2629 Best Bars in USA

With the decor of a pirate ship and a slew of rum-based cocktails, you half expect Captain Jack Sparrow to sidle up next to you at this offbeat Disney-esque hangout. But the folks at Smuggler's Cove take rum so seriously they've even had it made for them from distillers around the world, which you can sample along with more than 550 other offerings. The small space fills up quickly, so arrive early—though with two bars on three intimate levels, there's a lot to see.

Beloved by locals, The Social is a great place to see touring and area musicians. Up to seven nights a week, you can sip trademark martinis while listening to anything from indie rock to rockabilly to music mixed by DJs. Fans love the venue because the stage is low, the bands are close, and the enthusiasm is high. Hours vary, and there is usually a cover.

At the Rhino, as everyone calls it, you can expect a veritable onslaught of gorgeous half-clad women and an international name brand trusted by both dancers and customers alike. The place got a late start in Vegas, but it grew fast, expanding its original space to more than 20,000 square feet in 2019. There's an adjoining shop for lingerie, sex toys, and various other implements of physical naughtiness. The Rhino is open 24 hours. While that's not an exclusive claim (and the question is always, Are there dancers in the afternoon?), it was early to the concept of food service, and is the rare strip club in the industrial corridor to offer food specials to drive daytime traffic, such as a beer/burger/fries combo for $5.

For over 25 years, this near-campus joint established itself as the perfect coffee shop escape for studying sessions or catching up with friends. Recently, the full-service bar and café has consolidated and changed up its array of offerings with its adjacent Ballroom space and transformed more exclusively into a live music and event operation, with weekly lineups of local music, theme parties, movie screenings, and stand-up comedy. Their bar still serves hip crowds of locals who can also dine at the on-site food trucks.

Tucked away on a quiet street in Fort Point, Spin offers a lively afternoon or evening filled with Ping-Pong, excellent scratch cooking (shared apps to sliders), and great cocktails (lots of nonalcoholic options available); it's 21 and over after 9 pm. Although walk-ins are welcome, reservations are highly recommended if you want to play Ping-Pong (tables are for 2--10 guests). Expect a little bit of neon signage, a little bit of graffiti, and a whole lot of people.

This place is not what you'd expect from a typical sports bar—there are no grungy booths or sticky floors. Instead, you'll find an upscale setting that's very much entrenched in the heritage of local sports, from its design and its Trophy Room (yes, with lots of trophies) to high-def TVs that encircle the main bar. It can be quiet in the afternoons, but once the evenings or weekends roll around, this place gets packed. Chilled oysters, 2 whole pounds of pork belly carnitas, and a lobster roll are just a few of the offerings. If you're a liquor lover, try the select bourbon, whiskey, or tequila on the rocks.

Jazz, old-time, and swing bands perform nightly at this rustic club right in the thick of the Frenchmen Street action. Sets start at 2 pm and the music continues until at least midnight. Drinks cost a little more (it's cash only), but there's never a cover charge and the entertainment is great—from the popular bands to the cadres of young, rock-step swing dancers.

This award-winning visitor center is worth a look, especially during their regular live music sessions. Watch zydeco performances on the second Saturday of the month (1 pm), Cajun jam sessions on the third Saturday of the month (1 pm), and a group of dulcimer and bluegrass enthusiasts make music together every single Wednesday morning (10 am). In between sets, peruse the center's exhibits to learn about one-of-a-kind St. Landry Parish. Their Facebook page also releases a helpful weekly calendar highlighting all of the live music in the area.

Chat up the locals at this neighborhood hangout with a welcoming vibe and bartenders slinging the classics along with craft cocktails like the pickled martini made with Sonoma’s own Hanson's organic vodka. The bacon bourbon sour soothes on a cold night. Music and comedy acts perform many nights.

For almost 100 years, this storied rooftop space has hosted a hotel bar with sweeping city views. Its current incarnation, opened in 2024, is particularly glamorous, with velvet banquettes, golden accent chairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as carefully crafted, city-inspired cocktails, elevated bites, and a bill to match.

One of the last bastions of old Nashville that locals still frequent despite the influx of tourists, The Station Inn is without a doubt the best place to hear bluegrass, roots music, and Americana in the city. Inside the worn stone building you’ll find cheap beer, folding tables, mismatched chairs, and a sea of red-and-white-checkered plastic tablecloths that prove this venue is charmingly frozen in time.

You can hear live rock, jazz, and blues music, including many well-known acts, nearly every summer night and most off-season weekend nights at the Stephen Talkhouse. Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, and Jon Bon Jovi have played there either spontaneously or for charities. With two bars, a small stage, and a dance floor, it's usually a laid-back scene, but the place can get packed on weekends. Open mike nights and karaoke allow everyone a share of the spotlight on designated nights. Cover charges start at around $25. Sign up for their email list for promotions and free tickets for some shows. Doors open one hour before showtime, usually around 6 or 7; arrive early for the best spot.

