2610 Best Bars in USA

Looking for the next big indie performer or hip-hop group? This Divisadero favorite is probably the best place to find them in the city. The eclectic, 500-person-capacity club/concert venue opened in 2004 and has become a key part of San Francisco's concertgoing culture. Headliner names like Zedd and Foster the People performed their first SF shows here, while marquee performers like Green Day and John Legend have appeared on stage in recent years.

This longtime favorite LGBTQ+ bar draws fun queer crowds starting from its 6 pm–9 pm daily happy hours to its wee-hours last call (usually 4 am). Industry's long bar is always hopping, as are its lounge and dance spaces, stage, and pool table nook. Programming is full of sparkly fun, so expect to find special events like RuPaul's Drag Race viewing parties, live shows, DJ nights, and the wildest, most flirtatious crowd in Midtown.

Just about every seat in this hip bar situated on a pier that juts into the Columbia River offers stupendous water views. Catch the sunset with a well-crafted cocktail and perhaps a few nibbles—Thai shrimp tacos, pork potstickers—from the tapas menu. This place, known for infused spirits, buzzes until midnight or later.

Name your brewery Innovation and you'd better hold yourself to high standards. This Jackson County staple exceeds expectations with seasonal delights like a beet and basil saison. There are three locations—Innovation Station in Dillsboro, the original brewery in Sylva, and an outpost in Cullowhee. In Dillsboro, the Tuckasegee River runs directly under the porch, so sipping comes with a view. There's usually a food truck in the parking lot. 

Even many locals don't realize that the Fort Mason Center is home to one of the city's most impressive and scene-free cocktail bars. As part of the Long Now Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to long-term thinking, the bar serves cocktails that reflect the group's approach, finding innovative ways to serve tried-and-true libations. The Children at Heart menu offers the most thoughtfully prepared and thought-provoking cocktails, especially the Spanish Playground. Visitors can appreciate the clever museum displays and library of "everything we might need to rebuild civilization." 

Cozy and subterranean, this jazz venue is a sure bet for big-name talent like Chuck Mangione, the Eddie Daniels Band, the David Murray Black Saint Quartet, and pianist Michael Wolff. The sight lines are good, and the sound system was designed with the help of Les Paul, inventor of the solid-body electric guitar (Paul played here every Monday night for years). Small bites and entrées are on the menu here, along with a robust beer, wine, and cocktail selection.

Tucked away on lovely Maiden Lane, this warm and welcoming two-level space offers respite from the bustle of Union Square. Talented bartenders make good use of fresh fruit in reasonably priced seasonal cocktails, while muted jazz, dim lighting, and oil paintings in gilded frames create an intimate vibe. Upstairs tables overlooking the lane are particularly cozy.

A relatively intimate venue that holds about 1,000 people on two levels, Irving Plaza is known for its packed lineup of both indie and more mainstream acts, though tickets can get a little pricey. The sound system is good, and there are several bars.

Set in an otherwise inauspicious industrial area near the airport, this craft brewery and taproom has earned a reputation throughout the archipelago—and even on the mainland in Seattle—for well-made beers, including the faintly citrusy Elwha Rock IPA and the silky Old Salts Brown Ale. Smoked salmon, cheese and crackers, and a few other snacks are sold in the homey taproom. While it's not a late-night haunt, it does stay open two hours later until 9 pm on Thursday through Saturday.

Part of a men's resort, Island House Bar & Café serves frozen and other cocktails along with creative cuisine in tropical gardens with a pool where clothing is optional. It is open 24 hours.

Isle of Capri

An amazing remnant of classic Vegas that almost faded away before being reborn in the 2010s, this club-restaurant has a front lounge that offers live cocktail entertainment Wednesday through Sunday and a ballroom that features ticketed shows. The entertainment is mostly tributes, usually to one or more members of the Rat Pack but sometimes to other Vegas stars such as Tom Jones. The performers are often Legends in Concert alumni or singers who work on cruise ships. Most of the shows have a dinner or buffet option.

You can't say you've seen Aspen until you've set foot in the historic Hotel Jerome's lively J-Bar, with its textured leather walls and decorative tin ceilings. The centerpiece is the wooden, original (circa 1889) bar, where the Aspen Crud, a bourbon milkshake, was invented during Prohibition.

The drinks and rotating beers on tap at this Irish, Cheers-like bar are reasonably priced by Honolulu standards, and its menu of New York–style pizzas, both classic and inventive, is a crowd-pleaser, too.

