Badlands ★ 4.2
$$midtownMon-Wed 20:00-02:00, Thu-Sat 21:00-02:00, Sun 16:00-02:00
Badlands on K Street, midtown Sacramento, has won Sacramento's best LGBTQ bar award eight consecutive years, a video-music dance club opposite Faces.
Tip: Drag, Latin and disco nights through the week. The Sunday afternoon disco is the longest-running standby in town.
The Snug ★ 4.6
$$$midtownDaily 16:00-02:00
The Snug on 15th Street, midtown Sacramento, runs a vinyl-driven listening lounge from the speakeasy-style cocktail room, the city's deepest classic-cocktail menu.
Tip: Reservations are smart on Friday and Saturday. The room rewards quieter visits when the bartenders can talk through the list.
The Press Club ★ 4.0
$midtownTue-Sun varies by event; closed Monday
The Press Club on 21st Street, midtown Sacramento, is the city's punk and indie dive bar, running emo nights, swing nights and DJ sets late into the morning.
Tip: Emo Night is the last Wednesday of the month. DJ nights Thursday through Sunday; live music most Mondays through Wednesdays.
The Torch Club ★ 4.4
$$downtownWed 17:00-24:00, Thu-Sat 17:00-01:00, Sun 15:00-24:00
The Torch Club on 15th Street, downtown Sacramento, runs late seven nights a week with live blues, the city's oldest blues bar going since 1934.
Tip: Two sets nightly Wednesday through Sunday. Last set typically winds down by 00:30 weekend nights.
MIX Downtown ★ 4.2
$$$downtownFri-Sun 21:00-01:30
MIX Downtown atop the Firestone Building on L Street in downtown Sacramento is the city's premier rooftop nightclub, three rooms of cocktails and DJs with a Capitol-view terrace.
Tip: Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest. Kitchen runs to midnight Friday and Saturday. Bottle service and VIP available.
Faces Nightclub ★ 4.3
$$midtownMon 20:00-02:00, Tue-Fri 16:00-02:00, Sat-Sun 14:00-02:00
Faces on K Street in midtown Sacramento has run as the city's biggest LGBTQ nightclub since 1985, three dance floors, fifteen bar stations and a back patio with pool.
Tip: Saturday is the busiest, with multi-floor DJs and drag shows. The mezzanine is bottle service only.