42 Best Bars in North Carolina, USA

Part music venue, part burger joint, part nano-brewery, this Lumberyard Arts District destination serves as a hub of local culture. Bluegrass, blues, and soul bands play the intimate stage most nights. The pilsners, lagers, and barleywines at in-house Noblebräu Brewing are among the state's best.

The subterranean digs at this choice cocktail bar make it feel like a speakeasy, but there's no secret password required to enjoy bespoke cocktails like the Celebrity Sour, an addictive amalgam of mezcal, cinnamon, pomegranate, and caramelized goat yogurt. The owners are also behind the casual Queeny's bar/restaurant/hangout upstairs and the quick-casual QueenBurger, next to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Mountain Layers has a cozy bar on the first floor and a larger space on the second floor, plus a rooftop deck with nice views of the mountains. It serves its own ales, porters, and stouts, and there's often a food truck parked out back.

This quirky hangout has quickly won loyal fans for its cheeky cocktails (including the Sazerac-like All Hat, No Cattle, and the strawberry milk–washed daiquiri Yachts on the Reg) and food specials like Chicago hot dogs and Sunday gravy with spaghetti. Families with dogs spread out on the patio in the afternoon, and order from the bartender-owners inside the retro space that feels like your cool uncle's basement bar.

With a vibe that borrows from Day of the Dead and New Orleans voodoo without looking like a theme bar, WillCo is known for their chalkboard menu of seasonal cocktail features, hidden back mezcal bar, and laid-back bartenders. Dried flowers and green plants hang from the ceiling, a neon flamingo skeleton lights up the wall, and the outdoor tables are often filled with locals waiting for a pizza from Oakwood Pizza Box next door.

For a classy yet quirky evening out, try this wine bar–café. Outdoor patio seating (on the street and back patio), North Carolina wines, local brews, and frequent DJ dance parties make this a fun gathering place in the heart of the Arts District.

The combination of a movie theater, pizza joint, and a brewery makes this a popular spot to catch new releases while lounging on a sofa, drinking a microbrew, and scarfing a slice. Kids and dogs are welcome, but movies are often sold out, so buy tickets before the show.

Overlooking CCB Plaza and the Major the Bull Statue, Bar Brunello is an intimate space for tasting and sipping a variety of wines from France to Slovenia. Proprietor Esteban Brunello blends his extensive knowledge and natural charm with a total lack of pretension and excitement to introduce interesting wines to his guests.

Once a jewelry store, the stunning space that now houses this music venue, tapas restaurant, and bar feels like stepping into the most garish of Roaring '20s parties. An elevated stage lets jazz and pop artists survey the spirited scene below as patrons rise from leather chairs to click across the white tile floor to the room-length bar, where top-notch mixologists produce an amalgam of inventive cocktails.

Six-packs of Boojum are ubiquitous in beer aisles across the region for good reason—they brew some of the state's most creative and flavorful ales. Their downtown taproom serves next-level pub grub, including vegetarian options like Korean BBQ maple-soy tempeh tacos. Downstairs, The Gem bar has pool tables and foosball, plus a weekly schedule of karaoke, trivia, and live music.

In a city of breweries, this is the place to bring your friend who only drinks wine—although there's also one of the city's best European beer selections and a few charcuterie plates. Sit inside the brick warehouse interior or snag a picnic table outside by the river.

The Triangle’s premier live-music club since the late '70s, this legendary venue hosts local and regional bands as well as nationally known indie acts.

Take an Uber to this massive beer garden just outside Uptown if you want to sample even a fraction of their more than 400 taps, the world's largest draft selection. A tree grows through the three levels including a bar just for NC beers, a kitchen cooking up pizzas and pub grub, and many outdoor seating options. Supervised children are welcome with their families until 9 pm.

This speakeasy is one of Asheville's best-kept secrets; there's no sign on the door, and inside it's so dimly lit you could go incognito. The bar offers more than 600 whiskeys, and a ragtime band makes surprise appearances.

There's no sign outside this speakeasy serving both classic and off-the-wall cocktails. It's equally dark and shady inside, but the bartenders are top-notch. Order a signature cocktail or tell the bartender what you like and trust them—they won't fail you.

Setting the standard for craft cocktail bars in North Carolina, the Crunkleton has a knowledgeable staff of mixologists ready to stir and shake drinks. You can also select from a pages-long whiskey list—it includes antique spirits that seem to taste even better in the dark, parlorlike surroundings, with elk and deer busts lording it over the room.

The rare Franklin Street nightspot that doesn't feel too student-centric, the Dead Mule has been kickin' it since 1994. The large front patio is especially inviting on a warm day, with weekend live music, a good selection of beer and whisky, plus a barbecue and Sunday brunch menu.

This is one of Asheville's most exciting breweries, with a downtown taproom open nightly (and all-day weekends). Branding is wacky and irreverent, and beers manage to be both inventive and traditional (there are also ciders and meads). The taproom has a small patio as well.

What seems high concept for a bar is in fact, well, easy: the downstairs has a simple menu of eight classic cocktails, bottles for takeaway, and coffee drinks during the day. The speakeasy-like upstairs bar has no menu, rather you talk through drink possibilities and flavor profiles with the bartender and enjoy a custom-crafted drink.

Hear live music nightly at this popular venue situated in the center of the NoDa Arts District, or wait for "Find Your Muse," its frequent open-mic night.

Steps away from the Innovation Quarter but a world away in personality, this pretension-free cocktail bar will be happy to mix up something to suit any taste (even nonalcoholic) and make you feel at home in the plant-filled cozy space. Look out for events like themed pop-up dinners, karaoke, and book readings.

Burial Beer Co. transformed their Biltmore-area production facility—once the building that housed laborers constructing the Blue Ridge Parkway—into this casual hangout spot known for wild and sour beers and a kitchen dishing out entrées like cassoulet and pan-roasted sea trout. 

The large comfortable tasting room at Waynesville's original brewery shows off with exposed brick and natural wood accents. In warm weather, the outdoor seating by the creek draws a crowd. There's a busy schedule of live music and yoga classes.

Local ingredients are used to make the traditional and experimental beers at this regionally celebrated brewery. Beer-friendly food is served at the tavern. A second location (with pizza!) is at Boxyard RTP ( 900 Park Offices Dr.).

This club near the university combines dinner with a night of laughs. Past performers include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Ellen DeGeneres.

This venerable Asheville institution features popular regional and national bands on its intimate stage, with contra dancing and patio concerts on certain nights. During the day the space doubles as a taqueria.

Name your brewery Innovation and you'd better hold yourself to high standards. This Jackson County staple exceeds expectations with seasonal delights like a beet and basil saison. There are three locations—Innovation Station in Dillsboro, the original brewery in Sylva, and an outpost in Cullowhee. In Dillsboro, the Tuckasegee River runs directly under the porch, so sipping comes with a view. There's usually a food truck in the parking lot. 

Two (unrelated) younger brothers opened Little Brother, a boutique brewery where wine and cocktail drinkers will feel equally at home. LBB has three locations in the region (including Lawn Service, a drink kiosk inside LeBauer Park), with award-winning beer like the User Friendly Kolsch and Jim’s Lunch stout. There is live music on weekends and weekly trivia and running club events.

Perched atop the stylish Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, this rooftop bar and restaurant offers classic craft cocktails and sweeping 19th-floor views of the city. The outdoor terrace, complete with firepits, a "lawn," and comfy seating, is the place to be when weather is nice.