This is an "if you know, you know" place. It's in an alleyway down two sets of stairs that smell like they use a scrub and an antibiotic. The bar is spacious and has a neat vibe, graffiti walls, vending machine, pool tables, interesting decor... Definitely, worth a visit. Jackson was our bartender. Awesome guy! read more

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Played pool with 3 #2 balls and a few fours. Drink beer...have fun. Don't think about it #divebar#divebar I love dive bars. Would give it a 5 on but the urine smell was too prevalent for me. read more

Upside Down Plaza - Signage - Dive Bars Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Pretty interesting dive bar. I came with my friends to watch the Super Bowl here a couple of days ago. We had a good time and played pool. The bartender here is super friendly! read more

Upside Down Plaza - Fruity drink - Dive Bars Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Never been to a dive bar, but if they're anything like this place then I'm sold. The Upside Down Plaza has it all -- pool tables, a pinball machine, a vending machine, and cheap drinks of course. The bartender was very friendly and helped me pick out some good beverages as a new drinker. Met a few interesting folks while I was there with some friends and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Watch your step going down and ESPECIALLY as you go back up. read more

Everything you want in a dive bar. Cheap drinks. Jukebox. Pool tables. Fun atmosphere. You need to sign up for a membership because they stay open past 2am. One of the best late night spots and the bartenders will take care of you. read more

Beau and Jackson filled my every need and drink request! I highly recommend this bar if you are ever in town!

An interesting visit tonight. The bartender was nice and my boyfriend and I ordered two cocktails that included cranberry. The bartender smelled the cranberry juice before giving it to us. Kind of weirded me out. But otherwise the visit was decent. read more

drinks are very reasonably priced + chill vibes MOST if the time ! only complaint is the bathroom maintenance. i'm not going to go into immense detail. but the bathrooms are CONSISTENTLY repulsive and lacking both SOAP AND TISSUE. the dollar per song juke box thing is both a blessing and curse. mainly a curse read more

Despite having a couple good memories at this place during younger days, this place is a complete joke and I do not attribute those moments to the plaza itself. Yes, if you have an extremely brutal sense of humor and enjoy watching premature hipsters attempting to look like they are from a big city, you may get a laugh out of the plaza. However, nothing else about it is worth stepping into. You might ask why and here are the reasons: 1. Everything inside smells like puke that's been around longer than the broken down sink in the bathroom. Oh and don't try, the water does not work. How this place has not been closed yet due to health violations is truly a miracle. 2. You have to fill out a membership card to get in, which is the stupidest thing I've seen in a while at a dive bar it tries to be. Especially if it's cold outside. 3. The people inside look so silly with thick rimmed glasses and overpriced flannel shirts that if a clown parade was in town, Plaza crowd would be the only other competition in town. read more

Solid dive bar. Don't expect anything fancy. Can bud light and Jameson in a plastic cup. It's great. I loved the karaoke hours and great bartender read more

Upside Down Plaza - Dive Bars Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Wasn't even upside down. How does a place that advertises that it's upside down not make me fall up? They didn't even have a demigorgon.

Bartenders were very disrespectful. I was unsure what drink to get bc I have not been to this bar and what yelled at saying "what do you want!?". Bathrooms were disgusting had to hold my nose the whole time. Pool cues are broken or have no tips pool tables are stained. Flys everywhere. Its the homeless hangout spot would never encourage anyone spending money at this place. I wish I would've taken pictures of the bathrooms I was there an hour after opening and there was dried vomit of urinals and flys everywhere. read more

Great service and even better deals at this hole-in-the-wall dive bar. Loved the atmosphere.

This is a good place to get wasted with the service industry crowd. There was a lot of drunken crooners doing the live karaoke thing although one girl did a Rilo Kiley cover that was spot on. Seriously, I didn't even realize it was live karaoke. That was beyond impressive. Drinks are really cheap. Like $1 wells (which simply doesn't happen in DC) and super cheap shots. I have no idea how they can sell their alcohol at such discount prices, but then I remember that I don't have to care. I'll just be grateful that they can allow me reach a certain state of debauchery at a comfortably low rate. One of the most amazing aspects of this place is that I think it was somewhere around 4 AM before I was finished drinking. People often deride my state, but how about a little credit for the incredibly generous closing times? I have been all around the country, and you can find more bars open in Alabama past 2 AM than most states. This is yet another bar where you can get hammered for cheap. If that isn't worth four stars, then I don't know what is. read more

All the pool tables are off balance. Messy drinks spilt everywhere. No desire to go back lol

