It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... every day of the week. At least it is here at Coach House.
Coach House was one of the first bars I visited upon my arrival to the Valley. Coming from the dive capital of the state (Tucson), dive bars were my safe haven and I heard that Coach House was the mother of all dive bar safe havens. As the oldest bar in Scottsdale, it deserves this title too.
Coach House is ugly. It is. It's dirty. Sometimes the bathrooms are broken. And don't even think about using the boy's bathroom if the girl's is out of commission. In that case you hold it or you use the portapotty outside. At Coach House, you respect the regulars and don't think about messing with them. Those who act like they are better than you shouldn't step inside Coach House and you shouldn't enter unless you plan on stumbling out and as happy and drunk as can be. Bar crawls? You have to start here. Wedding weekend? One too many cocktails at the rehearsal dinner and you'll see the suits stumble in. Bachelor/ette parties? I've seen the boas and crowns stop in on the way to the bars. And then you've got your golfers, day drinkers, sports enthusiasts, locals and college kids taking up the rest of the bar.
Christmas lights light up the Coach House on a regular day but come the Christmas season and you won't be able to walk a step without seeing a new Christmas decoration or lights in front of you. Coach House is the staple bar in Old Town. It's not a bottle service "so Scottsdale" bar, it's dive bar you call home and miss when you're on vacation.