35 Best Bars in Charleston, South Carolina

Order a pomegranate, juiced on the spot and spiked with the liquor of your choice, at this casual but stylish hangout for wine, cocktails, and tapas. It's a coffee shop by day and a bar at night, but both iterations are distinguished by excellent service and impressive extras to go with your drinks.

This place doesn't seek attention—it won't even list its phone number. But with a soaring tin ceiling, exposed-brick walls, and a penchant for projecting black-and-white films onto the wall, the charisma comes naturally. An inventive cocktail menu served up by sharply dressed mixologists helps, too. Try their take on the spicy-sweet Brown Derby, a bourbon drink made with jalapeño-infused honey, or the Bells of Jalisco, featuring reposado tequila, more jalapeño honey, and lime juice. There's also a light menu of panini, charcuterie, and homemade Pop-Tarts.

This establishment characterizes the craft cocktail movement with its "farm-to-shaker" seasonal selection of creative concoctions. The bar showcases exposed brick walls and wooden beams inside its lounge areas, though warm evenings are best spent outside on the rooftop patio. Inside, some of Charleston's best bartenders muddle and shake clever mixtures like the Dad Bod (Demerara rum, rye whiskey, Falernum, grenadine, and lime) and the Double Standard (a blend of serrano pepper--infused gin and cucumber vodka).

Two of Charleston's most respected sommeliers co-own this wine shop and oenophile haven that spins classic records and hosts live bands on weekends. The walls are lined with carefully curated bottles that can be taken to go or popped and enjoyed on the spot.

This throwback speakeasy mixes signature craft cocktails and offers a respectable beer-and-wine selection to accompany Southern-inspired burgers, pork chops, and duck dishes. A ragtime jazz band plays in the early evening on weekends, then the tables are removed and a DJ transforms the dining room into a full-on dance club.

An oceanfront bar with well-known rock bands performing on the raised stage, the Windjammer attracts a mix of young people just out of college, salty locals, and visiting tourists. Expect to pay $10--$25 admission when there's a live band, but if you sit on the back deck there's generally no cover charge.

This homey wine bar on the city's fast-growing East Side is a relaxed setting for sipping intense wines with funky biodynamic and natural labels cropping up often on the smart by-the-glass list.

Husband and wife Patrick and Fanny Panella ply their guests with selections from more than 100 bottles of wine and 35 varieties of cheeses and charcuterie, freshly baked breads, contemporary art, and tasteful antique furniture. All of it is imminently available, too, from the Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz to the tables and chairs. Cast in low lighting, the wine bar serves as a comfortable backdrop for a pre- or post-dinner drink.

You'll do well just to find this place. Tucked into an alley behind the Walgreens at King and Calhoun streets, Burns Alley offers cozy quarters for sports fans in need of cheap beers and a giant projection screen. A small upstairs area overlooks the action, offering a premium vantage point during crowded evenings.

This friendly watering hole with 40 draft beers on tap offers a late-night menu of wings and pub grub. Live music on weekends and ample screens for sports events make this a popular hangout for the college crowd.

The elegant Charleston Grill hosts live jazz seven nights a week, drawing from the city's most renowned musicians. Performers range from the internationally acclaimed Brazilian guitarist Duda Lucena to the Bob Williams Duo, a father and son who play classical guitar and violin. The place draws an urbane crowd that spans generations. Down the hall, the neighboring Thoroughbred Club offers nightly live music and an impressive selection of bourbons.

The heart of Charleston's live music community lies off the peninsula at this colorful club decorated with murals. Touring acts like the Robert Jon & the Wreck play the main stage nightly, while the sprawling outdoor deck hosts family-friendly concerts by local musicians every early evening. While there’s a solid bar-food menu, Malika Kitchen serves Pakistani street food from an on-site converted container, and the bar’s adjacent neighbor is the western Chinese eatery, Kwei Fei. The Pour House also hosts a popular farmers' market on Sunday afternoons, with live soul and funk music on the deck.

A tiny space belies big flavor at this classy cocktail bar that serves up custom drinks like the Bourbon & Clyde, melding Woodford and Old Forester with fernet, pistachio, and green chartreuse. The fancy amalgams are complemented by charcuterie and caviar, in an elegant, dimly lit room framed by wood and leather.

A local landmark, the city's oldest extant gay bar hosts lively karaoke parties, DJs and dancing on weekends, and boisterous drag shows.

