Bobby's Idle Hour Tavern

What to Expect

Bobby's Idle Hour has been a fixture of Music Row since Bobby Herald and his girlfriend Dianne took over the already-known dive in 1978 and added his name to the sign. They married at the bar twelve years later. The place has changed hands six times and moved locations twice since, always staying close to where it started. It closed for nearly two years after losing its lease in 2019, reopening at its current spot on 9 Music Square S in 2021 under longtime employee and regular Josh, with the help of a few partners. A giant plywood guitar marks the entrance, distinctive enough that it's been written about well beyond local coverage. Thursday is songwriter night, when working writers from up and down the Row show up to work out new songs on each other and on the crowd. There's no cover charge for live music, and the crowd is a mix of neighborhood regulars, students, and tourists who wandered off Broadway looking for something less polished. Cards are accepted now, but the old tradition of tacking a dollar bill to the wall hasn't gone anywhere. The bar is open daily from noon to 1am.