Spend an evening in here and every other dive bar you enter will seem overpriced and underwhelming. The concrete floor, walls, and ceiling are covered in years of graffiti, the drinks are around $2, and the place won't close till people get sick of drinking. There's no bouncer telling you not to stand on the tables and fling bottles at your friends, or keep you from dancing half naked in a shower of beer. Instead the bartender will just hand you another beer and hope you have fun with that one as well. fair warning though, if you don't like smoke then stay out. This place is in a basement and there is no ventilation. You'll probably also want to head to the sushi joint upstairs to use the restroom, even if you're a guy. read more

Yelp has this place labeled as a dive bar, and that is no joke! This place is SERIOUSLY divey. However, sometimes that's a good thing. The only bar in my hometown was like the Plaza, so going here reminds me of home. The clientele are weird and eclectic, and the bartenders could not care less about you. It's pretty cliche. There are lots of pool tables and a small dance area, although that's generally reserved for the middle aged folks who have had too much to drink and want to grind to The Rolling Stones. The running joke is that you do not ever want to go here at the beginning of your night- it's where you go after every other bar has closed and you want to keep drinking. You'll leave at 6 AM and the sun will be up and you will have nothing but regrets. Not 5 stars because a couple of the bartenders have clearly been hired because they're cute 20-something girls, not because they know how to pour a drink. A bit disappointing, since this is the kind of place you don't want to remember. read more

I'm unsure how anybody finds Upsidedown Plaza in the first place. It is hidden in that sort of courtyard area in Five Points between Cosmo's Pizza and the soon to be open World of Beer. A buddy of mine was a regular there, so that was the only way I came across it. It's pretty much the definition of a dive bar. Graffiti all over the walls, cheap beer, loud music from the jukebox and half of the bar consists of pool tables and foosball. I haven't been since they changed the smoking laws, but I bet it has a slightly different atmosphere now (no pun intended). The folks that frequent Upsidedown Plaza are mostly all young people. If you aren't wearing something flannel, don't have a few tattoos and unkempt facial hair you'll stick out like a sore thumb (I definitely did). If you are looking for a loud, dirty bar to play some pool or foosball, this one is at least worth a try. read more

I thankfully got introduced to the Upside Down Plaza about a week ago and I've been back twice since then. Yes, it's a bit of a dive but the signage on the stairs down to this basement bar is very particular, "NO BUMS, BEGGARS, etc." and I wouldn't say the clientele can be classified as just alcoholics and hipsters. Between the darts, pool tables, foosball, etc. this is a great place to go with friends to just hang out and have a good time. Sadly, the service tends to be a bit slow which always seems to be a downer when you're trying to get another drink or close out your tab. Location is a bit hard to find if you don't know where you're going. There is a mostly abandoned courtyard plaza behind the Highland Hotel on 20th. The plaza entrance is a not very well lit stairwell with a neon sign. Once you get into the creepy unlit courtyard, you can't miss it. read more

Great spot for pool.. drinks are a little pricey for the size but great for pool and music.

My first time at this place I had a good time for a person from the city of Chicago I will tell many of my friends about this place ladies are very elegant read more

Just do it. Great late night dive bar. Cheap drinks and always entertaining. Go for the Modelo or the Mind Eraser. You can thank me later.

This is a cool spot to hang out, cheap drinks/ definitely recommend if you're out of town and looking for a chill spot. No food if you're hungry though. And they closed at 2am... while a few places stay open til 3am. But overall a chill spot. read more

Worst experience EVER! I intended to support the bar because of the cool vibes. However, the bartender was extremely rude to my friends and I. They do not know how to treat their customers and should probably work on customer service as well as proffeaionalism. I will not support this bar again. read more

If you are not a regular here this might not be the place for you. If you can't be respectful of other people, this is not the place for you. That said this is the best locals dive bar in bham and by locals I mean people that live around 5 points, not people from walker, st Clair or Shelby county. read more

If you're looking for class, then this ain't the place for you. That being said, this is my favorite dive bar in the city. Sure, it's dirty and smelly. In fact, the first time I ever came here I had a little trouble finding the place. It's well hidden. I asked a random stranger on the street if he could tell me where the place is and he pointed me in the general direction and told me to follow the smell of stale urine. It was good advice, but aside from that it's a really fun place to hang out with friends, get drunk on cheap beer, dance like a fool to the hip jukebox, and play pool. They have several pool tables, billiards, foosball, pinball, darts, and a couple of arcade machines. What more could you want? Also, they have live music on rare occasions, but most of the time it's just the jukebox. Avoid on Sundays, which are karoake nights. read more

The ultimate dive bar. Period. If the service is good - its by accident. You see a pretty girl there? she's lost. Your tab is more than $20? you ordered 10 of something. Enjoy yoselves. read more

It may not be the fanciest place. But you don't give a shit about fancy if you've arrived at the Plaza, do you? The bartenders are attentive. The jukebox has a strange assortment. Go on a day that isn't considered a weekend and it'll be empty; more room for you and a small group to play pool or video games and relax with some drinks. Just don't be a loud, ignorant asshole and you might not get screamed at from one of the regulars. read more

Best bar in town. Come see the greatest bartender of all time(Kim) and get a pbr and mind eraser.

