Buccaneer

I went to this bar because it was recommended. Met cool people there but one of the owners was a complete douche bag. For some reason he was cussing out the bartender (2^nd owner) and tried to through a drink at him. Which ultimately hit me and the person I was with. When I spoke up, not really because of the drink but because he would not let off at the bar tender he then began with me. What a way to welcome new customers. Won’t ever go there again.

Great live music!!!# beer prices can’t beat so glad i came here and hada great time!

A perfect dive bar! Go on Monday nights to see an amazing band, Devil Train. Totally worth the trip! Prices weren’t as cheap as I would expect for a bar of this caliber, but, hell, I’d charge the $ 5 cover and up charge drinks if I were running the place with Devil Train playing too!

One of my favorite bars in the US of A! Watch your head coming down or going up those scary-​ass stairs! Your band is guaranteed to sound amazing in here, no matter how shitty you really are. Come for the cheap beer, stay for the great live music. I stumbled out of here at 6am and crawled back at 11am the next day!

The bartenders are trash. I walked in ordered a beer. He ignored me despite there only being 3 people in the entire bar (who already had drinks & no where near bar).
I just walked out.
Bartender looked like a full blown hobo with filthy finger nails. I almost threw up in his face.
Place is like an ashtray.
If ur looking for a good dive, check out P&H.
Still smokey, but the people are cool & they even have an amateur comedy night.

i love love love the bucc! a mix of old timers, rock and rollers, neighborhood regulars and out of towners! so cozy and tons of great music! best!

I’ve never been to a cooler Bar. Great ill place and top notch crowd. If ever stranded in Memphis and wanting to hear some great tones and meet some awesome friends you should come here. And did I mention its set up like a Pirate Ship? lol

A true dive bar with a smoke filled interior, cheap beer and diverse clientele. We made the mistake of heading here too early on a Saturday night, as in pre midnight. When we left around 11:30pm, the place was only starting to get going. I would suggest going by cab and making sure you know how you’re going to get back to where you’re staying, as it definitely feels a tad isolated and off the beaten path.
I would warn you that it can get oppresively smoky in there, which may sound like a killjoy thing to say. But it can be quite a shock to the system if you’ve become accustomed to the smoking bans in other cities. So be forewarned! If you can deal with that and you’re ready to stay out late, you’ll probably have a great time here. If not, stick to the Beale Street joints or perhaps the Blind Bear (where we had a great time earlier in the eve).

I danced with a girl, her dog in a sweater and a hamster in a ball. Is this place the best dive ever? I’m not sure, but it’s sure a heck of a lot of fun. Next time I’m in Memphis I’ll be baaaaaaaaack

Best pirate themed rockaroll bar in Memphis.

The Buccaneer is a dive bar. In my opinion, it is the very definition of a dive bar. It doesn’t try to sell itself as anything but itself. As the quintessential dive bar, one should not walk in expecting outstanding décor or especially clean or well maintained facilities. Keep this out of your thoughts when experiencing it.
The food at Buccaneer is acceptable. I did not find it appalling nor did I find it excellent. The drinks are also acceptable, not outstanding. There is a very small bar that is usually staffed by one person. It is reasonably quick considering this fact.
Food: ³⁄₅
The Buccaneer has a wonderfully rich atmosphere. It has the essence of a bar you’d see in a movie when the main character is down on his luck and goes to drown his sorrows and seek counsel from the sage bartender at the rundown neighborhood bar filled with a wealth of interesting characters. The Buccaneer is grimy, it’s run-​down, and it feels like there is a patina of filth from ages of patrons — it really has substance. Their patio is tiny and filled with old lawn furniture that looks like it has seen better days. What is truly amazing in the Buccaneer is the sound system. The Buccaneer regularly hosts local and visiting bands. Something about the way they have their seats set up and the power of their speakers makes the music seem to come alive in this bar. In addition because it is small, the performances always seems like it’s just for you, absolutely amazing.
Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅
Drinks and food are reasonable. Not overpriced, but not cheap. Just average. ‘Nuff said.
Value: ³⁄₅
As you might expect with only one bartender and occasionally one other, the service is nothing to write home about. However, the service staff is friendly and always prompt about delivering your request.
Service: ³⁄₅
As you might have guessed, the Buccaneer is a destination for atmosphere. It’s status in most other regards is fairly average. However, if you’re in the mood for an experience in Memphis like few others, you should make your way to the Buccaneer. You’re sure to hear a great band and have an experience that is like no other.

