The Best Bar

I was called to task by a site visitor for not mentioning a little hole in the wall called "The Best Bar", formerly located on the corner of South Fort Harrison and "D" Street in Clearwater FL, just a few blocks south of O'Keefe's Tap Room.

By no means was this the best bar in town but it was a regular watering hole for a lot of folks who were associated with Frank O'Keefe, James "The King" Britton and other band folks during the early days.

The best bar was actually in one of the oldest buildings in Clearwater, near the railroad spur which used to take tourists back in the early 1900's to the Bellair Biltmore.  What it really was back then is not known, but for many years it was a bar run by two rather unconventional ladies.  One was Ila and I am sorry to say I don't remember the other lady's name.

There was only one house on the one block of "D" Street and that was the home of the King, James Britton.  This was also one of the oldest single family structures in Clearwater, built if I remember correctly by JB's grandfather, Mr. Hamilton.  It was a massive old style two story wooden house, just as the Best Bar appeared to have been in its early incarnation.  Needless to say, members of the King and his court kept the old Best Bar open many years after its prime simply because of the proximity.

The Best was just your typical old neighborhood tavern--a few tables (maybe 4-5), the bar, a jukebox and a couple of pool tables.  The bathroom, clearly an add on, was about as big as a cardboard box and was "unisex" before there was such a word.

This was not a venue, it was a retreat.  But they were always good to us all--JB was a second generation Best Bar patron--I'm sure he was dragged in there as a child by his mother, Kathleen.
You could always count on the Best for a "take out" order when such were not really allowed, if you were from "D" Street, and Ila would call down to the house and advise us if the King or any of the others was "a little too drunk" and needed someone to come coax them out before they got in some kind of trouble. Of course, coaxing them out was another matter.... A lot of things went on there to which a blind eye was turned, as long as it went on OUTSIDE.  I won't go into it here.  Any trouble was usually headed off by a large Doberman the gals kept behind the bar on a short leash...

The folks at the Best were good hearted folks--when James Britton died, they put a jar on the bar to collect money for his tombstone.  Sadly, someone stole that money (pretty pathetic isn't it--to steal the money for a dead man's tombstone) but it was also in the Best Bar that another group of his friends gathered to "recollect" money one night not long after and give it to the person who handled the funeral and ultimately paid the difference out of his own pocket.  (That person shall remain nameless on this website to protect his privacy, but those of us who knew the King and the Best Bar all know who it was and we thank him.)

Sadly, both the Best Bar and the house on D Street are no more. Last time I was in Clearwater a hot dog vendor was on the Best Bar site and the old house has been replaced by a warehouse.  I'm not sure about this, but I would venture to say that the untimely death of James Britton may have brought about the premature death of the Best Bar as well, for the bulk of the patrons were those who knew him and hung out at his house.