2610 Best Bars in USA

Nearly 30 beers on tap and more than 50 by the bottle—plus 160 whiskeys and an extensive pub menu—ensure plenty of variety at this lively gathering spot across from the Village Gondola. Open for three decades, this underground bar is the best spot to go for an extended après-ski. Be sure to look up at the hundreds of bottle-cap tops pressed in the ceiling by beer-consuming customers.

This compact dive bar—one of the few that caters to lesbians, though it draws gay men, too—has an after-hours license, meaning the party's only getting started at 2am when when most other bars are at last call. Karaoke nights at The Closet are particularly energetic.

This smart multiroom club and restaurant for the Boston LGBTQ+ community and their allies is livelier than ever going into its fourth decade. Behind a stylish restaurant, patrons dance in the "video lounge" or watch classic music videos, cult flicks, and TV shows. There are trivia, karaoke, cabaret, drag brunches and bingo, and DJ events weekly; a weekly Sunday Tea Dance from 4 to 10 pm is free.

Sleek but cozy, Club Cafe showcases music ranging from jazz to acoustic to rock.

With its stylized art deco surroundings, the funky Club Charles is a favorite hangout for an artsy crowd, moviegoers coming from the Charles Theater across the street, and, reputation has it, John Waters. Above the bar is a large mural of the zodiac, painted in 1941, which was reclaimed from a theater in New York. For a bar, the food is surprisingly good.

The city's main venue for cutting-edge bands and singer-songwriters, Club Congress has a mixed-bag crowd of alternative rockers, international travelers, young professionals, and college kids. There is live indie rock and folk/roots during the week, while Friday and Saturday nights bring more rock and dance parties. Next door at the Century Room, mellow out with live jazz and mezcals.

When multitalented actor Alan Cumming opened his namesake club in 2017, the East Village saw a welcome return of queer cabaret culture in a former gay-nightclub space. The club hosts nightly musical and comedy cabaret shows (sometimes multiple shows per night; usually free) by cutting-edge artists. While they're worth a peek, the compact space is often too popular (i.e., crowded) to view the stage—so if you'd like a little elbow room, aim to catch an early show on a weeknight.

Club Dada hosts eccentric touring and local acts, including the Beatles cover band Hard Night's Day.

Baltimore's longest-reigning gay bar, Club Hippo's motto is "everyone is welcome." It's true—the vibe is quite unpretentious—and that's why it's been so successful. Featuring a kaleidoscope of events, from popular karaoke nights, drag shows, and 80's dance parties to Bingo nights with proceeds benefiting local animal shelters.

Savannah's mainstay gay bar offers three levels of fun: drag shows and occasional burlesque and theater productions upstairs; dance parties on the main floor; and a relaxing spot for conversation or karaoke in the basement bar. Although the decor is a little tacky, the scene is wildly fun when the lights go down and the music starts.

Lots of old-timers favor the dark bar of Club Paris. This is your spot if you like a stiff, no-nonsense drink.

Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive—thousands of folkies have strummed and warbled their way through Club Passim, one of America's oldest (1958) and most renowned clubs for Americana and roots music. Audience participation is encouraged, so be ready to sing along. The ultracozy brick basement has a kitchen that's open for relaxed live-music dining (which is only available to ticket holders). If you travel with your guitar, call about open-mic nights. Classes and workshops at their school around the corner carry on folk traditions. Acoustic bands perform nightly; expect to pay a $5–$35 cover.

Club Soda is a lively hangout with a 12x8-foot outdoor TV. Shoot pool or tuck into some tasty pub grub at the island's most local bar. Live music, trivia, karaoke, musical Bingo, daily Happy Hour specials, and outdoor movies keep the scene lively.

This is hip local hangout spot offers a glimpse of the young professionals who have brought new life into Atwater Village. Aside from the occasional DJ and live music nights, Club Tee Gee also offers tons of dog-friendly outdoor seating options for summer day drinking and lazing about after a wander through the neighborhood’s farmers’ market. 

A roomy, premier entertainment venue, Coach House draws music crowds of varying ages for dinner and entertainment. Make a dinner reservation and receive priority seating to listen to the next hip new band, popular cover bands, and legacy musicians. The calendar of shows is online.

Well-known stand-up comics appear here, though there's more emphasis on up-and-comers. You might also see local sketch comedy and comic singer-songwriters. No one under 18 is admitted, and there is a minimum drink purchase in addition to the entrance fee.