Wow!!! Its cheap, dirty and they've got pool tables and a touch tunes jukebox. Not A bad place to end the night, although you may need a hazmat suit to use the bathroom. This is place is a true definition if a dive bar. read more

I'm drinking with my buddies in our own bubble. A stranger comes up to me recording and saying something about my ass. Being a burlesque dancer from LA, I don't take that. I grab his phone and set it on the counter. He grabs my hand with both of his bending it back calling me every atrocity labeled at women telling me to "Get out of his bar" while I'm trying to tell him I don't have his phone. After he realizes it, he stops and stumbles back to the bar to talk to the bartender. I hold my wrist and go outside, once my friends find out what happened- they go and beat him up. My friend had him on the ground & thought it was over and helped him up. He proceeded to gouge his eye out and try to fish hook him. That guy is a tool and I will never go here again. I have been going here since 2009 when I went to college at UAB. I am so sad that this place of nostalgia was ruined after visiting from LA. I hope you find more chivalrous gentlemen for employment instead of these pitiful excuses for boys. read more

So far this is the best trashy dive bar I've found in town. Just a few steps from my apartment, I enjoy coming here to play a few games of pool. Crowd can be... interesting. read more

I did not enjoy this place dark dingy definitional dive bar but not in the positive sense. Way too full of hipsters with nothing to do, just hanging around not even drinking. They do have a really cool bumper pool table that got them from one star to two. It's a really strange building and location, the men's restroom might as well a room with no toilet and everything was soaking wet it was just awful. read more

In the week and a half I spent in Birmingham for a super nerdy conference/workshop this became one of our go to spots for a tasty libation. It is dirty, loud and extremely cheap; and I loved every minute of it. This is your prototypical dive bar in all of its glory. You will either love this place or hate it, there is no in-between. read more

My co-worker and I were in town for business but wanted to experience the bar scene. We were told by someone we met at Speakeasy to come here. It was pretty much empty with pool tables and a pinball machine, which I totally dominated. I think drinks were reasonably priced but we had just come from $1 well drinks. We played a game of pool and spoke briefly with the other patrons. Great little dive bar and I bet it is much more interesting when it is crowded... read more

Best dive in Birmingham! There are plenty of pool tables, two foosball tables, and lots of good music. If you come down here enough you'll eventually get the hang of the place. It really starts getting rowdy late (between 12:30-2) but you can stay late too! The bartenders will be as good to you as you are to them, so if you take care of them they'll be sure to take great care of you. If you Roll Tide hard, this is the bar for you. If you like a laid back atmosphere, this is the bar for you. read more

It's a dive bar, so don't have super high expectations. But for a dive bar, it's pretty awesome. This place is 21+, has pool tables and other recreational activities. There is usually one or two brave (and/or drunk) individuals singing karaoke, as well as some people dancing. Drinks are reasonably priced, too. However, it's hit or miss. It might be packed on a Wednesday night, or may be dead. But definitely check this place out. read more

You're not a Birmingham bar brat unless you've had to leave out of the speakeasy exit once they've declared the entrance closed. That barely-lit hallway smells like piss, fumbling grabs and stories you want to repeat but don't because the details have a blessed fuzziness. Kimbo is the best bartender in the city because he pours the right drink for the right price and isn't too concerned with anything else. If you want to drink and wade through the wonderful filth that is humanity, then good luck finding this place because if you haven't been there yet, you'll probably never appreciate what you would have encountered. read more

The very definition of a dive bar. I was told to come here soon after moving to Birmingham and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was super fast bartenders and the most crazy diverse crowd I've ever seen! There are hipsters partying with old people, every race, sexual orientation, and a few animals? (I saw a raccoon outside) Plaza people. Lol. It doesn't matter who you are you can fit in here. That is if you aren't full on retard and tip decent. It's dirty but I love it! read more

Great basement pool hall covered in graffiti and filled with young hipsters and aging alcoholics.