2610 Best Bars in USA

This venerable and funky institution in sleepy Hanalei still offers its famous luau at 5 on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, although the bar is the big attraction. The spirits of locals and visitors alike are always high at this popular hangout, which features live music nightly from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Uptown and next door to Bootleggers, this moody, sophisticated establishment was opened in late 2021 by the folks behind Sandfish—which accounts for the extensive collection of high-end whiskies and the Japanese-leaning snacks and sushi menu—to service serious cocktail connoisseurs. It has a New York air, with tufted banquettes, dim lights, leather-covered menus, a wraparound marble bar, and waxed-canvas-apron-clad bartenders who sometimes roll over the bar cart to muddle and shake in your personal space.

In 2021, two female beer aficionados in Brooklyn founded Talea Beer Co. a brewery that puts an emphasis on fruit-flavored beer in the hope they could get non-beer drinkers to love this hoppy beverage. It worked. At least enough for them to open a small handful of taprooms around the city. The West Village outpost has 20 brews on tap, including crisp Vienna-style pilsners, IPAs, and fruity brews, of course. There is a small menu of beer-friendly fare, such as plus-size Bavarian pretzels, but you can also bring pizza slices from L'Industrie next door and eat it while you sip the sudsy stuff.

Each July, the annual Tales of the Cocktail, billed as "the most spirited event of the summer," brings thousands of experts and enthusiasts together for an internationally acclaimed, five-day celebration dedicated to the artistry and science of making drinks. In addition to enjoying some of "the best cocktails ever made," attendees participate in dinners, demonstrations, tastings, competitions, seminars, book signings, tours, and parties.

This historic-style ship sidles up to an East Boston pier and features outdoor drinking, games like corn hole, live music, and more alfresco fun. You can also book a private lounge. The unique destination does offer food in the form of raw oysters, pizza, tacos, and fried seafood, plus there are a number of food trucks that park on-site. Drinks are slightly overpriced, but let's be honest: you're paying for the view. If you happen to be dining in the area, there's a free shuttle to the ship from local restaurants on the weekends.

Top comedians perform in this Ybor City venue.

Lanikai Brewing Company's taproom features its island-centric beer, including seasonal varieties that incorporate unusual ingredients like Surinam cherry, mushrooms, and white tea. It also serves Valentina's wood-fired pizza and sometimes has a food truck out front. In addition to beer, there are spirits from the brewery's distillery line, house-made sangria, Paradise Ciders, and other sips from which to choose. Kids are welcome, and board games are available for playing.

Order a flight of "crisp" whites or "soft" reds (they're all grouped by sensory descriptors), and maybe a plate of prosciutto-wrapped dates or artichoke-Brie dip from the food menu at this Nob Hill wine bar and bottle shop, located in a pretty, olive-green Victorian house. There's a solid beer and sake selection, too.

Miami's oldest drinking establishment is a staple in Coconut Grove, known for its expansive whiskey collection. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, and the bartenders are knowledgeable in their craft. The menu features a solid mix of classic cocktails and others inspired by Coconut Grove's lush surroundings. It's also often home to weekend pop-ups from other local vendors.

At the end of your Charlestown trip, hit up this pub with a 50-plus beer list and classic pub fare with an Irish flare. With a backdrop of live music and traditional Irish seisiún (informal music sessions), it's the spot to grab a lager with a snack of curry fries or calamari or satisfy a huge hunger with a shepherd's pie and the perfect Guinness pour.

Included on the expansive eight-acre property of the Gruene Homestead Inn is the newly popular Tavern in the Gruene, a live-music venue hosting a number of up-and-coming Texas artists.

Take a trip back in time to the golden age of cocktails before Prohibition and the speakeasies that followed it. Tavern Law is dark and tucked away, and houses a "secret" upstairs area (accessed by picking up the phone next to the old bank-vault door). The drinks are impeccably made, often with surprising ingredients.

Three venues in one, Tavern features a popular piano bar, a top-floor dance club called Ascend, and a late-night restaurant, which serves rib-sticking comfort food until midnight on weekdays and 1 am Friday and Saturday. Specialties include grilled cheese, a beefy Tavern burger, and beer can barbecue chicken; they make creative cocktails, too.

Dueling pianos (Wednesday through Saturday) and karaoke (Sunday to Tuesday) make for a festive atmosphere in this bar just east of downtown. The musicians only play requests, and if you don't like the current song, you can pay $1 to change it. The Quorum of the Queens drag brunch on Sunday is always a crowd-pleaser.