Experience Comfort like a local at this relaxed, open-air bar with garage-door entrances. Most nights feature entertainment of some sort, whether it's a booked band or an open mic, as well as fun games like cornhole, darts, poker, and shuffleboard. Be sure to try out the swings in the backyard; there are two patios. You'll usually find a food truck here as well.

Denver's first licensed cannabis lounge, no-frills Coffee Joint is open daily from 8 am to 10 pm and allows customers age 21 and up with a valid ID to vape, consume edibles, and ingest dab concentrates using vape pens or an electric nail, all legally. No cannabis is sold here, but a few area dispensaries will deliver, and the $5 entry fee is waived if you purchase from the dispensary next door. The first cup of coffee is free, and tea, pastries, and other munchies-friendly snacks are available for sale. Guests can use the ping pong and foosball tables too. Bring your own supplies; smoking weed, open flames, and alcohol are not allowed.

Step back into the '80s with this kitschy yet vibrant hybrid of bar and video arcade. The room is stocked with vintage arcade cabinet games like Galaga and Pac-Man, as well as Skee-Ball and other childhood favorites. Yet unlike those trips to the arcade, Coin-Op features a rotating menu of craft cocktail creations, including punch bowls (like the Capri-Sun inspired "Power Punch") to make those pinball tournaments even more spirited.

Come on the first Sunday of the month for free games all day long.

China Live's stylish upstairs, vintage Shanghai–inspired bar focuses on scotch and intricate cocktails with no shortage of creativity. The renowned AvroKO firm's sharp-as-a-tuxedo design, with dramatic lighting and a black-and-gold motif, is as glamorous a setting for drinking as any in this city.

Intrepid explorers reaching further south into Habersham Village will find this artfully decorated cocktail lounge with a cadre of expert mixologists and a diverse clientele---the trip is worth it for the martini lovers. Artisanal flatbreads, pastas, and salads come from the kitchen, and pizza Wednesdays are a local tradition.

Across from the Shubert, the music hall is the latest iteration of a venue that has already been the Rialto, the Roger Sherman, and the Palace theater stretching back to 1921. The 2,000-seat, balconied music hall has hosted huge stars, from Paul Newman and Robert Redford at the premiere of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid in 1969 to seemingly every big-name act in rock, punk, hip-hop, indie, and comedy of the modern era. There is always a show worth seeing at College Street.

Contiguous with the redeveloping Gaines Street, in the shadow of Florida State University's Doak Campbell Stadium and the Tucker Civic Center, and within sight of Florida A&M University, CollegeTown was built as an entertainment hub for students. The area is busy with shoppers and diners by day and filled with revelers after dark.

Within just a few blocks, it's easy to find a nightspot to suit your mood, from the Madison Social gastropub to the Recess dance club to the Oyster City Brewing Company. On Gaines Street, the Warhorse Whiskey Bar has more than 150 selections—and, conveniently, a walk-through to neighboring Gaines Street Pies.

After a long schlep from the airport—or even just the parking garage—you can duck into this bar, which is right off the resort’s lobby, for a little pick-me-up in the form of a classic cocktail. Booths are cozy, the piano music’s live, and Esquire magazine was sufficiently impressed to name it one of the best bars in the country for 2024. 

DJs spin high-energy tunes as a mostly college-age crowd takes to the dance floor Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 10 pm until close.

The best beer bar in Pioneer Square features 22 rotating taps of Northwest (including Boundary Bay, Chuckanut, and Anacortes) and California beers and a long list of bottles from the region. Its upscale pub menu features local and seasonal ingredients.

With Los Angeles being Los Angeles, a disproportionate number of comedians call the city home, from the would-be to the been-there-done-that. The decades-old Comedy and Magic Club attracts them all. One popular engagement is when 10 up-and-coming comedians perform, one right after the other, in a sort of comic brinksmanship. Other nights might see the occasional magician or an icon of the field like Jay Leno or David Spade, there to keep their timing fresh and try out new material for adoring crowds. Stiff drinks and decent entrées and appetizers reward those who arrive early for the best seats, but try grabbing a meal nearby before arriving 30 to 60 minutes prior to the show (budget a little more time for someone like Leno, who's a regular on Sunday nights but still draws crowds).

Touring comedians—some of whom have made cable TV appearances—make their way to this little comedy club that's inspired belly laughs for 25 years on the north side of town. There's an on-site restaurant serving pizza and burgers.