Salty Mike’s Deck Bar

Few words are required to sum up Salty Mike’s. It makes no attempt to be anything more than a divey bar with good prices, bar grub (pretty decent chicken fingers at that) and a great view of the Ashley River. Sometimes that’s all you need.

This is my love hate place. Love that it is a great place for nautical folk from the marina and sailing world. Hate that it has no bathroom. Love the great deals like $ 1.50 Nattie Lights. Hate how susceptible it is to the weather. Love that is so susceptible to the weather. Hate that it is not the cleanest place around. Love that it is open before ChYC is open when I want a beer near the marina when not open. Funny place that fits perfectly in some situations but not good at all for others. I first gave it a 3 star but really for what it is really meant to be it deserves a 4 star rating and you know I will be back so figure better be nice.

Loved the bar, location and the food. Everything about this place is awesome, except when you get your bill. Make sure you pay attention because I think they try to overcharge you and pretend it’s a mistake. We have been there twice and it’s happened both times!

One of Charleston’s best and more secret dive bars. It is located in the city marina area on the bottom floor of the Variety Store. Best thing about Salty Mikes is the atmosphere. It’s right on the water and has outdoor seating. The crowd always seems to be very relax and fun. Second best thing is it’s cheap, just like a dive bar should. I think beers are $ 3 and liquor $ ⁴⁄₅. I believe you can order bar food, but I never have. My real only complaint would be their parking. You have to pay to park at the marina or walk a mile to get there, but I suppose that’s no different than parking in a garage further down on the peninsula. Definitely one of my favorite happy hours downtown spots.

I was a huge fan of this dive bar even though there is no free parking and you have to go upstairs to go to the bathrooms but is usually a good place to get some cheap beers and casual atmosphere but after last night’s horrendously rude service I will not be returning or recommending it to anyone. I was attending a wedding party and after went in around 11 or so and not one of the four bartenders would greet me, take my order, or give me any attention after I made it obvious I would like to be served. They basically went out of their way to ignore me until I had to raise my voice to get their attention. They said they couldn’t serve me because they «called it» and were closing. When I tried to get an explanation from them Considering it was only 11:15 on a Friday night they barked that I was «hounding them». One nice guy explained that city ordinances required they closed at 11:30 but I have been in there many times until 2 am. It was embarrassing when the rest of my party of 10 out-​of-​towners came in after me from my recommendation to the disappointing fact that not only were they not serving but they were also completely rude. Maybe the customer is not always right but you for damn sure should always be polite and respectful. A little courtesy goes a long way and a simple «I’m sorry ma’am we are closing because of city ordinances and we are no longer serving» would’ve sufficed. Instead I was ignored, talked to disrespectfully and rudely. I will not be giving them my business or recommendations, plenty of other better dive bars in charleston that are actually nice to paying customers. It’s a shame for them because I deal with a lot of tourists for work and give out recommendations all the time. I will instead be telling people not to go there because they give poor service.

Stopped in after the Beer Garden at Brittlebank Park last weekend. Met a group of friends there who had already been there a while so I didn’t stay too long. Service was quick and the bartender was a straight up kinda guy. I will definitely say that it’s tough to beat those views at any other bar around. This place is right on the water. They have pool tables inside and plenty of tables if you don’t feel like saddling up to the bar. Honestly, they should focus more of the attention on bringing people outside to the deck. It’s amazing out there. Major complaint on the fact that you have to leave the bar and go upstairs in the building next door to use the bathroom. Otherwise it’s a great spot to grab a beer and take in the views.
PS. Is there any FREE parking around here, if so, I was not aware.

Man oh man, the memories of this place when I was in college. I took my wife here, after our dinner at COAST. Yeah, it’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from COAST, but it’s still a cool little place to hang out. It’s a good mix of young and middle aged. It gets really busy in the summers as you can imagine. Being right on the harbor and cheap prices, makes the people come. Again, dont expect something fancy this place is no frills, but the folks working are VERY nice.

Awesome place to go if you want to have a few drinks, get great, fun service from awesome bartenders (especially Shawn, the manager), and just have a decent time with decent people. Laid back atmosphere — whether you just got off of the boat or are dressed to the nine about to go out on the town, all are welcome! One of my favorite places to drink EVER. Love Saltys.

Been there many times. Sure, it’s a dive, but then what do you expect to occupy the first floor at a marina? Concrete floors, open air, pool table, cold beer. Great, extremely casual, place to go for drinks. Despite the comment about «drunken sailors», more often you’ll find the after work crowd from the several hospitals and medical university just blocks away, so don’t feel unsafe.

Stopped here and had a couple beers after spending the day in town. Great venue, it is a tad divey, but not too bad. Beers are cheap and ice cold and you can’t beat the view from the deck. Would definitely come back and could easily see myself stumbling out of this joint! Oh yeah, and the bartender was EXTREMELY friendly, even offered to help me carry a round of drinks outside! I will definitely be back next time I’m in town!!!

It’s a little rugged but has a lot of character. They have specials on wednesday nights, $ 2.00 bourbon drinks. It’s extremely casual and there are a lot of drunken sailors depending on the time of year. They have a few picnic tables on the water. They have a pool table and their food is all fried and not the greatest but you get what you pay for. Definitely a fun place to go, but in the end it is a dive bar.