Four long blocks off of Beale on South Main, this is one of the most famous dive bars in the country. While it opens at 5pm, Earnestine & Hazel’s is best known for late-night beers and the best jukebox in town. And it is a dive in every sense of the word—not a sanitized, refurbished set that plays at authenticity—so just know that before you go.

Earnestine & Hazel’s has had many lives. It began as a church in the late 1800s before becoming a dry goods store, and then a pharmacy owned by Abe Plough, who became a multi-millionaire after he created Coppertone sunscreen. In 1960, Plough sold the business to two sisters who lived upstairs and ran a hair salon there: Earnestine Mitchell and Hazel Jones. Once they took over, they began renting the rooms out to ladies of the night, and you can still find a sign on the wall near the original door that says, “rooms for day or night.” After the sisters bought the place, they turned downstairs into a jazz club run by Earnestine’s husband, Sunbeam, who was a music producer, and famous musicians, including Ray Charles, were said to be regulars.

By the 1990s, Earnestine and Hazel were looking to sell, and local Russell George was in the market. George had always been big on soul: When he was 10 years old, he was the only white boy to compete in the James Brown Dance Contest at the Mid-South Coliseum, which he won. George bought the brothel in 1992 and converted it into a bar. He tragically died in 2013 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after battling cancer and depression, making him at least the 13th person to take his last breath at Earnestine’s. Long before George’s passing, though, there were rumors that Earnestine’s was haunted, which has been stoked by the fact that their legendary jukebox reportedly turns itself on and off at will. The current bartender—known simply as “Clarence”—will happily recount all the tales for you as he makes you the city’s most famous sandwich, the Soul Burger, which is simple and sublime. The secret? They season the griddle with pickle juice. Tip: If you get there near closing time, get your burger to-go. Soul Burgers travel surprisingly well—especially when paired with the plain, crunchy potato chips that get packed with them in the paper bag—and they taste just as good eaten in a bed as on a barstool.