4 Stateline Bars Still Alive in Illinois Dive Bar Tournament

Calling all dive bar lovers in Northern Illinois! Four Stateline-area bars need our help to make it to the next round in the 2026 Illinois Dive Bar Tournament!

Photo by Victor Clime on Unsplash

Favorite Kind of Bars

When you're going out for a night on the town, what type of bar is your favorite to visit?

A fancy bar with high-priced drinks and nicely dressed clientele?

OR

A casual bar with music, affordable drinks, and a come-as-you-are atmosphere?

I will choose a casual bar any day of the week, and dive bars are my favorite!

For me, some of the best memories are made in places with neon beer signs, mismatched bar stools, friendly patrons, and bartenders who know your drink before you even sit down.

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Living in Northern Illinois, our neighbors to the north get most of the cred when it comes to the best dive bars, but the truth is, Illinois has many awesome ones to choose from as well!

This is an interior view of a bar.

Illinois Dive Bar Tournament

Did you know Dive Bar Road Trip hosts an annual tournament to determine the best dive bar in every state? I sure didn't, until today!

The main goal of this tournament is to shine a spotlight on small-town taverns that help keep local communities connected, which in turn helps bring more business to these local establishments. This year’s tournament started with 205 bars from across Illinois, and now the field has been narrowed to the Top 32, which includes four bars here in the Stateline area:

• The Stumble Inn in Capron
• Mortimer's Roadhouse in Poplar Grove
• Buchanan Street Pub in Belvidere
• Stumpy's Pub in Rockford

Dive Bar Road Trip

I've been to three of the four Stateline-area bars still in the running, and while all of them are great, many people might not classify any of them as a "dive bar", so let's set the record straight.

This tournament is all about highlighting independently owned "dive bars" where you can grab a cold beer, catch a game, listen to music, and spend an evening talking with people who feel more like neighbors than strangers. It's more about the dive bar vibe than actual dive bar aesthetics.

Now that the tournament stage has been set, it is our job to rally behind our favorite hangouts and vote!

Best Illinois Dive Bar Voting

Voting to determine which bars advance to the Sweet 16 is underway through June 20, and the Illinois championship will be decided on June 27. The winner will not only earn the title of Illinois Dive Bar Champion, but they will also get the chance to compete against bars all across the nation in 2027.

So, if you’ve ever spent an afternoon shooting pool, listening to jukebox classics, or swapping stories over a cold beer at one of these Stateline establishments, head to Dive Bar Road Trip on Facebook and vote for your favorite now!