2610 Best Bars in USA

An interior that's one part industrial, one part mid-century modern, and one part ski lodge plays witness to the coolest live music this side of the city and serves some of the most exquisite cocktails you’ll ever try in your life. Of course, if live music isn’t exactly your thing, there are also dark, quiet corners where you can enjoy your drinks in peace.

The focus of this bar and music club is on live jazz, blues, and soul, though it also serves up rock and roll and even band-accompanied karaoke on some nights. The club is small, with an even smaller checkerboard dance floor. Reserve tables in advance at this Westside establishment; order a martini off the Deadly Sins menu, and catch a Toledo burlesque show on Sunday night.

A well-worn New Hope fixture, this casual bar and restaurant with tropical-theme decor and some outdoor seating often has karaoke on Monday and live music from jazz to rock many nights (tribute and cover bands are a specialty on weekends); there are also DJs. Check the website for ticketed events. The list of mojitos and martinis is long, and beer and wine choices are ample, but the food gets mixed reviews.

Overlooking Central Square, this 5,400-square-foot ballroom-dance floor hosts a kaleidoscope of DJs and live bands, and often free burritos or nachos. Three hundred people may show up to dance salsa, creating a lively scene for dancers at any level. Open Monday is for bachata (sultry midtempo Dominican dance), Friday and Saturday for salsa, and Tuesday blends both. With lessons at 8 or 9 pm, depending on the night, the joint really gets hopping by 9 or 10 pm.

Just across the Colorado River from Lake Havasu, this small but lively casino and bar, which has live music most weekends, has become extremely popular thanks to the ferry service that zooms passengers over from London Bridge between 6:45 am and midnight (until 2 am on Friday and Saturday). The ferry costs $4 round-trip, and the scenic ride takes 17 minutes. You can also tie up your own boat at Havasu Landing's marina. The casino has 245 slots, plus blackjack and three-card poker tables, and there's live music Friday and Saturday nights.

This revamped outdoor amphitheater offers dozens of concerts throughout the summer season and has room for 8,000 guests. You can pay a premium to take in shows from the two-story VIP pavilion, or stick to the ground level, where you'll find around a dozen food carts and—in the true Bend fashion—a large beer garden. 

Brass-colored furnishings, rich blue walls, and bistro tables lend a Parisian air to this 400-square-foot pit stop for sparkling wines by the glass, flight, or bottle. The star-studded selection roams the globe but favors Europe, especially Champagne.

Local and nationally known jazz musicians play Wednesday through Sunday, with showcase acts appearing on weekends.

Once a penthouse garden, this space has been converted into an open-air rooftop bar and lounge atop Holston House. Enjoy sweeping views of Downtown alongside craft cocktails and upscale bar bites.

Everyone from major comedians to comedy's up-and-comers stops at Rittenhouse Square's Helium Comedy Club, a cozy space where every seat in the house is a good one. In addition to shows featuring big names, the club also hosts open-mic nights, stand-up workshops, and more.

Grab a seat by the windows overlooking Faneuil Hall on hot summer days, or cozy up to a coal fireplace in winter, and enjoy your pint (or a pick from one of the largest selections of single malt whiskies in Boston). There's live music at Hennessy's most nights of the week, as well as plenty of rowdy crowds that overrun the yellow-and-black confines for Top 40 cover bands mixed with DJs on weekends from 9 pm to 1 am at Upstairs at Hennessy's.

The nightly parties at this laid-back West Village HQ for the Sapphic set attract young professional women, out-of-towners, and longtime regulars. Because the DJ and pool table quickly create a crowd, though, lesbians arrive early to stake their claim to a spot, especially on weekends.

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.

Hidden in the back of a parking lot, the hipster favorite Herb's Bar, known locally by its previous name, Herb's Hideout, is a gloriously nostalgic bar with dim lighting, comfortable booths, and inexpensive cocktails.

Classic cocktails are the name of the game at this bar off the Strip near Palace Station. Each cocktail comes with a story and quite a show while it's being made. Crack open the menu to learn the history behind each libation from the Prohibition era. This is the place to rub elbows with bartenders from other joints, who often visit when finished with their shifts on the Strip. An appetizer menu includes shrimp cocktails and mussels, and if you stay for dinner the kitchen under-promises and over-delivers on their claim to make \"pretty good steaks.\"

“Enter a hidden world of sin,” implore the operators of Here Kitty Kitty, a speakeasy tucked away in a “secret” spot in the Famous Foods food hall. The sin is tame by some Las Vegas standards, limited to specialty cocktails such as One Night Stand, which is Don Julio blanco tequila, lime, strawberries, Firewater bitters, and Tajin. Can’t decide? Name a spirit, and one of the talented bartenders will surprise you. There also are extensive collections of tequila and mezcal, Scotch, bourbon, and Asian whiskey.

In a south Denver neighborhood, down-home Herman's Hideaway showcases mostly local rock, with a smattering of rap, reggae, and blues thrown in.

The Hermosillo is the kind of laid-back pub every neighborhood should have, with an excellent selection of locally focused draft beer on tap, a rotating wine list, and mouthwatering bites like fried pickles and smash burgers. To add to its allure, award-winning Highland Park Brewery got its start in the pub’s back storage room and is still featured prominently on the menu.

For a city with so much waterfront mileage, it's shocking how few waterfront bars San Francisco has. This very welcoming, somewhat retro, kind of divey bar almost directly underneath the Bay Bridge is the perfect place for a local IPA while watching a Warriors game on TV in the cozy indoor space or a margarita on the patio on a sunny day. The fish tacos and other food items are definitely a step above casual pub fare.

What this watering hole lacks in decor, it makes up for in friendliness. Knock one or two back with a fun pupu menu, including street tacos or pork sliders. There's also more for the hungrier bar patron, like Mike's special chili, Reuben sandwiches, or hot dogs. They also offer comedy and open mic nights. Happy hour prices and portions are generous. 

This energetic, hip club located in the Baker neighborhood just south of Capitol Hill books a diverse and eclectic range of talented indie rockers. The crowd is young, likes Red Bull, and tends to revel in the discovery of obscure underground music.

The fantastic neon signs, padded black walls, large round mirrors, and L-shape bar here make you think you've wandered onto a 1930s movie set. Settle into a booth or banquette, and watch the neighborhood bons vivants (and bon-vivant wannabes) leap into action nightly, be it early for the daily happy hour or late weekend nights. A raw bar serves seafood and sushi to wash down your boilermakers.

It's probably just our imaginations, but somehow the sunlight that streams over the vintage tiles and velvety banquettes in this easy-going Humboldt Park cocktail bar seems to glow. An equally dreamy side patio has a second bar and a brick fireplace flanked by lots of low seating for basking in the firelight once the sun sets. Dogs are very welcome here.

Located at the Laylow Hotel, this indoor-outdoor mini-oasis has a firepit, tiki torches, comfy couches, and palm trees swaying overhead. Although there's a food menu, it’s best to come here for expertly mixed cocktails or mocktails and some pupu (appetizers)—perhaps the poke tacos or the pork belly Brussels sprouts. A daily happy hour from 4:30 to 6:30 pm makes things easier on the wallet. Reservations are advised. 

When you feel like shaking it up to live music, come to Higher Ground—it gets the lion's share of local and national musicians.

The bar at Hiro's Ohana Grill at Hotel Molokai is always a good place to enjoy a drink and beautiful views, with a rotating lineup of local musicians adding ambience to stunning sunsets.