2610 Best Bars in USA

At this intimate, high-ceilinged bar with a dapper art deco interior, you can sip deftly crafted cocktails and catch live jazz. It's one of the few spots serving bar food until late.

Right on Georgetown's waterfront, this seafood restaurant has a large outdoor patio where you can enjoy a drink alfresco on a spring or summer evening. The cocktails are a little pricey, but you can't beat the view of the Potomac River and Kennedy Center at night.

For a dive bar with old San Francisco soul, go no further for a nightcap involving an old-fashioned, martini, or Negroni after a night of pizza crushing.

At the far north end of the Southport Corridor sits this humble neighborhood watering hole with a wide range of offerings that somehow all work well together. It's a Kansas City-supporting sports bar, with a menu offering New Orleans-style po'boy sandwiches, while also serving some of the city's best deep-fried buffalo wings. Toons also has an impressive beer list for a casual sports-focused environment, with 20 taps serving drafts from the likes of Dovetail, Three Floyds, and Haymarket. Need a budget beverage? Order a Chicago Handshake: a pint of Old Style paired with a shot of Malört.

Tootsie’s gets its name from legendary former owner Hattie Louise \"Tootsie\" Bess and the bold color of the honky-tonk's walls and exterior, which also features one of the more famous Downtown murals of ’80s country stars. A multilevel honky-tonk playground, you can see live music on all of its four floors, including the rooftop. Take note of the neon sign in the back alley for the famous Tootsie’s Upstairs, a novelty relic of the ’60s and ’70s, when country legends would go sit in the private room and drink after shows at the Ryman.

Enjoy the best views of the Savannah River and the cargo ships coming to port from this bar on the rooftop of the Cotton Sail Hotel. During the daytime Top Deck is quite low-key, but it gets lively and packed during the evening hours. Enjoy tasty, eclectic light bites with classic mixed drinks or more inspired signature cocktails. It's the best place in town to catch the sunset while enjoying a drink.

Missoula's most intimate live-music venue was remodeled to add a world-class sound system and a great restaurant to its popular bar. There are shows by popular performers almost every evening and programs for kids in late afternoon on the weekends.

A restaurant, brewery, and distillery all in one, TOPO has an impressive cocktail list featuring drinks made with homegrown spirits. As for beers, the refreshing Kenan lager and Old Well White wheat beer are always on tap. The top-floor space overlooks Franklin Street and is the place to be on UNC game days.

This sky lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt crowns the tallest waterfront building in California, affording sweeping views of San Diego Bay, including Coronado to the west, Mexico to the south, and Point Loma and La Jolla to the north. It's pricey and a bit pretentious (don't you dare wear flip-flops), but this champagne-centric bar is great for signature cocktails, catching a sunset, or celebrating an anniversary.

A famous magazine photograph immortalized the bar atop the Mark Hopkins as a hot spot for World War II servicemen on leave or about to ship out. The view remains sensational. Entertainment on many evenings ranges from solo piano to six-piece jazz ensembles (sometimes with a cover charge). Drinks and small bites can vary in quality, but you're really here to drink in the view and history.

On the highway, almost exactly halfway between Abbeville and Maurice is this family-owned dive bar, in operation since 1962. Every other Saturday afternoon, 2–6 pm, Touchet's hosts a very popular Cajun jam session. But that's not all at this community watering hole: you'll find bingo being played on certain Wednesday nights; karaoke on alternating Saturday evenings; local bands performing from time to time; and even the Cajun card game, bourré. To keep track of it all, check their website for the jam sessions, and their Facebook page (or call them) for everything else.

Formerly known as One Eyed Jack's, local music entrepreneurs are now at the helm of this revived historic theater (with an excellent bar in front), and it continues to be counted among the most beloved independent venues in the city. The black and red standing room hosts eighties nights, dance parties, tribute shows and jam sessions, and local legends like Quintron, Big Freedia, and Tank and the Bangas. Shows aren't as frequent as they once were, but a night here still promises a good time.

