2610 Best Bars in USA

Known as something of a pickup spot, Mother's has an eclectic clientele that ranges from suited lawyers to baseball-capped B-boys. Its low-beamed ceilings and stone walls give it a wine-cellar feel. The patio is open seasonally.

A trailblazer of the Durham nightlife scene, Motorco is now being incorporated into the large-scale development changing the skyline of downtown. The former mid-century car dealership is made up of four parts: the Parts & Labor restaurant, a spacious patio with outdoor seating, a seasonal Veranda bar, and the 450-seat Showroom with Garage Bar, where you can catch both nationally touring acts and favorite local bands and performers.

DJs dish up hip-hop, rock, house, and funk on two levels at Mount Adams Pavilion. The Pavilion does double-duty for an eclectic crowd as dance club and romantic aerie—four levels of decks in the back provide impressive views of downtown and the Ohio River.

There are always more than a dozen beers on tap at this casual brewery, which crafts more than 100 beers throughout the year. A favorite is the FYIPA, a dry-hopped American IPA with a citrusy flavor. Stay for a cheeseburger and hand-cut fries, or for live music on Sunday night. Mountain Sun has two other Boulder locations, plus one each in Longmont and Denver. Brewery tours are available at Southern Sun, a location in south Boulder, upon request.

This 36-tap watering hole on Route 66 hosts open mic and karaoke nights plus the occasional band on weekends.

This gorgeous property is centered around the summer concert series at its beautiful amphitheater. Many notable musicians, often popular singers and groups from past decades, make a stop here. The winery was built by the iconic Paul Masson (one of the true pioneers of California wine in the late 19th century and early 20th century) and tastings are held each weekend.

Local beer geeks flock to this minimalist taproom, stationed along a rather unassuming stretch of repurposed industrial buildings, to sample the latest pours from Off Color Brewing. Traditional European styles with a twist (Berliner weiss brewed with Chardonnay grapes, for instance) are the order of the day here. 

One of the more intriguing nightlife concepts in town, Mox is both a bar-restaurant and a retail game shop that hosts tournaments and encourages friends to gather together to eat, drink, and play their favorite board games. Order creative gastropub fare and beer, wine, or cocktails in the art deco–inspired dining room or cozy speakeasy space, and compete to your heart's content. If you don't want to purchase a game and didn't bring one, you can borrow one for free from the massive library. Themed group events devoted to different games are held nightly. 

Capitol Hillers love this laid-back pub/restaurant, notably for its list of nightly specials including half-priced burgers on Mondays. But there’s more than meets the eye at this eclectic indoor-outdoor dinner space; Mr. Henry’s is also the last holdout of a once-thriving live-music scene on Capitol Hill. Probably the best known, local native Roberta Flack got her start in the upstairs performance space, where a dozen or so tables are scattered around the wood-paneled room.  Live music is offered at least four nights a week; tickets can be purchased on the website.

In some towns, singing at karaoke bars is a way to show off your lack of inhibition; in Nashville some performers sound like they're auditioning for a recording contract. Ms. Kelli's is a favorite among locals because even though the talent level is usually quite high, less experienced and confident singers are also warmly supported.

Is it a drive-thru liquor store? A bar? Ms. Newby's is the best of both. With live entertainment, DJs, karaoke nights, darts, and pool, there's always entertainment to go along with your libation of choice. Might they suggest you try a Hunch Punch? It's world famous—says so right on the front window. This bar and its satellite in town are designated gathering spots for bikers during Panama City's spring and fall bike weeks.

Producing finely crafted beers—Multorporter Smoked Porter, Ice Axe IPA, Highland Meadow Blond Ale—since the early '90s, this casual brewpub with stone walls and a fireplace buzzes in the early evening for après-ski dining and drinking. It's popular for its creative comfort food, including poutine with fontina cheese and peppercorn demi-glace and cast-iron-skillet-baked fondue.

Across the street from the convention center, this large venue seats 400, and the dance floor quickly fills with couples twirling and two-stepping to authentic Cajun bands from the countryside. Regulars love to drag first-timers to the floor for impromptu lessons. The home-style Cajun cuisine is acceptable, but what matters is the nightly music.

This tiny taproom with metal chairs and timber and corrugated-metal accents brews balanced, complex craft beers, some with a nod toward England (the seasonal Back Country Bitter, for example), and others that will please fans of hoppy West Coast sippers—we're looking at you, Warrior Mindset Double IPA. There's also a selection of pizzas, shrimp skewers, and other light bites. 

This Winooski watering hole pours some of the best craft brews from around the state and is a must for aficionados. Outdoor seating and above-average bar bites seal the deal for its young and hip clientele.

Frothy pints of Guinness and late-night fish-and-chips—who could ask for more? Well, how about entertainment? This pub's roster includes monthly special events and nightly live music, often featuring foot-stomping Irish jams that will have you dancing a jig and singing something about "a whiskey for me-Johnny."

Popular Mulligans hosts bands and DJs in the downstairs Green Door Pub on weekends. Upstairs, cozy up beside the fireplace with ribs, steak, and traditional fish-and-chips, or opt for tempura plates and sushi bowls from Mulligans's in-house offshoot, Snowfish Sushi.

This is the locals' beloved neighborhood dive bar, tucked away behind Main Street in a small 1790s saltbox home that was built entirely out of recycled whaling ships back when resources were tight. Crowds pack in for cheap-ish beer, darts, and ring toss, and pizza if they get hungry.

On the edge of Chinatown and the financial district, this bar has served drinks to such locals and visitors as King Kalakaua and Robert Louis Stevenson since the late 1800s. The kind of Irish pub you would find in Boston, Murphy's offers a break from all the tropical, fruit-garnished drinks found in Waikiki, and it's definitely the place to be on St. Patrick's Day. Friendly bartenders and waitstaff serve Guinness on tap, pub food favorites, and Irish specialties like corned beef and cabbage and shepherd's pie. If you time it right, you can try their incredible house-made pies, which are served only on Friday and quickly sell out.

There is trivia night on Tuesday, afternoon entertainment Sunday, and entertainment all other nights in summer and Tuesday–Saturday during winter—there's typically an Irish musician or two.

This lively pub has authentic Irish entertainment nightly and a blazing fire in the winter. It can get quite crowded on weekend nights.

Locals voted the jukebox at the Murray Bar the best in town, and its staff the friendliest. There's live music most weekends.

You can have a drink, watch boats come back from a day of fishing, hear live music, and enjoy the evening breeze with a stroll along the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk, a picturesque boardwalk that connects eight waterfront bars and restaurants, from Drunken Jack's on the north end to Wicked Tuna at the Crazy Sister Marina on the south end. On the Fourth of July, the Marsh Walk serves as your front-row seat to the wildly popular Boat Parade. Also included along the way are colorful waterfront stops with fanciful names like Dead Dog Saloon, Creek Ratz, and Wahoo's.

This is a year-round venue hosting live bands and DJs, including the occasional big-name act. The crowd—the barnlike space can accommodate nearly 400—can get pretty wild. There's also an eatery serving excellent pizza, plus burgers, and other pub snacks.

Fondly known as the Zoo, this Flagstaff institution once housed an extensive taxidermy collection in the 1930s and is now a popular country-and-western club (a few owls still perch above the dance floor). A gigantic log cabin constructed around five trees, with a huge, wishbone-shape pine as the entryway, the venue offers a taste of Route 66 color along with live music and other events.

Once a train depot, this towering space is filled to the max when popular bands like Galactic, Neko Case, and Big Gigantic play. Tickets typically range from $15 to $25. The bar is open only on nights when a concert is scheduled.