Omar Bar

As far as dive bars go… I’d rate the Omar as supreme. Dirty. Rundown. And very well seasoned. Loyal regulars, and a shut-​off list approaching 150 – 200 people! A perfect place for a wild night out or an interestingly bazarre evening, this place always delivers. Whether you’re looking for a one nighter or a black eye, or just an inexpensive beer buzz, the Omar is worth one try…

I struggle to give this establishment a rating. If the Omar is to be compared to other establishments in Bellefonte or down in State College, it’s near the bottom of the barrel: it’s the dive bar that other dive bars struggle to be. Of course, then, if the Omar intends to be a dive bar, it does a really good job. It’s smoky (smoking allowed), dark, pretty dirty, doesn’t really offer food, has a limited staff, and offers a clientele of characters who are regulars.
I’ve been there three different times. Once was on a Saturday night in September 2013, and, there with several friend, I (and my friends) was fairly drunk that time; it was moderately busy. I was impressed that drafts of Lager and Labatt Blue were only 75 cents each. Another time was in March — again on a Saturday night and again moderately busy and again with a few friends; one of my friends is Mexican, which attracted a lot of (mostly unwanted) attention from the drunk clientele and from the bartender, causing us (along with the heavy cigarette smoke) to leave for a bar in State College after just a pint or two. The most recent time was a Sunday evening around supper time (the Sunday after the Bellefonte Cruise); that time, I was by myself, and only a few customers were there, mostly gabbing about the Cruise earlier in the weekend.
If a patron is expecting something at all similar to the other bars seen in State College and Bellefonte, he will be very disappointed. If he wants a true dive bar and/​or is used to other dingy taverns seen in small towns across Appalachia and out farther west in the Midwest, the Omar should suit his fancy pretty well.