Wanderin

Things behind the bar at this East Phoenix gem, open since 1972, may include: an aquarium, two air fryers, an old steel contraption that splits a lime into several slices all at once, little bags of chips, a sign that changes every shift to let you know who’s in charge (“CHERI BAR RULES''), Advil, Tums, and a bartender named Joyce who’s been here 22 years and will slide your bottle of beer down the length of the bar like a shuffleboard puck. The place opens at 6 a.m., has regular karaoke nights, a couple of pool tables, bucks mounted on the walls, plenty of TVs, and cheap beer. It is a damn-near-perfect dive — a place where you can make friends with a rowdy crowd of dudes with long goatees and bandannas and cowboy hats, or sit at the end of the bar by yourself, listening to “Tennessee Whiskey'' and staring at the fish.