8 Best Bars in Providence, Rhode Island

This Asian-style karaoke lounge lets you belt out a tune from a searchable app of more than 30,000 songs (updated each month); if you're shy about public crooning, book a private room for yourself and your friends.

In a dimly lit space born as a bakery in the 1920s and converted to a social club at the tail end of World War II, this speakeasy also serves tropically inspired and cleverly composed small bites, sandwiches, and a well-regarded chicken sandwich, as well as house-made ice cream and gelato. DJs spin music some nights, and the classic speakeasy vibe is a perfect match for live jazz on Sunday nights; the early show is family-friendly while the later one is adults-only. In classic speakeasy style, there's no sign outside the club, but the address is clearly marked.

The Eddy specializes in classic cocktails like on-draft Negronis, rotating takes on traditional punches, and complex concoctions like the Path to Exile—a stir of rye, St. George ginger pear liqueur, sherry, cinnamon, lemon, and bitters, topped with soda. The less adventurous can pick from draft and bottled beers and a few interesting wines. Add charcuterie, cheese, sliders, seafood, and chocolate mousse, and you have a great night out.

Marina and skyline views, a waterfront deck, live tunes, beer buckets, frozen concoctions, and the city's best clam cakes and chowder make this indoor-outdoor bar and grill on the Fox Point waterfront an ideal place to unwind or catch a game. The name is a nod to a time when the docks below were the domain of fishermen, not pleasure boaters. 

You may recognize the Hot Club from the opening scenes of the movie Something About Mary. For more than 30 years, this place has been a favorite hangout for young professionals, university professors, and politicians. On summer afternoons until the wee hours of the morning, you'll find the hip set on the outdoor deck overlooking the Providence River. For cheap eats, try local favorites like the Saugy dog (hot dog) or a "stuffie"---a stuffed quahog clam that's a Rhode Island seafood staple.

On the rooftop of the Providence G residential building, the lively bar is open evenings year-round (it has a retractable glass rooftop and fire pits) for drinks, snacks, dinner, music, and general conviviality. Valet parking is complimentary.

This century-old, five-story theater (operated as Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel until the venue resumed its original name in late 2017), hosts nationally known musical acts: rock, blues, hip-hop, Americana, country, Latin, metal, funk—plus live comedy.

East Side gentrification has not touched this (kind of) riverfront bar on South Main Street. Studiedly unpretentious, the Wild Colonial occupies the brick-lined basement of an old warehouse building; strain your eyes, and you might get a glimpse of the Providence River across the parking lot. Food choices are limited to the likes of cheese plates and hummus, but the bartenders take pride in the beer list and in pouring the best Guinness drafts in the city. If you're looking for a place to duck in for a reasonably priced beer or cocktail on Waterfire nights (or any night, really), this is it.