Pete’s Bar

This is not really a review I’m excited about writing but for the safety of all you women out there it is necessary. Last weekend I was at Pete’s and someone put some sort of drug in my drink. I went from completely lucid not drunk btw (2 coronas)… To within minutes incapacitated for hours. Lucky for me my boyfriend was in the bar with me and that’s who took me home and took care of me. He was appalled at how fast and severe this hit me.
Please please beware and watch your drinks. And to the owner that I called and left a detailed message for with the bartender to call me back… I’m highly disappointed in your lack of concern and disregarding returning my call. I know you cannot do much about what patrons do in your bar other than be aware, but your choice to disregard speaking to me and returning my call is completely unacceptable and reflects poorly upon you.
I have historically enjoyed the bar the few times I have been, but this incident and the response it got warrants one star.

Who doesn’t love this place. So great even the author John Grisham wrote about them in his book.

Its a fun place, morning, noon or night. Yeah, I said morning, cause sometimes its early morning and sometimes late morning when you go in there. You never know. The people, the pictures, the life, everyone has a story from Pete’s. If you don’t have a story from Pete’s you need to go check it out and make your own history. A great local landmark that offers a lot to local residents.

This is the ultimate dive bar in Jacksonville. Up north in Neptune/​Atlantic beach, you can drink, smoke and play pool to your heart’s delight! The only draw-​back to this place is the cash only bar. While it adds to the dive bar experience, it would be nice if they finally accepted credit cards and spared us from the ATM machine. Regardless, I’ll be back at Pete’s soon.

If Pete’s isn’t the epitome of a beach town dive bar, then I don’t know what is.
Dark, dirty, shabby, cheap.
Pool is only a quarter. Ping pong, skill pool and foosball are free. Drinks are cheap enough. A fireball with coke was 90% fireball with a coke floater. Don’t need many of those! Mostly an older crowd. You almost expect to see a line of motorcycles out back.
Bar is cash only, with an ATM in back corner of the original bar.
Overall, it’s a fun little place. A lot of locals, old rock and roll and dancing old ladies.

A great old time saloon with Cold Beer and Cheap Pool!

This is a staple for the beaches! Been here forever! The bartenders are very attentive and super friendly!

If you want a dive bar, this is it. Since 1933 this place had been serving good ol’ beer. And btw they only accept cash. You can grab a drink and play pool, ping pong, some weird other game one foosball. Awesome music. Smoking is allowed inside so if you’re sensitive to it, this is not the place for you. Good crowd. Don’t expect anything fancy; especially with their ladies restrooms!

I’ve been to Pete’s just about every time I have ventured out in my couple of weeks in Jax Beach. I love it. Drinks are strong and cheap. Service is quick. Pool is cheap. It is what it is. If you don’t like smoking, don’t go! this ain’t the place for you. Cash only bar with an ATM available.

Gave it 5 stars but it is a dive. Bartenders have an attitude but that’s just part of the alure.

Pete’s seems to be a pretty big staple of the Jax/​Neptune/​Atlantic beach dive bar scene. It pretty much fulfills every aspect of the definition of dive bar. Not a single fk is given and that’s exactly how it should be. It’s cash only (with a 3 $ per transaction atm if I recall correctly) bar with the most eclectic (read: wonderfully tacky) décor, an assortment of cheap pool tables, and a single ping pong table with it’s accommodating wooden paddles. This is definitely not the place you need to go business casual for. In fact, you may have to dress down just to get in the right mindset for swinging by.
It was a fun escape with friends for a night fueled by cans of PBR and ping pong for a few hours. Location is nothing troublesome and even though it was a trek from where I live it, the atmosphere made up for it.
Bottom line? Nothing truly special here but still is a good time with the right people none the less.

That’s right, I give it five stars. Just because it’s a dive bar doesnt mean anyone should take off «points» in their review because it’s not super decorated or ritzy or something; It DESERVES five stars for achieving the height of dive-​dom, warts and all! (In fact, in my opinion, warts encouraged!) I LOVE how cheesy it is that the décor has nothing to offer but that trashy-​living-​room vibe; it makes you feel like you dont have to put up any fronts like other bars or clubs. And the drinks are made WELL and for cheap, what more could you ask for? I had my very first drink in this bar: a rum and coke. $ 4! That should honestly be enough to sway any non-​believers. Dress super casual, drunkenly challenge your friends to foozball and bumper pool, and youll fit right in.

