16145 New Mexico 28
La Mesa, NM 88044
(575) 233-3420

Food: Yes
Live Music: No
Hours: Monday—Sunday 2pm-10pm
Type of Bar: Dive
What to Drink: 40 ounce beer
Why You Should Go: Great history, excellent New Mexico food, wonderful people and atmosphere.

Have you ever run into one of those places beloved by all and hated by none? A place with only a good reputation and you can't seem to find anyone who'll say something negative about it?

2171 Calle De Parian
Mesilla, NM 88046
(575) 526-9943

Food: No
Live Music: Yes
Kind of Bar: Dive
Hours: Monday—Tuesday 4pm-2am, Wednesday—Saturday 2pm-2am, Sunday 12pm-12am
What to Order: Cheapest beer they have, preferably PBR
Why You Should Go: Housed in a building from 1870 that’s seen Billy the Kid through it, great Southwestern history, and is the quintessential dive bar.

What can we say about El Patio that hasn't already been said by Men's Journal when they named it one of the 10 best bars in America?

Well, according to the owner, they were wrong (I guess THAT's something we can say).

There's opulence, and there's opulence. Then there's the Double Eagle de Mesilla located in (surprise, surprise) Mesilla, NM.

This place began as a villa for a very wealthy family of Mexican aristocrats in the mid-1800's. After a little accident involving a pair of fabric shears, a mom, a dead maid's daughter and the family's eldest son, the family left in a suspiciously hurried fashion. The house bounced around from family to family before finally being purchased by the oil mogul, Robert O. Anderson in 1970.

The place was restored with no expense spared, and so the bar--the place we focus on here--features custom-made baccarat crystal chandeliers, one-of-a-kind mid-19th century oil painting from Europe (of nekked women!), and a beautiful early 20th century Brunswick bar from none other than the Drake Hotel in Chicago.

Try the green chile infused vodka, zowie!

2600 Avenida De Mesilla
Mesilla, NM 88046
(575) 525-2910

Food: No
Live Music: Yes
Hours: Monday—Wednesday, Sunday 12pm-11pm, Thursday 12pm-12am, Friday—Saturday 12pm-12:30am
Type of Bar: Saloon
What to Drink: Tequila shots a lá Velia Chavez
Why You Should Go: To experience not only the history of small, border town life, but also a place that is only 20 years removed from a truly male-dominated world.

McSorley's Old Ale House in New York reached notoriety in the 1970's casino because they wouldn't allow women until they were sued. It reached the US Supreme Court before they finally relented.