One of the most elegant spaces at the Pearl—no surprise since it's inside Hotel Emma—the bar is named for the Sternewirth Privilege, the 19th-century tradition of giving brewery employees free beer during the workday. The cool, dark, swanky space has a 25-foot vaulted ceiling over a collection elegant furnishings, a fireplace, and a beautiful bar serving signature cocktails, beer, and wine, along with satisfying bar bites.

This cool music club and pub in a beautifully restored 1835 former Methodist church on a hilly bluff in historic Newmarket presents first-rate rock, reggae, folk, jazz, and blues.

Stoup is a great starting point for exploring Ballard's excellent craft-beer scene. A good-size tap room and patio area are family-friendly, and a rotating roster of food trucks feeds beer enthusiasts as they sip staples like the Citra IPA and Mosaic Pale Ale, as well as new and experimental brews.

One of the city's most highly touted venues, Stubb's features live music booked by the same folks who produce many of Austin's top shows, including the ACL Festival. This Red River hot spot attracts incredible local and touring artists. The massive outdoor venue, one of the biggest downtown, boasts an impressive monthly calendar of performances from internationally known acts. It's one of the hottest tickets in town for exclusive SXSW shows and ACL after-parties. Additionally, their popular Gospel Brunch, showcasing rotating live gospel acts, is hosted every Sunday.

This skyscraping rooftop bar, hands down the best in the city, is the essence of Brickell: futuristic, worldly, and beyond sleek. Draped in tropical flora, it crowns the 40th floor of EAST Miami, the luxury hotel tucked inside Brickell City Centre shopping complex. The sunsets here are spectacular, as are the Southeast Asian bites and cocktails. Pop into the Tea Room on the same floor for late-night brunch with bottomless drinks.

The two places for drinks at The Water Club provide a welcome respite from the chirping casino floors and the hectic dance clubs. The Sunroom is a sedate wine and tapas lounge just off the hotel lobby. In the summer, the pool moonlights as Sunbar, serving up outdoor cocktails and music well into the night.

This tropical-chic, come-as-you-are cocktail lounge and restaurant has won all kinds of national and local awards for its incredible spirit-forward cocktails and fresh-and-funky vibe. For something extra special, reserve the Bartender's Table, which operates like a chef's table, but here you're in the thick of the bar action, tasting libations. Food from a full menu created by co-owner and James Beard Award winner Michelle Bernstein is served until 4 am.

Nowhere else in Vegas furnishes you with the four Ds—dining, drinking, dancing, and drooling—in quite as alluring a mix as this multilevel (and multimillion-dollar) playground. The ground floor and mezzanine levels are exquisite enough (you almost tumble into the women in rose-petal baths before you're in the door), but once you get off the elevator at the top floor, where an army of dramatically lighted stone deities greets you, the party truly begins. Chinese antiques, crimson chandeliers, and a so-called Opium Room set the mood. It's still one of the best dance clubs in Vegas. In spring and summer, Tao Beach opens with daytime pool parties.

With 42 rotating draft beers from around the United States, 50-plus bourbons, a few dozen original cocktails (including beer cocktails), and dozens of bottled craft beers, good times await. The drafts adorn a stylish wall constructed of pennies, which creates an interesting trompe l'oeil. The venue attracts large crowds of young professionals for nights of heavy drinking and high-calorie bar eats.

In the heart of downtown, this multilevel club presents a wide variety of live music, including Celtic, bluegrass, and alt-rock. Jam sessions bring out local folks with their guitars, banjos, and fiddles. There are also bingo nights and Tuesday trivia, as well as DJ nights.

As its name suggests, this establishment in a converted Bow slaughterhouse produces excellent beers and spirits—and crisp ciders, too. There are two inviting spaces for sampling these acclaimed sips, a laid-back taproom that also welcomes kids and pets, and an adult-only speakeasy that serves inspired cocktails. Outstanding thin-crust pizzas and light snacks are available in both. 

This private club offers daily, monthly, and annual memberships for cannabis consumption starting at $20 a day. The atmosphere inside is like a dive bar, with photos of famous people consuming cannabis and large-screen TVs hanging above the comfy chairs and couches. Board games and art supplies keep visitors occupied, and the occasional DJ drops by to spin. No cannabis is sold here, but there are numerous dispensaries nearby. Because it's a private club, all forms of cannabis can be consumed inside, and the patio outside hosts live music and other events.