Danny’s Lounge and Package Store

I’m really surprised I’m the first person to review this institution of a bar. The core of Daytona’s tourism and service industry economy has always been bikers, surfers, and just folks who wanted to come to the beach for a weekend – this isn’t a trendy, high-​class, place, or at least has not been most of its time in the spotlight. From Spring Break to Bike Week, what’s been celebrated about Daytona is that it’s blue collar and doesn’t put on airs. Bars like Danny’s Lounge for years were the focus of Seabreeze and surrounding streets: simple, no-​frills, bars but ones that were welcoming, inviting, and always good times.
Now across the country you have hipster dive bars trying to duplicate this aura, but hey: it’s often imitated, just never duplicated, right? Danny’s is the real deal: it’s an authentic dive bar where you’ll find a mix of old bikers, service industry folks just off their shifts at nearby restaurants, and college kids. It’s a bar that’s more about the people who come there than the drinks. It’s a bar where if you order a Coors it’s as cool as if your order a mixed cocktail. It’s a bar where if you walked in, order a beer, and say «I heard _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​is closing up», you’ll KNOW if whatever restaurant you just mentioned is indeed going out of business or not by the time your order another beer. I swear, if the roof ever caved in on Danny’s, you’d lose half the back-​of-​house people in Daytona. It’s that kinda bar.
They have pool tables and the interior – while no-​frills – is festive and welcoming. It’s a great place to end up after drinking at a couple other bars, ideally in the company of some regulars who are eager to show you Danny’s, as was my experience.