This chill bar gets its name from the Chinese expression “qing, qing” (which means “please please”), often used as a toast; soldiers returning from the Chinese Opium Wars introduced it in France and throughout Europe. With an extensive wine menu—by the glass and the bottle—plus a selection of single malt bourbon, whiskey, and scotch, it's an ideal spot for a drink or tapas-style food. The bar’s rooftop lanai, romantically lit with string lights and featuring a large living wall flourishing with ferns, is the best place to sit.

One of the original craft-cocktail bars in the Pearl District, Teardrop continues to draw a loyal following for its well-crafted drinks and well-priced happy hour. The bar snacks are tasty, too.

The best of the Lower Garden District takes place in charming, tucked-away spots like this one, where knowledgeable staff guide you through a beguiling selection of bottles from around the world, with an emphasis on natural and minimal-intervention methods. Sit on the patio, and come early if you want quiet, since DJs spin later at night---but even when there's a crowd, you will be able to find a comfortable chair or a romantic corner to sip and people-watch

Part of a national chain, The Tempe Improv showcases better-known headliners from Thursday to Sunday. Get here early for good seats.

This two-room spot is one of the best wine bars in the Village, thanks, in part, to the fact that it offers over 100 different wines by the glass. So you can spend an evening here switching up your libations and locations, going from Napa to Rioja to the Republic of Georgia to even Slovakia. Tasty snacks include beef meatballs, cacio e pepe cheese puffs, and Calabrian chili-topped deviled eggs.

When The Ten Bells opened back in 2008, the unusual wine list attracted people in the wine industry and wine nerds, as well as locals who loved the $1.50 oysters and $20 carafes of wine at happy hour (still a thing) and tapas-style food. Now that natural wines have become trendy, the dark cozy space is busier than ever.

This ornate 1,600-seat former movie house serves as the city's performing arts center, hosting comedians, touring musicals, and live bands. Its marquee is a landmark on South Gay Street.

Order a tiki cocktail and step into the mid-20th-century at this throwback lounge with a Polynesian theme. The tucked-away courtyard out back is a cozy place to sip and smile.

A true charmer, this second-story haven for blues lovers is a cozy Greenwich Village club surprisingly short on NYU students (unlike other places in this neighborhood). Everyone from great national acts like Buddy Guy to local R&B artists graces the stage year-round.

A neighborhood favorite, this relaxed fine wine bar is impressive to oenophiles and welcoming to everyone thanks to an extensive list that includes well-priced options by the glass, bottle, or sizable tasting pours. The bar is easy to walk right by on charming Harrison Street, but once inside you will find seats at the bar for wine-centric conversations with the sharp staff or more private nooks for a romantic evening of wine and cheese (or more substantial dishes). Don't miss daily 4–6 pm, and 10 pm–closing time happy hours.

The concert hall long known as The Joint is now just The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. During the makeover, the 4,000-plus capacity venue was spruced up with new seating and some changes, like moving a VIP area to the ground-floor level. Upgrades were welcome, as the venue was always better known for the big names it hosted than for the room itself, a big box, which jams seated fans into folding chairs and puts the versatility of its seating configurations ahead of comfort, aesthetics, or design. While leaving the biggest names (and highest ticket prices) to the Strip, The Theater has booked a steady flow of acts, from hard rockers Danzig and Meshuggah to Latin acts such as Alejandra Guzman and stand-up comedians such as Ali Siddiq.

There's a fun event practically every night at one of the city's leading indoor-outdoor venues. Part bar, part music club, part beer garden, it rotates vibes from a relaxed patio setting to one of the city's leading stages for punk and metal acts. Some nights swap shows for movies or karaoke. There's a small coffee kiosk in the bar during the morning and early afternoon hours that serves some of the neighborhood's greatest espresso-based drinks.

With slate floors, wood-paneled walls, and a small stone-filled pond, the design at this spacious lounge in Hell's Kitchen is as upscale as its mostly male clientele, which includes older uptown professionals and the twentysomething hipsters who love them (and vice versa). Hungry? There's a solid menu of small dishes.

Tucked off the main strip, this tiny bar serves eclectic small plates, family-style entrées to share, and killer cocktails in a speakeasy atmosphere (complete with a blacklist drink menu delivered in a book). It's packed from 4:30 until 11:30 pm, so reserve a table in advance online.