Distinguished, mature men from the Upper East Side meet younger would-be versions of themselves at this \"gentlemen's club\" and piano bar. The attire is \"uptown casual\" if not fancier (though jackets are not required), and there are daily happy hours, $2 off from 4 to 8 pm, plus weekly special events. 

Seattle's top spot for roots music and alt-country has a large, dimly lighted hall with all the right touches—tires as decor, exposed-brick walls, and a cheery staff. The sound system is outstanding.

It's been showcasing bands—from country to rock and roll—since 1964. Thanks to the music, beer, and margaritas, you may feel as if you're in Key West.

"Laid-back" would be an understatement at this institution, serving the Haight for more than 80 years. Once inside Trax, you won't feel like you're in a gay bar—or in San Francisco—and that's the way the regulars like it. Cheap beer specials draw all types, and though you don't have to don your cruise wear for this place, it's still social.

With a striking, almost elegant interior, this is a prime happy hour spot in the afternoon, then a citywide cocktail destination afterward. You can't go wrong with any of the cocktails, but the bar has a particular affinity for sherry.

The signature spectacle of the Treehouse is its hand-crafted tree sprouting from the root of the bar. Like most spots in Tremont, expect a house packed with young professionals every Friday and Saturday night.

At San Francisco's most talked-about (and arguably most innovative) craft cocktail bar, every drink has at least one "huh?" ingredient. But no worries, you're in the hands of some of the most capable bartenders that you'll ever have the honor of enjoying a drink from. It gets very crowded, both for the drinks and for the outstanding hot-dog-shaped burger and beloved kale salad.

When it comes to craft beer, a lot of Bostonians get excited about Trillium. Do as the locals do and quench your thirst in the ever-crowded ground-level taproom or sit for a quieter meal upstairs to enjoy a small menu of American fare that's meant to keep you reaching for more. Taps rotate with seasonal and standard Trillium beers, including ciders, sours, and IPAs. It's family-friendly during the day, with live music and trivia at night during the week. There's a fantastic roof deck, which is open seasonally.

Inventive cocktails wash down Southern comfort grub at this hip, retro joint packed with a younger crowd. The original drinks are just that—original—with concoctions like the Rockin' Chair (black-tea-infused bourbon, canton ginger cognac, and lemon) and the Fallen Angel (a spicy mango margarita with a barbecue-dusted rim). Their buttermilk fried chicken is well loved, and the mac and cheese with Ritz crackers and hot dogs is your new guilty pleasure.

This multilevel, multiroom club plays hip-hop, reggae, disco, and Top 40. It gets packed on weekends—arrive early to avoid lines or to snag a table for some late-night snacks. This is the most appealing and interesting of the Pioneer Square megaclubs—in terms of decor, anyway.

Trinity Hall draws crowds seeking an authentic Irish experience; there's a good beer selection and live music, and service is exceptional.

Funky sounds from the '70s and '80s mix with the latest club anthems at this perennially popular dance club. Listen to the cover bands at the downstairs bar, mingle on the outdoor patio, or head upstairs for the DJ-led dance party. It's open only Friday and Saturday night.

Come here for live world music and jazz. The seating is half-moon booths giving it a cabaret lounge feel. They also host a bawdy burlesque show during the holidays.

If quiet conversation and a good single-malt scotch or Swiss raclette in front of a fire is your idea of nightlife, this is the place for you.

Trophy has been a strong contender in the NC craft beer scene for a decade, especially beloved for their Trophy Wife IPA and Milky Way salted caramel stout. They've expanded to a bottle shop, distillery, and two taprooms, including this flagship spot with wood-fired pizza. Try the spicy Daredevil pizza with a full pint of beer to put out the jalapeño heat or come Monday for their thick Detroit-style pies.

Tucked under the Staypineapple Boston inn, this gay bar is popular with the local after-work crowd, who enjoy live performances from local artists and apps like nachos and chicken fingers. Casually dressed locals drop by for the large beer list and classic breakfast dishes during the hopping weekend brunches starting at noon, which feature long, tall mimosas, and bloodies.