2610 Best Bars in USA

Kick up your heels to live country-and-western music or DJ tunes at the Buckhorn, Laramie's oldest bar.

A giant gold statue of his Zen-ness out front greets fans—a fun mix of frat boys, retirees, and young professionals—who crowd the casual, smoky bar and listen to hits from live bands and DJs. This is a local favorite.

This divey neighborhood spot has been popular for live music and festive vibes since 1939. The food can be uneven but the Bloody Marys and other drinks are solid. There is live music in Buffa's backroom each night and a fun traditional jazz brunch on Sundays.

If you're looking for the perfect place to sink an eight ball in the corner pocket, visit this lively 6th Street favorite among the UT college crowd. With a floor full of pool tables, the only thing you'll have to worry about is waiting for one to open up. Even when there's a wait, the foosball and air hockey tables can keep you occupied while you sip a cold brew. Being right in the mix on "dirty 6th," this popular bar should host a variety of music over SXSW.

Watch real cowboys and cowgirls two-step to live music at this saloon, where you can also gorge on mesquite-grilled chicken and buffalo chips (hot, homemade potato chips). Reservations are suggested for the all-you-can-eat Friday-night fish fry, which draws crowds. There's live music and dancing just about every night.

The quirky, grungy Bug Jar is a small bar and music venue with mostly alt-rock and punk acts and DJs some nights.

Here since 1987, this pub just a few miles east of Downtown has become a neighborhood institution. It's an atmospheric place to get a hand-drawn pint, play a game of darts, and have a (still) smoky chat. The tap lineup covers 10 imported beers and ales and quadruples that number in bottled selections, while the kitchen prepares fish-and-chips, cottage pies, and Scotch eggs. Darts leagues, comedy nights, and weekly pub quizzes make it feel like a piece of old London.

The postcollege set claims most of the seats on the beautiful brick patio here, with its views of the Magazine Street bustle and a fountain made from dozens of beer taps. The dog-friendly venue bills itself as "Uptown's International Beer Tavern," and it backs up that boast with 50 different brews on tap and more than 100 bottles. Solid bar food keeps patrons well fueled.

A fixture on the gay scene since 1978, Bulldogs is the place to hang out with friends or dance to hip-hop, house, or R&B.

This neighborhood bar (featured on the HBO show Treme) crowds with locals and visitors on weekends for the lively brass band performances, plates of hot comfort food, DJ sets, and fan-friendly Saints games. On nights when there is no live music, Bullet's is a relaxed sports bar with friendly service and cheap drinks.

Franklin’s oldest bar is an English-style pub known by locals as simply “the Pig.” Downstairs, the stained glass–adorned door leads you into a dark Victorian-style bar, complete with a Beefeater statue, fireplace, and stuffed boar’s head. Upstairs is a bit more modern, with pool tables and darts, as well as a second bar. On a nice day, the café-style seating outside feels especially old-world.

The flagship bar operation of celebrated chefs Nick Wood, Matt Brown, and Tommy Habetz occupies a hip, industrial-chic space in the Central East Side, with exposed pipes, high timber ceilings, tall windows, and murals on the walls. Play pinball, grab a seat at the bar or a table, and enjoy a glass of craft beer, wine, or booze alongside one of the imaginative sandwiches for which Bunk has developed a cult following, like the pork belly Cubano and meatball parmigiana hero. Bunk has another bar location at the Wonder Ballroom in Northeast, as well as sandwich shops in Southeast, downtown, and Alberta.

Around since 1919 in various incarnations, Burgundy Room attracts a fiercely loyal crowd of locals, as well as the occasional wandering tourist. The bar is supposedly haunted (check out the Ouija boards toward the back) with famously dark interiors, but those details just add to its charm. Its rock-and-roll vibe, strong drinks, and people-watching opportunities make this a worthy detour on any night out on the town.

At this vibrant cigar bar and club, you'll find a young crowd dancing to a house DJ.

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.

Part eatery, part bookstore, and part event space, this popular local hangout draws a diverse crowd and hosts a wide range of entertainment, from poetry open mics to music to guest authors and activist speakers. The name is an homage to Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy in D.C. before becoming a famous poet. This original location is open until 1 am on Friday and Saturday—there's another Downtown ( 1025 5th St. NW), as well as outposts in upper D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Within a short drive of some of the world's most prolific apple orchards, this downtown taphouse and gathering place specializes in local artisan ciders, with about 12 on tap, but you'll also find a great selection of beer as well as mead. The taproom is dog-friendly, and there's often live music.