Just two blocks from the Sullivan’s Island beach, this friendly pub is a local favorite, often featuring Irish, folk, and blues music throughout the week. It's also home to the annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day.

The cocktails here—frothy fizzes, slings, smashes, and juleps—are retro, some dating back to before Prohibition. The bartenders don bow ties and suspenders, but the atmosphere is utterly contemporary, with slick gray walls, butcher-block tabletops, and subtle lighting. The kitchen serves up small plates like oysters, arugula salad, and Coca-Cola--braised ham.

Dollar bills cover just about every square inch of the Griffon, helping the bar achieve nearly legendary status around the city. Its wood interior is dark, dusty, and well worn yet charming. A rotating selection of draft beers comes from local breweries like Westbrook, Coast, and Holy City. It's a popular lunchtime and happy-hour watering hole and hosts live music on weekend nights.

This pricey bar and restaurant, which caters to a crowd of professionals young and old, has a contemporary, minimalist interior design. A piano-and-sax duo serenades the first-floor dinner patrons and the bar crowd several nights a week. During Sunday brunch, the Plantation Singers gospel group belts out the spiritual blues.

The longest continuously operating restaurant and bar in South Carolina, Henry's has evolved since 1932. On the first floor is a large horseshoe bar and dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the Market. The second floor is a classic jazz bar with exposed brick and rafters and dim chandelier lighting. A few steps up is a rooftop deck and an enclosed dance lounge that attracts a younger crowd on weekends.

One of the driving forces behind Last Saint was the desire to create an all-star bar team: its members reliably put out some of the city's most sophisticated cocktails, even if they're often tinged with tropical silliness.

Once a train depot, this towering space is filled to the max when popular bands like Galactic, Neko Case, and Big Gigantic play. Tickets typically range from $15 to $25. The bar is open only on nights when a concert is scheduled.

Done up in black and white, this lively sushi bar serves fun small plates like ceviche with mango, pear, and mint-yuzu vinaigrette that pair perfectly with a sake flight. You can lounge on the couches during happy hour—which runs from 5 to 7 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—and enjoy half-priced sake and signature sushi rolls. On Saturday night, a high-energy DJ cranks out tunes while the place becomes a velvet rope club.

Atop the Market Pavilion Hotel, the swanky outdoor Pavilion Bar offers panoramic views of the city and harbor, set around the hotel's posh swimming pool. Enjoy appetizers like lobster ceviche and duck nachos with a specialty mojito or martini. The dress code dictates no flip-flops, baseball caps, visors, or tank tops.

Come here for the raw or steamed oysters—fat, juicy, and plucked from the Louisiana Gulf, Nova Scotia, and various points in between. Try the oyster shooters: one oyster in a shot glass, topped with Absolut Peppar vodka and a few squirts of spicy cocktail sauce. Consider it an opening sortie before your dinner reservation around the corner at Husk or Oak.

This bar atop the Historic District Hyatt House serves beer by the ounce from their 70 taps, allowing patrons to sample ad infinitum. Its biggest draw, however, is the view. From its ninth-floor vantage, it's the highest rooftop bar in the city.

These cozy quarters on King Street, complete with communal tables surrounded by bar stools, bustle at happy hour and on weekend evenings. The bartenders here are among the city's best, equally skilled in classic cocktails and creative takes on new spirits.

Have a cocktail and appetizer as you watch the colorful sunset behind the church steeples. There are actually two bars at this venue atop the Vendue hotel; the lower Deck Bar has tables and chairs shaded by umbrellas, but the view of the water is partially obscured by condo towers. Keep going to the upper-level bar, which offers a 360-degree panorama and an open-air atmosphere. You'll find live music by local and regional bands on weekends.

This place isn't really a dive bar—it just looks like one, thanks to dim lighting and an expansive deck that backs up to the train tracks. The bar serves an array of canned beers and a tasty trio of punches with rum, bourbon, or vodka poured over crushed ice. Hungry? Feast on blue-collar eats like fried bologna sandwiches, loaded baked potatoes, and house-made beef jerky. There's also live music throughout the week on an intimate indoor stage.

This bar offers fine service to sailors, college kids, and out-of-towners alike, with cheap domestic beer and old-fashioned cocktails. Situated beneath the Marina Variety Store restaurant—itself a Charleston landmark dating back to 1963—Salty Mike's provides a crusty, no-frills ambience and a dreamy seaside view of the Ashley River and Charleston City Marina.