The Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall and Saloon

I love this bar! The bartenders are dressed in period clothing and are very pleasant to deal with. The dance floor is a little small and kind of crowded but if you go early, there is enough room to do flips and spins. Later in the night, more people lacking dance etiquette and with more alcohol in their systems crowd in. Fights have broken out but are quickly broken up. There is a fenced in spot in the back with a heater to smoke outside. A lot of the bands chosen to play at this establishment are very good but sometimes I have been disappointed.

I came on a Thursday because I was bored. I felt like I was judging this place when I first walked in. The name of the band was Redneck. Too many Affliction t-​shirts or trucker hats, but that’s also what’s great about this place. It’s like the Statue of Liberty with country/​line dancing. This is the place to go if you want to drink $ 2 PBR while wearing camo or dancing to something else wearing headphones. I ate two slices of some girl’s birthday cake while watching a lesbian couple make out. A random guy high fived them. People are nice, 4 – 5 dudes helped this cowboy with a cane up after he fell on the dance floor. They hand out water when you leave and there’s a big Über poster and Über drivers outside reminding you not to be a dick and drive home drunk. Also pool tables and shuffleboard.

Amazing old fashion Be sure to ask for Dustin great experience and he is a world class mixologist. Fun place to dance and have a great tyme.

«Let’s do DB on Thursday, it’s ladies night» — What ever 21+ woman has said at one point in their life
There are not many clubs/​bars in Albuquerque let alone Country bars. If you like country music or not, it does not matter, Dirty Bourbon is the place to be or. as we kids call it, «DB.»
Thursday are the best, most Thursdays there is even a line outside. Friday’s and Saturdays are more of a «mature» crowd if you know what I mean. But the security is great, bartenders are amazing and there is even some pool tables in the back.

I love going country dancing! I suppose everybody does because this place is always so packed! I wish we had more places in town so there was actually room to dance on the floor.

The Dirty Bourbon delivers on many levels. It’s a great country scene where everyone can get dressed up in their best Cowboy and Cowgirl gear and get a little tipsy while busting some moves on the dance floor.
The live music is what I love about this place. Especially during the summer, they have a band play live every weekend and the venue is perfect for it. A nice mix of DJ music in between sets will let you hit all the classics.
Surprisingly, even though this place was packed, getting a drink is surprisingly easy. My only complaint was that they only had 1 local beer available. With a city as great as Albuquerque when it comes to local brews they should probably expand this.
Overall, if you’re cool with the cover charge and the $ 5/​drink that you’ll be spending it’s a cool night out to get your country juices flowing. I’ll be back!

What say we mosey off the ol’ beaten review trail and take a gander at this here saloon as a place to hang yer hat and rustle up some tunes. You lookin’ fer a mighty fine concert venue, pardner? I reckon The Dirty Bourbon’ll float yer boat and wet yer whistle.
I do consider myself a try-​almost-​anything kinda fella. Variety is indeed one of my spices of life, it’s right next to the curry powder in my kitchen, but there are a few choice, um, activities, that I cannot fathom attempting. Karaōke is on the list. Anything that combines Red Bull with vodka. Glam rock reunion tours at casinos. Definitely not two-​stepping, unless-UNLESS-I’m at a gay cowboy bar or a honky tonk somewhere in the middle of Wyoming or Montana. So no, I have no intention of crashing this joint during one of their infamous country western nights. (Although, that there disco saddle hanging from the center of the dance floor, it should be noted, is very, very gay-​friendly.)
So I saw this incredible Austin group, Band of Heathens, play in this bar and I’m telling you, it’s one of the best venues to see live music in the Duke City, bar none. Clean, spacious, absolutely perfect for a medium-​sized audience, the sound is crisp and big but not earplug worthy, if you’re considering a concert here, go. They’re offering a pretty wide range of musical influences in this place these days, so they could probably extend the craft beer options a tad and bleed the hipsters dry while they’re at it. Otherwise, the place is stellar.