Been going to Pete’s for a while now. The previous reviews say it all.
Pete’s is:
1. The epitome of a dive bar
2. CASH ONLY
3. A good place to play pool
4. Pretty cool
Pete’s is *NOT*:
1. For the stuffed-​shirt crowd
2. Expensive
3. An establishment whose women’s restroom has a lockable door (bathroom buddy required: p)
4. Allowed to shut down
Sure there are plenty of dives in the Jax region, but Pete’s is an Atlantic Beach icon. Meet you at Pete’s!

It’s a cool dive bar in Neptune Beach.
It’s casual, fun and cheap.

Pete’s Bar. Simple, Eloquent, and Filthy. Just what a dive bar should embody.
You might get ID’d at the door. You probably won’t. Doesn’t really seem to be too much of a concern here. The place is beautifully (tacky) decorated with old alcohol memorabilia and sports… stuff. You’ll find some old newspaper clippings about Pete’s and the events it has held over the years if you looks close enough. There’s also some interesting photos people have taken all over the world with Pete’s shirts and hats on. Really gives you a grasp of how old it is. There’s some debate that it actually holds the first liquor license issued in Jax.
So the good things about Pete’s:
–25 cent pool
-$ 3 Tall boy Budweiser
–Free ping pong
That’s about it. But don’t let that deter you. Come here on a friday night and you’ll see a lively group playing pool between the front 3 tables, with everyone signing chalkboards to play next and heckling the person that just beat them. It’s all in good fun and literally ANYONE is welcome.
People from all walks of life come here. I’ve met local news producers, independent business owners, retired millionaires, Navy vets, deaf guys, and anyone else in between. No one is pretentious or stuck up. It’s a really good feeling.
I give Pete’s a ⁴⁄₅. The one pet peeve is that they only take cash. It’s not that huge a deal, sometimes you just feel gouged having to use the ATM and getting a $ 2 charge just to buy a drink. Easily over looked though. Keep it up Pete, where ever you are.

CASH ONLY! CASH ONLY! CASH ONLY!!!
If you learn nothing else from my review it’s that Pete’s is CASH ONLY.
OK. Now that we got that little formality out of the way… Pete’s is a great place to end the night. I don’t know that i would START the night here, unless it was for some cheap beers to pre-​game. Place allows smoking of cigars so long as you don’t piss anyone off. I didn’t.
Solid joint with a real down to earth feel. Go where the locals go!!! I don’t know if it’s this place or not, but I felt like saying that.

Pete’s is a real shit hole.
I don’t mean that in a bad way, but man it’s a dive. When you walk in you can peer through the dim lighting and cigarette smoke haze at the open space and bearded patrons. There’s a tall old wooden bar to the left that serves cheap beer. There might be a biker or and old barfly saddled up. To your right is a jukebox, a few pool tables (that you can play for a quarter!) and an old cigarette machine ($ 7).
If you walk into the back hall you will pass some frightening looking bathrooms to the back room, which has a few more pool tables, ping pong, and another slightly smaller bar.
All in all, if you are into dives this place is great. The crowd is actually pretty young, so most of the time so you won’t be bumping elbows with too many bikers. Parking is about as bad as it is anywhere around Atlantic beach.
CASH ONLY!

Smokey, cold, and PBR. What more could you ask for?

Pete’s bar is the definition for dive bar, you’ll leave smelling like a pool hall after having an awesome time with some old and new friends. First off, it has a jukebox which automatically makes it a good night, but add the many games available to entertain you and you have a recipe for a great night!
The only thing is they accept cash ONLY so make sure you have enough to go for a couple of rounds… you’ll need it! Even if you think you are staying for one drink, youre likely to stay for more.

Thee best. Cheap pool and drinks, juke box and the dive bar feel to it. Large shots, unlike most beach places. .25 pool (6 tables) which you never find anymore, $ 1 everywhere here. Open 365 nights and till 130, unlike other bars in walking distance… Cool surrounding area too, for food and fun, block from the sand. One of few bars that is happening during happy hour times
Ping pong — free, foosball, bumper pool…
Low ventilation, so can get smoky and warm in summer months. Tiny tv’s too, so not much if you wanna catch a big game.