2629 Best Bars in USA

One of the newer breweries to debut on Oahu, the modern, two-story brewhouse has its manufacturing area, a gift shop, a bar and more casual dining area downstairs, and an upscale mezzanine with exclusive cocktails. With 20 of its beers on tap (half of them IPAs), plus guest collaborations, cocktails, and mocktails, there's something for everyone. The food menu is just as extensive, including at Sunday brunch.

You can sip an umbrella cocktail while you gaze at the original "Bali Hai" from this lounge, open on two sides and offering breezy views across Hanalei Bay to plush emerald mountains. If you think the scene looks familiar, maybe you’ve seen the classic movie South Pacific, filmed here. "Bali Hai" is actually Kauai’s Mt. Makana. Order a tropical cocktail and pupu and enjoy a truly enchanted evening as the sun sets over the sparkling waters. Local musicians entertain guests Thursday through Monday. Nearby Tunnels Beach (aka Haena Beach and Makua) is often called Nurses' Beach, where Mitzi Gaynor sang about washing that man right outta her hair; Hanalei Bay is where Bloody Mary sang “Bali Hai.”

Located in historic Central Harlem, Harlem Nights is a cozy neighborhood bar set in a relaxed lounge atmosphere. With live entertainment ranging from open-mic nights on Monday to comedy shows on Saturday and weekend DJs, there’s something for everyone. At their daily happy hour, you can enjoy craft cocktails at a discounted price until 8 pm. The food menu is fairly straightforward, with offerings like fish sandwiches, burgers, and apps like mozzarella sticks and fried pickles, but they have a decent, fairly priced cocktail list, and specials like a lager and a shot of Jameson for just $12. The main draw here is the music, so grab a drink and a bite, and stay awhile, as Harlem Nights is open until at least 2 am every night.

Arguably California's longest continuously active saloon since it opened in 1884, this watering hole, built from the hull of a flat-bottomed stern-wheeler, is where young Jack London got his start as a writer. Historic photos and artifacts hang from the crooked walls and ceilings, which have been atilt since the 1906 earthquake. Get a peek at the slanted bar, where beers on tap and bottomless stories of Oakland history abound. And if it's a sunny day, make sure to spend at least one round on the front patio.

With cheeky nods to Portland's own Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (to wit: quotes of the famed poet on the cocktail napkins and literary puns on the cocktail menu), this clever and comfy bar has taken up residence in the erstwhile Bull Feeney's space. It's won plenty of admirers for its serious-yet-fun beverage program, its unusually creative pub menu (it's as much an excellent restaurant as a lively bar and performance space), and its solid live music, which happens every night.

Located on the same block as the Driskill, the "invitation only" part of this hidden speakeasy's description makes it seem like an impenetrable members-only club. In fact, patrons only need to download their app to book a (required) reservation for the night and enter their provided secret code at the alley gate. We won't spoil what greets you once you've crossed the threshold of this stylish secret lair, but the showstopping basement bar is one of the best (and most exclusive) destinations in town for a craft cocktail. Seasonal and weekly menus rotate around abstract themes that will spark the imagination of seasoned connoisseurs. Their sister bar, In Plain Sight, located just above on the ground floor, is another vibey spot for a nightcap.

This homey-feeling bar and restaurant in the heart of Lafayette serves up affordable, quality food and drinks alongside excellent live music. Bands are typically at the Hideaway on Thursday through Sunday evenings. Expect to see plenty of fiddles, harmonicas, and accordions here—all signs of great Cajun music. There's usually a reasonable cover to enter.

The Hideout, which is literally hidden away in a North Side industrial zone, has managed to make country music hip in Chicago. Players on the city's alternative country scene have adopted the friendly hole-in-the-wall, and legendary local acts like Wilco and Andrew Bird have been known to use the crowd here as a sounding board for new material. Late-night DJ sets, stand-up, and even the odd square dance round out the entertainment offerings.

Once an ambitious restoration project, Highland Park Bowl now serves as a massive throwback to its Prohibition-era roots, formerly an alcohol-prescribing doctor’s office and drugstore with its own bowling alley. Although the hooch-pushing doctor and druggist are long gone, the bowling alley remains, complete with the original pin machine. Revel in the nostalgia, but expect a wait for a lane on weekend evenings.

This super-kitschy nautical-theme bar in the heart of Koreatown offers drink specials and food at prices that will make you swoon. Come for the wings, all-day breakfast specials, cheap drinks, and very eclectic crowds.

A go-to spot for well-crafted beer, HooDoo sells growlers to go, but its beer is best enjoyed outdoors on a sunny afternoon around the brewery's spool tables—or if the weather isn't welcoming, inside the airy taproom. The brewery, which is open till 9, regularly hosts food trucks, and free tours take place on Thursday at 4 pm.

Grab a table in this handsome, brick-walled tap room and try some of the finest and most distinctive craft ales in the city, such as a crisp Sauvin Blanc Brut IPA produced with hops and Chardonnay grapes and a roasty Black Sesame Stout. The kitchen is known for its Thai-style and chipotle-honey wings.

An anchor in the Andersonville corridor, Hopleaf continues the tradition of the classic Chicago bar hospitable to conversation (there's not a TV in sight). The lengthy beer menu emphasizes Belgian varieties and regional microbrews, and the Belgian fare served here far surpasses typical bar food. Don't miss the ale-steamed mussels and delectable skinny fries with aioli on the side.

