This is a pretty solid list. Matuszak mentions right away that there are "plenty of good dives" she's not including, but off the top of my head I would say the only notable omissions are two bars across the street from each other in the Gary neighborhood -- the Limit and Shotz.

I think what constitutes a dive bar has changed in the craft beer era. A dive used to be a place that was either falling apart inside or had clientele that brought a sense of danger. These days just being a bar instead of a brewery or "tap house" is the primary qualifier. But still, not every straight-up old-school bar is a dive bar, and the reasoning behind that notion can get tricky to sum up.

For example: Why are the Rustic, Gopher and Kom-on-Inn considered dives and Mr. D's is not? I think it's because Mr. D's has a banquet room.

Doh! I meant the Alpine but wrote the Limit. Yes, the Limit has been closed for quite a few years. If Shotz is closed it's news to me.

I drove by Shotz today and there was a sign in the window that read "not open." Which I guess means it's closed.