Decked out in Star Wars–theme murals, J. Wakefield was one of the first breweries to kick off Miami's booming beer scene. The taproom boasts 15 rotating taps of beer with the most popular being Miami Madness (a Florida Weisse) and El Jefe (a coconut-infused Hefeweizen). Food trucks and local pop-ups are often found outside, giving imbibers something to munch on as they sip their way through the long list of beers.

This is the place to catch the latest and greatest indie bands and budding rock stars. The more popular the performer, the higher the cover.

The original 1938 iteration of Jack's featured a brothel upstairs, and though it's less risqué these days, the place exudes old-school charm. Stalwarts start with a stiff martini, followed by a classic steak (A-1 and Worcestershire sauce at every table).

The concert stage at Jacobs Pavilion hosts national rock and pop acts throughout the spring, summer, and early autumn.

Jazz at the Bistro, in the Bistro Restaurant, hosts the best mainstream jazz acts in St. Louis.

Serious music lovers converge on this intimate lounge with a modern aesthetic. Top-notch local jazz and brass acts like the Glen David Andrews Band and the Brass-A-Holics are a refreshing change from the loud rock and blues cover bands that have become the Bourbon Street norm. There are multiple sets of local talent daily between 5 pm and midnight. There's no cover, but you can pay in advance (typically $20) for guaranteed preferred seating.

Book your table and seating times online for this favorite cool hot spot for live jazz and fine dining. Jazz, TX is located in the basement of the Food Hall at Bottling Department, accessible by outside stairs or indoor elevator. With seven shows a week (two each on Friday and Saturday nights), they have quite the variety of live music performances: jazz, blues, big band, Texas swing, salsa, and Latin jazz. The atmosphere is very old-school supper club, with craft cocktails, wine, and beer. Depending on the artist, tickets can range from $50 to $100 per person.

This jazzy spot with a New Orleans vibe is a clear sign Oceanside is growing in the right direction. Drop in for a stiff cocktail paired with an ever-changing list of live jazz, blues, and funk performers.

This hip nightspot offers a fun environment for hobnobbing and enjoying creative craft cocktails, like the Blue Linen, with gin, cucumber, lemon, and local blueberries. Barrel-aged cocktails are a specialty, and you'll also find local and international wines, mostly Oregon beers, and tasty pub fare.

Within the Seagate Hotel, the fun and fabulous bar at the Atlantic Grille is known locally as Jellies Bar. The over-thirty set consistently floats over to this stunning bar to shimmy to live music Tuesday to Saturday; the namesake jellyfish tank never fails to entertain as well.

Located above the Palace, the Jersey Lilly Saloon is a former brothel with live entertainment every day but Monday, a great patio, and a dance floor.

At the easternmost part of the West End of Long Beach, this is a great place to start your night of bar hopping. Have a capirinha or watermelon-jalapeño mojito and enjoy tapas with friends. The bar has live music, daily specials, and theme nights like Wild West Wednesday and Summer Sunday Funday.

This hip, craft cocktail–centric hole-in-the-wall has tons of charm and a speakeasy vibe (indeed, there's no sign on the door). Sip a dainty glass of potent French absinthe, or one of the many creative concoctions on the ever-changing cocktail list. Rotating bar snacks include things like house meatballs, turmeric pickles, and candied popcorn with bacon butter and cayenne pepper. Once named "The Bearded Lady's Jewel Box," the bar's bearded owner has been known to don beautiful dresses. Check out the massive and ornate, hand-painted mural on the wall that pays homage to that, depicting some elegant bearded ladies.

At the helm of this tavern's cocktail program is the legendary Chris Hannah, a veteran New Orleans bartender and James Beard Award (among many other awards) winner.  The seasonal menu showcases classics, like the city's oft forgotten Brandy Crusta and an amped-up Sazerac, along with inventions of rare spirits and fat-washed rums and vodkas, vermouth, and amari infused with local fruit—basically all the best bells and whistles in the biz. Pleasing small plates and a historic courtyard add to the allure, making this a true hidden gem.

On the 18th floor of the ModernHaus SoHo hotel, Jimmy is an all-season rooftop bar with stellar views and a cozy fireplace. Sit in a corner nook for Empire State Building vistas, or head toward the (seasonal) outdoor pool area (the pool is tiny) to survey the bridges over the East River. Cocktails are a highlight, albeit pricey, featuring seasonal ingredients.