Top Bars in United States

Kumiko ★ 4.8 · Chicago

630 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661

Kumiko in Chicago is Julia Momose's West Loop Japanese cocktail bar on Lake Street, with a kaiseki-leaning food menu and a James Beard Outstanding Bar program win.

Tip: Book the chef's-counter omakase pairing if you have a long evening; otherwise the bar Toki highball is the showcase order.

Williams and Graham ★ 4.8 · Denver

3160 Tejon St, Denver, CO 80211

Williams and Graham in Denver is Sean Kenyon's Highland speakeasy behind an unmarked bookcase, a James Beard nominee since 2011 and a Front Range cocktail benchmark.

Jewel of the South ★ 4.8 · New Orleans

1026 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Jewel of the South in New Orleans is Chris Hannah's St Louis Street cocktail temple in an 1830s Creole cottage, four-time North America's 50 Best South USA winner and on the World's 50 list.

Tip: The brandy crusta was invented by Joseph Santini in New Orleans circa 1850; this is the canonical version.

Kimball House ★ 4.7 · Atlanta

decatur · 303 E Howard Ave, Decatur, GA 30030

Kimball House in Decatur, Atlanta runs the city's most-awarded cocktail and oyster bar inside a converted 19th-century train station. James Beard nominated bar program.

Tip: Sunday Happy Hour 17:00 to 18:30 runs cheaper oysters and cocktails. The bar takes walk-ins late on weekends.

Backbar ★ 4.7 · Boston

somerville · 7 Sanborn Ct, Somerville, MA 02143

Backbar in Union Square Somerville has poured artful cocktails behind an unmarked door in Boston since 2011. Sam Treadway founder; Field and Vine team bought it in 2025; obscure-spirits programme.

Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations. Last call 23:15. Order from the staff-pick chalkboard for the best off-menu drink.

The Office (at The Aviary) ★ 4.7 · Chicago

955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

The Office in Chicago is the speakeasy beneath The Aviary on Fulton Market: a 15-seat reservation-only basement room with rare-spirit flights and caviar service.

Tip: Book six weeks out via the Tock system. The Pappy Van Winkle pour is the room's biggest draw.

Death and Co ★ 4.7 · Denver

1280 25th St, Denver, CO 80205

Death and Co Denver is the Ramble Hotel cocktail bar from the New York original, an Alex Day and David Kaplan operation since 2018 with a hotel-attached two-room layout.

Refuge ★ 4.7 · Houston

1424 Westheimer Rd, 2nd Floor, Houston, TX 77006

Refuge in Houston is Bobby Heugel's reservation-only cocktail apartment above Anvil on Westheimer, with a four-stool bar, stirred cocktails and a slow-paced 90-minute service.

Tip: Reservations only via the website. Two seatings a night. The price is steep; the cocktails are the city's most precise.

Old Lightning ★ 4.7 · Los Angeles

2905 Washington Blvd, Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Old Lightning in Venice, Los Angeles is a hidden whiskey bar behind Scopa with rare bourbons and pre-Prohibition spirits. Reservations only, three weeks ahead.

Cafe La Trova ★ 4.7 · Miami

971 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33130

Cafe La Trova in Miami's Little Havana is Julio Cabrera and Michelle Bernstein's Cuban bar at 971 SW 8th Street, a regular on the World's 50 Best Bars list.

Tip: Live music nightly; the bar pours classic Havana daiquiris with the Cabrera technique. The kitchen plates Michelle Bernstein's croquetas.

Marvel Bar ★ 4.7 · Minneapolis

north-loop · 50 N 2nd Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Marvel Bar in the basement of the old Bachelor Farmer space has poured Minneapolis's defining cocktails since 2011. Pip Hanson's Oliveto; basement bar, no kitchen.

Cure ★ 4.7 · New Orleans

4905 Freret St, New Orleans, LA 70115

Cure in New Orleans is the Freret Street cocktail bar in a 1907 firehouse from Neal Bodenheimer, on the North America's 50 Best Bars list since 2018 with a rotating seasonal cocktail list.

Tip: Cure prints a seasonal menu but the regular order is to tell the bartender what you like and what you don't.

French 75 Bar ★ 4.7 · New Orleans

813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112

French 75 Bar in New Orleans is Chris Hannah's longtime cocktail room beside Arnaud's on Bienville Street, with the canonical French 75 cocktail and a serious classic-cocktail programme.

Tip: Order the French 75 with cognac, not gin; the older Cazenave-era recipe is the house standard.

Attaboy ★ 4.7 · New York City

lower-east-side · 134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

Attaboy on Eldridge has poured bartender-choice cocktails in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2013. No menu, no door bell, ring for entry. Sam Ross's Penicillin is the house drink.

Tip: Ring the unmarked grey door. Order by mood and base spirit; the bar does the rest. Cash, card, no reservations.

The Dead Rabbit ★ 4.7 · New York City

financial-district · 30 Water Street, New York, NY 10004

Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry's three-floor Financial District bar in New York City sits high in the World's 50 Best list. Irish coffee and historical cocktails downstairs.

