to be good, but not overwhelming. The drink specials tend to be a month to month thing, so there really aren't ever any good deals. It is something of a hipster joint. read more

If you're looking to get away from the stereotypical college bar this is your place. It's a dive bar in a basement but it's clean, has good service, and cheap drinks. If you need more than that in a bar you're doing it wrong. Cellar is a go to in Carbondale. read more

It's a bar, so if you hate big crowds on weekends and bad music, don't go on the weekend. However, they make really good cocktails, and are famous for their amazing Bloody Marys. However, they put a piece of pepperoni with the garnish, so make sure to tell the bar keep if you are a vegetarian. And extra cool is that they even have condiments set out to use in the drinks--hot sauce, etc. During the week they aren't so busy, and I sometimes go for a Bloody Mary or two on a weeknight while I study (I'm a student at SIU). Like I said, weekends can get crazy, but it's a bar in a college town. Go figure! Prices are average. Not especially low but definitely not too high. read more

So if it hasn't been mentioned before, have a Bloody Mary here. They are the best in the Midwest, possibly the world. I admit I'm not out here at night so I have never dealt with the evening crowd. read more

Best bloody Mary in town but as some other people have said on here they could practice some better customer service. The lady bartender there is kinda rude. read more

I went there today and stood at the bar waiting to be acknowledged for close to ten minutes while the bartender messed around with the TV remote the entire time, completely ignoring me. She turned around several times to discuss the channel with the guy next to me (who had been there a while), and didn't even look at me. No acknowledgment or awareness that she had a new customer not four feet from her, at a relatively empty bar. Not once during that time did she even glance at any of the rest of the bar to see if there were new arrivals, or if someone needed another drink. One would assume selling alcohol is her primary responsibility as a bartender, but it certainly didn't seem like she considered it more than an afterthought. Unfortunately, this is the rule rather than the exception at The Cellar. The bartenders are usually aloof, busy (doing busy work that should not come before waiting on customers), unconcerned, or even rude. They rarely if ever make you feel appreciated as a customer. They usually come across as if they're doing you a gigantic favor by getting you a drink. They go outside for smoke breaks whenever they want, and act like they're entitled to good tips regardless of what kind of service they provide. The bartenders all seem jaded and entitled and like they hate the world. This is not even during peak business hours, but in the middle of a slow-ish afternoon or week day evening. The drinks are fine, but over-priced and nothing special. They're known for their bloody mary's, but honestly, the only thing special about them at all is the garnish. Tres Hombres makes them to order (The Cellar has a mix) and offers artisan infused vodkas to boot. The ONLY reason to go there is to play pool, because unfortunately there are few options in this town to do so. Besides being a 21-and-over bar (one of only three in town, I think), The Cellar has nothing else to recommend it. read more

Big fan, especially now that smoking is no loner permitted. It's a low key crowd with mixed interests. Some folks shoot pool, others chat in a booth or on a bar stool, and I drink delicious Bloody Mary's! I also like to eat the shrimp cocktail and Italian Beef and play Buzztime Trivia. Drinks are reasonable, bartenders are fast and friendly, and I've heard the owner's a stand-up guy. Also, there's a nice outdoor area for smoking and making phone calls (no/bad reception inside.) I wish I could make it to the cellar more often, but I'm getting too old for that. Park at the old train depot across from the Civic Center & Mary Lou's on S. IL Ave. The Cellar is next to the Photography studio left of the radio or tv station, whatever that is. read more

lots of good times. what makes the cellar "the cellar" is why you'll enjoy this place. carbondale has gone through numerous transformations since i was a freshman in 93. this place is a must. the bloody marys really are the best in town and a good game of shuffle board never hurts. check it out. read more

I don't know what's better the Bloddy Marys or Shelly Tate.. Best bartender ever, always happy at 11:30am.

Killer bloody Mary's at this place. They even have a shuffleboard, it's a little slanted but still playable. The service was excellent and the bars itself was clean. One of the few bars in this town that has a jukebox. Solid beer selection with a monthly microbrew special. Overall a great place to catch a game and have a few cocktails. read more