The view from this hip penthouse bar is unbeatable, but if you can't get a seat outside, curl up in a plush booth under the plated tin ceiling and enjoy the Tennessee Williams-inspired memorabilia filling the walls. Even the cocktails are served in antique glassware.

It's easy to miss the unmarked entrance to this cocktail bar on Berry Street, but head to the entrance on North 9th Street and you'll feel whisked away to an old-world parlor. Despite the name, this isn't a hotel, though the owners were inspired by lobby bars. Patrons imbibe cocktails around marble-top tables or at the curved bar, where bartenders blend fresh fruit and homemade syrups into classic and original libations. Jazz and dim lighting make the place feel intimate.

This nightclub–concert hall hybrid at Mandalay Bay was the seventh entry in this chain of successful, intimate music clubs. As if the electric roster of performers taking the stage almost nightly wasn't enough (past acts include Carlos Santana, Billy Idol, Social Distortion, Joe Walsh, Slash, Dropkick Murphys, and Seal), the decor is lusciously imaginative. (Our favorite decoration isn't inside, though—it's the Voodoo Mama statue greeting you outside.) The Gospel Brunch on Sunday is on an irregular schedule, so check the HoB web site for dates. Buy music, books, hot sauce, and T-shirts at the souvenir shop, where an expansive, remarkable collection of colorful folk art decorates the walls.

Though its name implies otherwise, House of Blues actually attracts big-name performers of all genres, including jazz, roots, gospel, alternative rock, hip-hop, world, and R&B. The interior is an elaborate cross between blues bar and ornate opera house. Its restaurant has a satisfying Sunday gospel brunch. 

Nothing says "Kona casual" like this toes-in-the-sand establishment right on the water, next door to their famous flagship restaurant. Jazz, island, and classic-rock bands perform here nightly, and it's tradition to dance in the sand at least once before leaving the island. Try a signature tropical cocktail such as the Big Bamboocha Mai Tai crafted with Kuleana Hui Hui, Kuleana Nanea, and Lemon Hart 151 rums, plus appetizers such as poke bowls, kalua (earth oven--baked) pork nachos, or Kona fish tacos. Happy hour is one of the best in town as is the location. All beers—draft or bottles—are $5. Fish tacos and sliders are only $6.

This venerable local beer hall opened in 1995 as the city's first microbrewery and serves an excellent selection of beer and a menu of elevated pub fare and pizza. It also hosts occasional live bands. There's a second, larger location 3 miles south of town in a restored airplane hangar.

Part of the boom of craft beverage makers that's redefined downtown Medford, this inviting tasting room with tables fashioned out of barrels and rotating art exhibits offers a full bar and restaurant with creative (and big) burgers and sandwiches and creative cocktails. But you can also just stop in to sample Immortal's first-rate single-barrel whiskey, Genever-style gin, blackberry brandy, and other heady elixirs.

The shows are never the same at this popular comedy spot. The Main Stage’s new show, Stanley Mugshots, weaves audience suggestions into comic improv and topical sketches throughout the 90-minute performances held every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. The NXT Cast is full of new faces in Boston comedy every Sunday and Wednesday, and if you like your humor with a side of raunch, check out the Saturday midnight show for a little (okay, a lot of) adult humor. Most shows (ranging from $15 to $28) tend to sell out, so get here early or call ahead.

This intimate, acoustically excellent, 500-seat music hall—a sister venue to Infinity Hall in Norfolk, Connecticut—presents live music (folk, jazz, rock, alternative) and comedy shows throughout the year. The mezzanine level features cabaret-style seating and beverage service.

Locals love the simply named watering hole on the ground floor of an inn that was a longtime haunt of Joe DiMaggio. Elsewhere, the primped and prepped are hittting the casino nightclubs, but a jovial and relaxed crowd prefers to tip them back here, at the mahogany bar, amid vintage posters and prints, and beneath stained glass hanging lamps. Some rarely leave, because the bar never closes.

Choose from the extensive selection of tequilas and margaritas here as well as nearly 20 tequila flights for the indecisive. They also have domestic, imported, and Texas craft beers.

Student art still lingers on the bathroom walls of this historic elementary school turned hipster haunt. On one end of the 1916 school, Bristol Brewing Company schools patrons with its microwbrews while creative libations are shaken and stirred down the hall at the Principal's Office. Trendy locals flock to the historic site with large patios and lots of charm for the tastiest cafeteria grub around, with five dining options offering pizza, barbecue, salads, and empanadas in an art-covered hallway between the two bars. Axe and the Oak Whiskey House serve up spirits distilled from local grain at this popular hangout.

Family owned and operated since 1909, J. J. Foley's Cafe (or "Foley's," as regulars call it) is one of the most authentic Irish bars in Boston. There's an intimate dining room, as well as a more casual bar area where everyone from former Boston mayors to Justin Timberlake have enjoyed a pint. Better yet, it's open until 1 am. The pub food is great; order a sky-high plate of loaded nachos if you dare.

There's nothing traditional about Jacque's Cabaret, an institution for more than 60 years. Nightly drag-queen shows draw bachelorette parties and locals looking to swill cocktails from plastic cups. Be sure to make reservations if you're going in a group, and don't show up late; they may give your table away if you aren't seated before showtime. Because of a long-running licensing dispute with sleepy Bay Villagers, the whole carnival shuts down nightly at midnight.

This spot has spectacular views of Paradise Valley and Camelback Mountain; an upscale, modern bar lined with windows; and a relaxing fireplace-lighted patio.