The Buccaneer, Memphis, Tenn.
If there was a lifetime achievement award for dive bars, I would give it to the Buccaneer. Here’s why the Bucc (as it’s known locally) is the greatest little dive bar in Memphis:
— The Bucc has been open forever. That can’t be true, but it’s how it feels. It’s old enough to have a ton of character, an aging cadre of regulars and a reputation built on wobbly tables and spilled beers. It’s housed in a building that seems like it used to be a house, but doesn’t seem like it could have ever been anything but what it is.
— The beer is cheap. The liquor is cheap. The cover for shows is cheap (usually $ 5).
— Speaking of shows, the Buccaneer gets some great ones. You can see everything from fledgling punk bands to local legends, twangy songwriters, DJs, pop acts and one-​man bands. When I stopped in over the weekend, I got to hear Johnny Lowebow’s one man band massacre the classics for the low, low cost of free.
— The décor is incredible. Though it doesn’t seem like many things that happen at the Bucc happen with any intention, whoever designed the place definitely had some. Even though you walk up a few stairs to get into the building, the inside gives one the distinct feeling of being deep under water in the hull of a ship. It’s dark, the ceilings are low and the whole thing seems to be suspended in time. In there, it’s always well after dark.
— The clientele. I know pirate bars are kind of a hipster thing (or were a few years ago, at least), but the Bucc does not discriminate. They cater to neighborhood locals, musicians, service industry types, hipsters, middle aged people, the happy hour crowd. Really, anyone who likes having drinks at somewhere awesome.
— Here’s a sampling of some of the items adorning the walls: a badly proportioned oil painting of a man holding a child, a mosaic portrait of a pirate, signs designating the «Poop Deck» (the bar) and the «Galley» (the kitchen), stickers from every local band you’ve never heard of, a model ship made entirely out of PBR cans, an oil painting of a mermaid and a pirate making out on a beach.
— There’s no bad time to go. If you go when they open (around 3 p.m.), you’ll get to hang out with the old timers. Things are pretty quiet there on weeknights and before 11 p.m. on weekends, but the Bucc is super fun when it’s the last stop of the night.
The Buccaneer is a smoking bar which means that you have to be 21 to get in. They accept cash and credit cards and they’ve got a limited food menu.

My favorite bar in Memphis. I’d give it 5 stars, but it almost seems like this place was built to avoid a 5 star rating.
So the Buc gets 4 stars and my undying love and admiration.

One of my favourite Memphis dives. There really has never been a dull visit. Dear gosh, to be a fly on the wall, right? We won’t get much into my experiences.
Several beers on tap, fair prices, nice bartenders, a good mix of people on any given night. Shows vary, sometimes a lot of Goner-​type bands play here. Always a good time.

Any night that you end up at the Buccaneer is an adventure. It’s the kind of place that would normally scare some people, but everyone seems to love it.
It’s dark. It’s smoky. The service is adequate. But it’s a dive bar, so I guess that makes me Captain Obvious.
The Buccaneer isn’t just any dive bar, though. It’s where other dive bars go when they die if they’ve lived a dark, smoky, righteous life. The atmosphere can best be summed up as surreal, as it is frequented by characters and creatures and resembles the bar scene in Star Wars.
Getting to the Buccaneer is half the fun. It’s a late-​night place, so by the time you go, you should most likely be in a cab or riding with whichever one of your friends is the most responsible (sucker).
About the time the party gets going at the Buccaneer, it’s also peak time for the guy hanging around on the corner and the tranny hookers you may see on the way. So if you want to buy some crack or seven minutes in heaven, you’re in luck! But those are just residual perks and are not in any way connected to this epic Midtown hole-​in-​the-​wall that also has THE best live music in Memphis right now.
There are regulars at The Buc, but the scene is always a little different. Well-​known musicians hang out there, and several bands may play in one night. There is a seemingly impromptu flow of performances from almost every flavor of music, including polished Rockabilly, Americana, or Country acts as well as screaming, writhing, way-​too-​loud Garage Rock.
The crowd changes just as much as the style of music. You may stumble upon college night. You may see local celebrities. And you will most definitely see cross-​dressers, hipsters, and hunchbacks.
This place is pure gold with mildly friendly service and sweaty PBR. And when you work up an appetite from sensory overload, they have food too.
The first time I went, I asked for a menu, and several other customers chuckled at my ridiculous request. The bartender said, «Let me see what we’ve got,» and he came back and told me my options. I seem to recall they were the best chicken strips and french fries I’ve ever had.