Love Thursday nights! Great dance floor and awesome staff. They have live music every weekend.

This joint is jumpin. All ages and all abilities on the dance floor — the only requirement seems to be enthusiasm. $ 5 cover and $ 5 beers for a kick ass band and a dance hall full of energy. It’s OK to just watch, but it’s hard not to want to jump onto that floor with the rest, whether you know what you’re doing or not.

Best place to go in ABQ! No ghetto people and they always have a kick ass band. Highly recommend :)

I’ve only been here a handful of times (3) and from what I’ve seen, smelled, heard, tasted and did… It’s a fun diggitty dong place to go kick up your boots and let your hair down at. It’s a western bar club thing that just works. The bull riding machine cd is quite fun especially when you’re watching. It’s great for those people that are in the NE Heights to have something to do that’s not a far drive.

Not a fan of this place. Not only is the drink selection poor, but the bouncers are so overbearing they take the fun out of dancing. Also, apparently it’s easier to get on Kirtland Air Force Base than it is to get in here. I didn’t have my drivers license with me one time, only my military id and they wouldn’t let me in! They rudely handed it back to me and told me military id’s are «too easy to fake». Yeah, dude, totally…
For being a country bar, isn’t denying military id’s a little unAmerican?
I’d rather have my Thursday night, «ladies night» somewhere else. Maybe where the staff is nicer and if I’m surrounded by judgey jerks, they’re just randos at the bar, not the people running it.
Overall, if you’re looking for a good country bar, go to Arizona. Find one on Mill Street, don’t waste your time at DB.
Also, the mechanical bull is gone.

Great live band, cheap drinks & it was just a blast to watch everyone dancing. I came here for the bull ride & was disappointed to find out they no longer had it. But if country is your thing, definitely a great place to come & dance.

Have been to Dirty Bourbon several times and while it serves a purpose, it’ll never be first choice of somewhere to dance or have a drink.
Servers/​bartenders lack the basic principle of politeness; having to show an ID every time you want another drink even though you’ve got a tab going is annoying; cocktails served in plastic cups and no draft beer mean there’s not really a drink I’d like to order.
Best experience has been Dueling Pianos and that is always fun; if you get a chance to check it out it’s worth dealing with the mentioned issues.
If you like line dancing, it’s free lessons 6−8pm on Fridays.

I like the space here. The setup ain’t bad. But this place has some major deficiencies.
No drinks on the dance floor? What? Dumbest rule I’ve ever heard. Essentially the message is you can either enjoy your drink or you can enjoy dancing or seeing the performer up close and personal. But you can’t do both. Foolishness.
This type of foolishness actually started upon entering though, when I handed my ID over, some guy scrutinized it, typed some nonsense into a computer, than placed it under a purple light and let it sit there for a while. What kind of mess is this? Are they checking to see if I’m on a no-​fly list or linked to a terrorist organization? Absurdity.
And if the issue is underage drinking, I’ve got a simple solution. Class up the drink selection a bit, eh? Oh, wait, you guys don’t want to be classy. That’s why you serve a selection that caters to underage drinkers and frat brothers. This complete backfires when you have an older crowd like the one at last night’s show featuring Vieux Farka Toure that clearly doesn’t mix well with the venue or the offerings at the bar.
I doubt I’ll return here, even if there’s a good act.

It was fun, got to two step a little with my friend, and drink terrible whiskey & coke’s. Gripes — cash only for covers, AND why do the girls have to dress in stupid costumes? They look uncomfortable, the dresses look like they get in the way. I under stand it’s «…Dance Hall and Saloon,» but the guys working there get to wear their hats & jeans… I guess I’m just used to TX country bars where the girls get to wear their cowgirl hats & be comfortable too. The saloon get-​up is unnecessary and cheesy.

My favorite dance hall in Albuquerque. Good drinks, great people, and awesome live music. I frequent this place at least twice per month. Love it!