An Alberta go-to specializing in creative drinks (sample the house favorite, the Bye and Bye, a refreshing concoction of peach vodka, peach bourbon, lemon, cranberry juice, and soda served in a Mason jar) and vegan fare, Bye and Bye has a big covered patio and a festive dining room.

This low-key, old-timey bar is a Lowry Park–area mainstay. Many of its more than 40 craft brews in bottles and on tap hail from the Tampa Bay area, and it also has a decent wine selection. The bar menu has a handful of snacks, and the lush courtyard hosts food trucks.

For an intimate live music experience unlike any other in Austin, head to this café and bar tucked in the southwest corner of the Texas Union building on the UT campus. Texas singer-songwriter legends such as Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, and Austin troubadour Bob Schneider have graced this tiny stage since the 1970s. All ages are welcome, and open-mic nights attract some of the best new talent in the Lone Star State. It doesn't get much more Live Music Capital than this.

Where else can you see a replica of Michelangelo's David surrounded by slot machines? Caesar's invented the theme casino and here, as in Las Vegas, it continues to be a pantheon of gaudiness. In the main Temple Lobby, the ceiling is a faux night sky, and Caesar and Cleopatra themselves make regular appearances. As far as entertainment goes, it rules this stretch of the Boardwalk. Big name musicians and comedians take the stage every weekend at the Circus Maximus Theater and DJs keep the coifed and buffed kids dancing well into the night. The connecting Pier Shops offer dozens of high-end stores and waterside restaurants. There are even few a low-stakes tables in this high-rolling 145,000-square-foot Roman empire.

A sleek, redesigned dining room bar with bar bites from a special menu plus an extended happy hour draws locals and visitors alike.  Dress to impress.

Karaoke every night, yes you heard that right, every night. Cafe Brass Monkey is K-town dive bar royalty, a perfect place to belt out your ballads without fear of the judgment you might find in snootier spots. The ambience is relaxed and the food is bar style. If you’re looking to sing, be prepared to wait your turn as the line to perform can get lengthy. Sprinkled in with tried-and-true regulars, celebrities looking to have a good ol’ fashioned sing-along filter through Cafe Brass Monkey from time to time. The wall features photos of famous friends of the Monkey like Adam Levine, Seth Macfarlane, and Chelsea Handler. Parking is free after 5 pm with a validation, but the glory of knowing you hit the high note is priceless.

One of the longest-running Latin clubs in D.C., Cafe Citron maintains its relevance with the salsa-dancing set. After 10 pm Wednesday through Saturday, the café becomes a nightclub featuring DJs who play primarily Latin music, spiced with Euro dance and techno. The café also offers daily happy hours from 6 until 8, and dinner is served until 11 pm. Salsa classes run on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Work up an appetite and indulge in Latin American snacks such as Bolivian salteñas.

This Bourbon Street stalwart claims to be the oldest operating gay bar in the United States, attracting a somewhat older and very casual group of gay men. The second floor has a pool table, pinball machine, and wraparound balcony with a bird's-eye view of the lively street scene below. Sunday afternoon, when the oldies spin and the paper-napkin confetti flies, is especially popular.

Named for Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French pilot and author of The Little Prince, this bi-level bar has two distinct atmospheres. The upstairs brasserie has pressed-tin ceilings and a propeller hanging over the polished wooden bar. Downstairs is the Gate 54 nightclub, designed to resemble an airplane hangar, with dropped corrugated-metal ceilings and backlit aerial photographs. The downstairs DJs draw a fairly young crowd, while the upstairs menu attracts a more subdued clientele for dinner.

Long before Uptown got hot, the late Peter Van Kleef was serving stiff fresh-squeezed Greyhounds and booking live music at this funky café-bar that always crackles with creative energy, along with live music on some nights. The bizarre decor full of all kinds of art objects could be a museum if it wasn't a bar.

Recognized as the country's oldest folk-music venue, Caffè Lena opened in 1960 and hosted Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie early in their careers. The tradition continues at this upstairs coffeehouse, thanks to staff members as well as volunteers who together work the shows, a mix of well-known musicians and newcomers.