It’s hot. It’s dark and it’s smoky. But I think it’s the best dive bar in town.
I went last night and met up with a bunch of old high school friends to hear Jimmy Davis play with Fitz’s Ultimate Cookin Hookers. The place was crowded with fans of Jimmy’s and the neighborhood locals who frequent this bar.
And with only one or two anemic little window unit air conditioners, it was freakin HOT. But somehow, in a weird way, it’s kind of what you expect in a place like this, and also part of the overall experience.
Plus, it makes a cold drink taste all the better, I say.

First of all, you have to know that this is totally a dive bar. It is a hole-​in-​the-​wall pass it if you didn’t know to look for it kind of place. It probably has the same décor as it did years ago and kind of reminds you of that cool friend’s downstairs basement from when you were a teenager. It’s dark, kind of loud at times, and only so outwardly friendly, but it is so Memphis.
For musicians, it is a great place to play, especially when you are first starting out. The small crowd is welcoming, or at least tolerant, for new bands and an awesome intimate venue for more established artists who don’t always want to play up on a formal stage.
For those just wanting to hang out an grab a drink, it is a great place to unwind at the end of a long week. Drinks are reasonably priced, usually pretty stout, and you don’t feel that you are being hassled. It’s a great place just to kind of hide away in at the end of the day.
This place kind of takes some getting used to and it may take a little bit for the employees to seem to warm up to you, but it is a Memphis place that you should at least see one band in during your lifetime.

Yes, this doesn’t look like the best place to stop in and grab a beer from the outside… but don’t be afraid ye land lubbers!!!
This little dive bar is a definite must if you’re in Memphis and want to just kick back and hang out w/​some locals and possibly hear a great band play.
There is a lot more room inside that it looks like there would be and I know others have said it gets pretty smokey, but I’ve been in MUCH worse let me tell ya!
There is a great patio to hang out and on nice days they leave the door open so that really helps.
The interior has a lot of dark wood and it’s really cozy, like the inside of a boat. There are booths and stools along the wall and a bar on the other side.
The bartenders are very friendly and the bar staff really do a great job of keeping the tables cleared off during the night.
We had a great night here on Mother’s Day 2010 and plan to add this to our lists of stops while in Memphis.
Be sure to check out the photos!

We arrived on a Monday night at 9:30. The reception was not welcoming what so ever, however the bartender would not have carded me.
The bathroom was decent.
I have a feeling if we stayed later it would have gotten a little more exciting. There was a band setting up and starting to play around 11 – 12. But that is a bit late for our fun to just be starting so we went on for different pastures.
I can see on a weekend this place being a pretty fun place to go, but not on a week day. It was ok.

Yeah, I’ve been to the Buc. I saw some great bands play there and I drank a lot and sat on the patio and had the regular neighborhood bums offer me flowers and such from the edge of the patio.
But don’t let this stop you from seeing Jeffrey James and the Haul, or some other member of Snowglobe, or one of our other friends, play this joint. It seems that there is always an amazing local (or otherwise) playing this spot so I would definitely take a look at what’s going on at the Buc when you get a chance!
It always ends up being a crazy ass party at this joint! The later you get there (but don’t miss the show), the better!