The Cave Lounge, Arlington, TX (bar)

Name:The Cave Lounge
Type:bar
Street:division st
City:Arlington
State:TX
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:operational

Description:
a cool little bar where "Skippy's Mistake" used to be. a heavy renovation inside and outside renders a swanky watering hole.
a newly paved back patio with a large covered seating area, palm trees, and two tikis. eclectic juke box and decor liven up this space. but the best reason to go is the cheap drink prices and the friendly accommodating bar staff. truly a nice little drinking spot.

(Edited ever-so-slightly by Sabu The Coconut Boy to clean up the double city-name in the header)

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-12-22 12:43 ]

Division St has some nice googie motels too, and perhaps an echo of tiki. The little sparkles on the sign for the Fiesta Motel remind one of a 1950's formica table top and I wonder if the Caravan Motel used to be tiki, since it's sign is in the shape of a group of palm trees and the part with the name of the place is a replacement.

On 2003-12-21 10:57, diesel tiki wrote:
Description:
a cool little bar where "Skippy's Mistake" used to be.

Cool beans. I used to go to Skippy's Mistake a lot when I lived in Arlington. I also remember when it was a German restaurant, but can't recall the name. I'll have to check this place out next time I'm in the old hometown. Is the Why Not? Club still around? It's not a Tiki Bar, but more of a tacky bar. But they did have "The Coldest Drinks in Town."

The Cave Lounge, A Review:

Well you can tell a great place when you show up and there is a stray cat pinching a loaf in the parking lot. It was myself, my wahine, and Norm. We drove up and down Division st. (because I forgot the address) I also forgot how beautifl the hotels where designed. So we get to this little dive and park in the side parking lot. I went up the ramp to one of the two doors and walk in (followed by Norm and Julie). Now I get nervous when I goto bars that I don't know, and I was expecting alot of people there. There was 12. Not bad for a Sunday evening. I stroll past the bar and take a look outside. I only saw one tiki, it was a Rapa Nui head about 2ft tall made of concrete. Wanting to cool of more I went back inside. We look over the drink menu and see two house specialties, beer & martinis. They had a pretty good selection of beer, from American, to Texas, to Chec, and even some Canadian (Maudite and other beer brewed by Unibroue). I looked over the beer selections and noticed they had free BBQ on Sundays, I had just eaten Mexican food. So I settled on a Shiner. They did have Miller High Life on tap for a dollar... that would probably explain the cat in the parking lot.
I looked around the place while I drank my Shiner. The walls where painted black, with very cool low-brow outsider art hanging on the walls. There was a fire place that had a TV in it playing the "fire log" tape some of us got a few years back, and the TV over one of the doors played a very long loop tape of tropical fish. all of the lights where either old beer signs or lights with red bulbs in it. Black leather and chrome chairs dotted the floor and confortble deep red bar stools with backs lined the bar. The crowd was off duty bartenders and buddies of theirs. Drunk, talking politics and making up sexual youthanizms. The juke box was very well stocked with everything from lounge music to the Cramps. The bar also allowed dogs to roam freely in and out of the establishment. We stayed for aout an hour then headed out on our way to a comedy club, which turned out to be closed. We should have stayed some more or went back, but it was late and the Mexican food I had was sitting like a lead weight in my stomach. But out of 5 stars, I give it 4. It could have had more tikis, and possibly boasted more drinks than martinis and beer. But if I was staying in the area, It would have been my new haunt.
I love their slogan as well: "Divison Street, not just for bums and prosititutes anymore."

Unkle John wrote:

We drove up and down Division st. (because I forgot the address) I also forgot how beautiful the hotels were designed.

I shot these Division Street motels (and a defunct car dealership) last year while hunting googie. Sorry for the low-res jpgs; they were for a site that had to load really fast.




Judging from the reactions of the residents to my camera, I wouldn't stay at any of them; but they sure were pretty.

I shot these Division Street motels (and a defunct car dealership) last year while hunting googie.

Excellent pics Bro! But some bad news, that auto dealership has been torn down and a QT gas station now sits there. Man, I miss that building.

Thanks for telling me, Unk; its just an additional motivation for shooting places when I can. I can't count the number of signs and buildings I've passed up because the lighting wasn't right, the weather sucked, I had a deadline, etc. The only one I excuse myself for is the case, which happens all too often, that mentally ill people or drug dealers are hanging around. The Fiesta was no picnic, in that respect.

What does "googie" mean? "Unmaintained, filthy flop house for prostitutes and crack dealers?" If you are charmed by a stray cat pinching a loaf in the Cave Lounge parking lot, you should check out the stray cats pinching loaves in the Division St motels' rooms. (and the prostitutes pinching loaves in the parking lots)

The Cave is one of the few non-country, non-Tejano bars in the area that draw a crowd on non-wekend nights. They serve lots of boutique beers, but not many standard, tailgate beers. They charge left arm, right arm, and firstborn child for any dark beer. The music selection is good and the staff is friendly when you can manage to get them to notice you.

This is one of the few [places in Arlington that draws a crowd sun-thurs and does not require tu hablar espanol or wear a cowboy outfit.

They have a Bring Your Dog time on Sundays at 3:00, which I have not yet had the opportunity to attend. (loaf-pinching most likely discouraged)

[ Edited by: adam75dfw 2007-06-12 09:14 ]