Tip: The downstairs Taproom takes walk-ins; the Parlor upstairs needs a booking. Order Irish Coffee at the Taproom counter.

Double Chicken Please ★ 4.7 · New York City

lower-east-side · 115 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002

Double Chicken Please on Allen Street has run the city's most ambitious flavour-led cocktail program in New York City since 2020. Top of the World's 50 Best Bars in 2023.

Tip: Front Room walk-in; Coop in the back takes reservations on Resy. The Cold Pizza is the showpiece, the Pina Colada the runner-up.

Hop Sing Laundromat ★ 4.7 · Philadelphia

1029 Race St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Hop Sing Laundromat in Philadelphia is the unmarked Chinatown speakeasy on Race Street since 2012, with 1,000-plus rare spirits, strict house rules and the city's most theatrical room.

False Idol ★ 4.7 · San Diego

little-italy · 675 W Beech St, San Diego, CA 92101

False Idol tiki speakeasy in Little Italy, San Diego, the CH Projects hideaway behind Craft and Commerce running classic Don the Beachcomber recipes with rum fountains and storm walls.

Canon ★ 4.7 · Seattle

928 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Canon in Seattle's Capitol Hill is Jamie Boudreau's whiskey bar since 2011: 4000 labels, America's largest spirits collection, and a tight kitchen that runs until midnight.

Columbia Room ★ 4.7 · Washington DC

124 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001

Columbia Room in Washington DC is Derek Brown's Shaw Blagden Alley cocktail destination since 2010, James Beard Outstanding Bar Program winner with a tasting-menu Spirits Library room.

Tip: The Tasting Room flight requires a reservation; the Spirits Library walk-up room runs the menu without booking pressure.

Ticonderoga Club ★ 4.6 · Atlanta

inman-park · 99 Krog St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Ticonderoga Club at Krog Street Market in Atlanta opened 2015 from a team including Greg Best. Awarded James Beard Outstanding Bar in 2019 for the cocktail programme.

Tip: No reservations; bar seats are first-come. The naval-officers-club aesthetic carries through to the punch service.

The Roosevelt Room ★ 4.6 · Austin

307 W 5th St, Unit B, Austin, TX 78701

The Roosevelt Room in Austin is the West 5th cocktail bar in the downtown Warehouse District, Austin's most-awarded cocktail room with a 150-page classics-and-originals card.

Tip: The classics-and-originals menu runs deep enough that asking the bartender to choose is the standard order.

The Aviary ★ 4.6 · Chicago

955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

The Aviary in Chicago is the Achatz-Kokonas modernist cocktail bar above Next on Fulton Market, with edible-ice cocktails and a service script all its own.

Tip: Book the In the Rocks cocktail (cracked-ice presentation tableside); it is the room's defining drink and the value-per-dollar move.

Au Cheval (bar) ★ 4.6 · Chicago

800 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Au Cheval in Chicago is the West Loop diner-bar on Randolph with one of the country's most-mentioned cheeseburgers, plus duck-heart hash and a bar-front whiskey row.

Tip: The bar accepts walk-up only; sit there if you can't book. The single-with-egg cheeseburger is the menu's defining order.

Cooper Lounge ★ 4.6 · Denver

1701 Wynkoop St, Denver, CO 80202

Cooper Lounge in Denver is the Crawford Hotel's mezzanine bar over Union Station's Great Hall, a destination room with classic cocktails and a view down the train deck.

Anvil Bar & Refuge ★ 4.6 · Houston

1424 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006

Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston is Bobby Heugel's Montrose cocktail bar on Westheimer since 2009, the city's modern cocktail-bar template with the Brave and a 100-cocktail list.

Tip: Order off the 100-cocktail wall list at the back. The Brave is the house drink; the 9th Ward Daiquiri is the next pick.

Herbs and Rye ★ 4.6 · Las Vegas

3713 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Herbs and Rye in Las Vegas is the West Sahara speakeasy since 2009, a classic-cocktail bar and late-night steakhouse with the half-price happy hour the city's industry made famous.

Tip: Happy hour daily 17:00 to 20:00 runs all classic cocktails and steaks at half price; the only happy hour late enough for the swing shift.

Thunderbolt ★ 4.6 · Los Angeles

1263 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Thunderbolt in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles is a Mathew Biancaniello cocktail room with frozen rotations and one of the city's best martinis.

Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Co. ★ 4.6 · Miami

237 20th St, Suite B, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Sweet Liberty in Miami Beach is John Lermayer's 2015 cocktail bar at 237 20th Street, Collins Park, with a 10-year run as a James Beard semifinalist and Best American Bar.

Tip: Daily 4pm to 6am happy hour is the long pour; pina colada is the order even at midnight.

Attaboy ★ 4.6 · Nashville

east-nashville · 8 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

The New York-born Attaboy opened its East Nashville McFerrin Avenue outpost in 2018: no menu, no cocktail list, bartenders build drinks to your spec.

Tip: Doors at 17:00 Sunday to Thursday, 16:00 Friday and Saturday. Press the buzzer to enter; first-come-first-served bar.