This seems to be the only place young people congregate for some two steppin’. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just no other options really. The crowd was interesting. Everyone seems to have their groups they show up with. The one time I tried to chat with someone on the dance floor she just looked at me and said «you better not push me» Don’t worry lady, the thought to push a girl hasn’t crossed my mind since I was a toddler, and even then it was a sign of affection.
The place itself should be 4 or 5 stars, it’s actually cool looking and well laid out. The reason for the diminishing stars is simple. The local, angry, let’s say less than impressive townies seem to have finally caught wind of this place. Don’t expect everyone to be friendly anymore. See if I ever go on a mission to buy someone a drink again.

This is a different side of ABQ. Different from the Nob Hill and Downtown scenes. It’s is blue collar, country and a bit overwhelming. The drinks are pretty cheap and the service is spot on and speedy.
The reason this is only 3 stars has to do with the odd crowd. It’s not who I like to spend my time with on my weekends but it is a nice escape from the typical Albuquerque scene. Older crowd (25 – 50) and probably not a single registered democrat in the building.
I like DB because it feels like a vacation from the rest of ABQ. I dislike DB because it is like a vacation in Amarillo.

Admittedly, I was little skeptical of a place that housed a mechanical bull, and proudly hung an apparatus posing as a bridal saddle made of shimmering something or other swinging from the center of their ceiling. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that it made me a little nauseous to see the Confederate flag hanging proudly from the stage. Okay. I get it. It’s a Country/​Western Bar. But last time I checked, the North won.
I know it’s not my scene to begin with, but I’m always open to new experiences with good people. We got there just before 7, and missed paying the cover y about 1 and half minutes. When we ordered our drinks, it was empty save for the line dancing lessons taking place on the dance floor led by a woman whose voice was shrill and whose two-​step was not to be taken lightly. Once it started to get crowded, a live band came on and the dance floor was on fire.
I enjoyed people watching from my station at the table closest to the dance floor, which offered me a full view of the vast array of eclectic cowboys Albuquerque has to offer. People just two-​stepping away on the dance floor, the ladies that were all too excited to strut and pivot in their tight jeans, heavy makeup and matching hairdos. Let me be clear, and NO, this is NOT an insult, just a fact: if you wear puca shells, never leave the house without your Cowboy hat on, or if you’ve been looking for a place to rock your ‘Kenny Chesney’ tour t-​shirt, this is your destination. Beware, you must own a pair of Standard edition Cowboy Boots and a loud, oversized truck (I think this is an unspoken rule that’s stamped on their door somewhere ;).
I wondered where all the Albuquerque women were hiding on Thursday nights, but after hanging out here last week, I shall wonder no more. They are right in front of the mirror making sure their hair is high enough, their boots are visible, and their undies ain’t showin. The high of the night was riding the mechanical bull. I think I made it for at least 8 seconds, which sadly describes the attention span I was able to maintain at a place like this. The cool part was that all of the waiters/​waitresses were dressed in themed 20’s garb, tight ass corests, feathers in there hair and all, desperately trying add to the «ambiance» of this joint. So much so, that I believe they actually send one of their girls out on the floor to dance with one of the stereotypical ‘Redneck’ male patrons who may be having him some trouble finding a do-​si-​do partner on the dance floor. She looked thrilled after trying to avoid her butt getting grabbed for over 2 hours.
By the time we left it was wall– to-​wall packed and a little uncomfortable with the unmistakable aroma of Stetson mixed with Fire & Ice wafting through the air.
So, if you’re reading this, you already know if this is your type of scene. If not, you can always visit the ‘Bad Ass Brewery’ next store, the tattoo shop 2 doors down from that, or the greasy diner conveniently located near both bars. Of course, if you’re feeling especially rowdy, you should pay a visit to each place in the conveniently located ‘shopping center of debauchary’ Yee HAW.