You'll Love Visiting The Oatman Dollar Bill Bar, An Arizona Restaurant Loaded With Local History

Nestled in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona, sits one of the most unique restaurants in the Southwest. In the heart of Oatman Arizona, on the ground floor of the historic Oatman Hotel, you will find The Dollar Bill Bar, a saloon and restaurant like no other. It may be the most unique restaurant in Arizona.

Sherri Adams

The stretch of Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman is narrow but paved, and the Black Mountain views leading to town are worth the drive to this living ghost town where you’ll find The Dollar Bill Bar.

Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Oatman Hotel was built in 1902 and included a restaurant and saloon. When prospectors discovered gold in the Black Mountains of Mohave County in 1915, the town of Oatman thrived, and the Hotel and Saloon benefited from booming business, thanks to local miners. Since then, the saloon has changed its name to The Dollar Bill Bar. Don’t let the name fool you. This bar is a delightfully quirky restaurant and is open to all ages.

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The restaurant serves up cold beer on tap but if you’re in the mood for a beverage with old-fashioned flavor, try a tasty Sarsaparilla paired with a basket of Burro Ears (thin sliced, fried potatoes). Your taste buds with thank you.

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Sherri Adams

Burros were brought to Oatman in the early 1900s by miners who used them during the gold rush. When they were no longer needed, the burros were turned loose. Their descendants now wander the streets of Oatman, providing wonderful photo opportunities for tourists.

Sherri Adams

While dining in The Dollar Bill Bar, you’ll enjoy a front-row seat to the daily, staged gunfight show put on for tourists. The Oatman Ghost Rider Gunfighters entertain crowds with a wild west style bank heist and mock shoot-out with all its rootin’ tootin’ revelry. The show is free, but donations collected benefit the Shriner’s Hospital for Children. This has been a long-standing tradition in Oatman, and the crowd is never disappointed.

Victor Solanoy from Silicon Valley, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Playful spirits are rumored to occupy the Oatman Hotel and Dollar Bill Bar. Guests and employees claim to have seen money lifted off the bar and glasses floating in the air!

Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The walls of The Dollar Bill Bar are covered, floor to ceiling in, you might have guessed it; dollar bills! It is said that when early miners got paid, they would write their names on dollar bills and tack them to the walls to pay their tabs later, should they run low on money. Today you can leave your mark as well. Just ask your server for a marker and a stapler and your name (and currency) will become a permanent part of the décor and the history of The Dollar Bill Bar. Delicious food, old-time charm, gun fights, and burros – The Dollar Bill Bar has it all.

Have you visited the remarkably charming Dollar Bill Bar, perhaps the most unique restaurant in Arizona? We’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your experience in the comments. To learn more about The Dollar Bill Bar, check out the Oatman Hotel and Restaurant Facebook page.

If you love exploring small towns in Arizona, check out Globe and all of its historic buildings.