Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern is known around town for its hot pizza, cold drinks and live music. Dave’s, or the tavern, as it has come to be called began in 1995 and along the way secured its place as a Starkville institution.
Owner Dave Hood began as a waiter in 1991 for the predecessor to the Tavern, the Bully III. He subsequently bought the business to begin the Dark Horse. Hood saw something in the building in which he would begin his tavern.
“I knew that even though it was dead when I bought it, that the place had a certain charisma. The atmosphere in here was so unique I knew it would work,” Hood said.
Hood, a former Army Ranger, threw himself into getting the business up and running. He said he knew that his success back then hinged on serving quality food and providing a unique atmosphere. Del Rendon, a former co-worker of Hood’s, helped begin the Tavern’s musical reputation.
“Del was a head waiter, I was a waiter. After work he would play music  — songs he’d written for the staff — those were some of my favorite moments,” Hood said. “I wouldn’t have made it without his help. He [Rendon] played so many gigs here gratis, just to help me get started. With him and Bill Cooke, that’s what started this place as a cornerstone of the Starkville music scene.”
The Tavern further set itself apart from the rest of Starkville cuisine by serving its version of Chicago-style pizza, now a Tavern staple.
“In my opinion, the only way to be successful in this town, or anywhere is you have to serve good food,” Hood said. “We had to carve out a niche here. Just trying to be unique, it’s the only place that serves Chicago-style pizza, and there’s a lot of different versions of that. But, the one we do is a stuffed Chicago-style pizza with two layers of crust, the sauce is on the outside, and the cheese and all the ingredients are on the inside. It takes a long time to cook, but one slice will feed the average person.”
More than MSU students darken the Tavern’s door to grab a slice of pizza. Coaches, visiting teams, tourists and families all come to the Tavern for a bite to eat.
“It’s been nice that Coach Mullen enjoys his pizza here and the past couple athletic directors as well. It makes me feel great to be a Bulldog and to have the head Dawgs come in here and enjoy my pizza,” Hood said. “We have a lot of families come in for dinner. My favorite thing is to see the families come in with the kids kind of running around because you really know that you’ve become a restaurant then.”
As highly touted as the pizza at Dave’s Dark Horse is, only the musicians that have crossed the Tavern stage can compete. Grammy Award-winning acts, local favorites, up-and-coming  and newly formed bands all get a shot at playing. Many local bands owe its first gig to the Tavern and many local musicians are regulars.
“We’ve got some big acts come through before they got famous. Ryan Bingham, who won an Academy Award for best original song in ‘Crazy Heart,’ played here the year before he got his award. Afroman got his start here. We’ve had a couple Grammy Award winners and an Academy Award winner come through here,” Hood said.
Local musicians know the Tavern is one of many key supporters of local music. The crowd that Dave’s draws lends a supportive ear to Starkville’s troubadours.
Josh Watts, a local singer-songwriter and MSU alum, said that Dave’s Dark Horse obliges local musicians.
“The atmosphere and crowd are cool. Dave is supportive of live, local music, which is always good,” Watts said.
Dave’s Dark Horse is a destination for many, not because they’re seeking live music, but because it’s their birthday. The Tavern offers a free birthday pizza for every four people in a birthday party, and it has quickly become a rite of passage in Starkville.
“We have birthday parties every day. It took a long time to develop it, but it’s one of my favorite promotions we do,” Hood said.
Dave’s Dark Horse is well-known throughout the community, garnering third place in last year’s Taste of Starkville competition, but Hood attributes his success to one thing — his staff. Owing to long-serving bartenders and waitresses, Hood likens the staff to more of a family than co-workers and said a low turnover rate is a testament to that.
“I have such a fantastic staff. We have a really low turnover rate,” Hood said. “I wouldn’t have made it without good people working here.”
Alexa Werling, junior art major, said the atmosphere at Dave’s is what attracts her to the Tavern.
“Dave’s is my favorite bar in town. It’s low key in a good way. It has the perfect combination of good food, great music and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy with friends,” Werling said.