Tanto ★ 4.8
Tanto on North Florida Avenue runs a creative Latin-inflected cocktail program with mezcal, agave spirits and a small-plates menu of Latin American bites.
Signature drink: Mezcal Negroni
Food: Latin small plates
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Tampa for grown-ups.
Where to drink
Jekyll ★ 4.6
Jekyll in Hyde Park Village runs rare vintage spirits and hand-crafted molecular cocktails, with smoke domes, dehydrated garnishes and a serious whiskey list.
Signature drink: Molecular Manhattan
Food: Small plates
Rome and Fig Cocktail Bar ★ 4.7
Rome and Fig in North Hyde Park runs a cocktail bar alongside the Mediterranean restaurant, with seasonal cocktails and an aperitivo program.
Signature drink: Negroni Sbagliato
Food: Mediterranean small plates
The Hub Bar ★ 4.6
The Hub on North Franklin downtown has run a dive bar since the 1940s, known for the strongest cocktail pours in Tampa and a no-frills room.
Signature drink: Strong pour Old Fashioned
Food: None
Irish 31 Pub Hyde Park ★ 4.3
Irish 31 on Swann Avenue runs a classic Irish pub with proper Guinness pours, traditional pub food and the largest Irish whiskey list in the Tampa Bay area.
Signature drink: Guinness pour
Food: Pub food
The Bricks ★ 4.3
The Bricks on East Seventh runs a daytime cafe by morning and a cocktail bar by night, with the same Ybor brick-walled room across the day. Open.
Signature drink: Espresso martini
Food: Charcuterie
Steelbach Bourbon Bar ★ 4.5
Steelbach at Armature Works runs a bourbon-forward Southern cocktail bar with 200-plus whiskeys, a roof patio over the Hillsborough River and small Southern.
Signature drink: Manhattan with rare bourbon
Food: Southern small plates
Kettle Of Fish ★ 4.5
Kettle of Fish downtown runs a dive-style cocktail bar with creative drinks, a slim seating room and a strong late-night crowd from the Franklin Street strip.
Signature drink: Vesper martini
Food: Bar snacks
Palihouse Lobby Bar ★ 4.5
Palihouse Hyde Park's lobby bar runs creative cocktails in a hotel lounge setting, with a velvet-banquette room and a chosen whiskey program.
Signature drink: House Negroni
Food: Lobby snacks
Bern's Bar Below 1208 ★ 4.8
Bar Below 1208 sits underneath Bern's Steakhouse and runs creative cocktails using the Bern's cellar inventory, with vintage vermouth and rare amari.
Signature drink: Aged Manhattan with Bern's wine vermouth
Food: Bar snacks
Agave Social Tampa ★ 4.4
Agave Social in Ybor runs Tampa's deepest tequila and mezcal collection, with smoky cocktails, Mexican small plates and a serious agave-flight program.
Signature drink: Tepache Margarita
Food: Mexican small plates
Rock Brothers Brewing Taproom ★ 4.2
Rock Brothers in Ybor City runs a brewery taproom with rock and roll branded beers from collaborations across the music industry. Walk-ins welcome at the bar.
Signature drink: Rock Brothers IPA
Food: Pub food
Hotel Bar ★ 4.4
Hotel Bar in downtown's Floridan Palace runs creative classic cocktails in a 1926 hotel room, with a vintage lobby and an Art Deco feel. Open year-round.
Signature drink: Tampa Hilton Mai Tai
Food: Small plates
Centro Asturiano Bar ★ 4.2
Centro Asturiano in Ybor is one of the historic mutual-aid Spanish clubs from 1888, with a member-bar that serves the public on club nights for sangria.
Signature drink: Sangria de Centro
Food: Spanish small plates
The Castle ★ 4.2
The Castle in Ybor has run Tampa's goth, industrial and alternative dive bar since 1992, with a black-walled room and a no-frills cocktail menu.
Signature drink: Black Russian
Food: None
The Sail Pavilion ★ 4.0
The Sail Pavilion on the Tampa Riverwalk runs an open-air rum and tiki bar with frozen cocktails, river views and a sunset crowd. Walk-ins welcome at the bar.
Signature drink: Rum Hurricane
Food: Bar snacks
Mandarin Heights ★ 4.7
Mandarin Heights in Seminole Heights is a mid-century palm-beach-chic cocktail lounge with classic drink recipes and a forward-thinking program.
Signature drink: Classic Negroni
Food: Small plates
CW's Gin Joint ★ 4.7
CW's Gin Joint downtown is a sultry speakeasy with live jazz and piano Thursday through Sunday, craft cocktails and a Roaring Twenties room.
Signature drink: Classic gin martini
Food: Small plates and dining menu
Edison Food and Drink Lab ★ 4.6
Edison Food and Drink Lab on Kennedy is Chef Jeannie Pierola's five-time James Beard semifinalist restaurant with innovative cocktails and bar service.
Signature drink: Chef Pierola seasonal cocktail
Food: Experimental New American
Repeal 18 ★ 4.1
Repeal 18 in Westchase is a hand-crafted cocktail lounge with a Prohibition theme, pool table, dart board and 1920s-themed libations all week.
Signature drink: 1920s-themed libation
Food: Bar snacks
The Dan ★ 4.1
The Dan at Hotel Flor downtown is a Roaring Twenties bar inspired by Hotel Flor's original Sapphire Lounge, with classic cocktails and dining service.
Signature drink: Roaring Twenties era classic
Food: American dining menu
Morgan's Cove ★ 4.4
Morgan's Cove is a pirate-themed speakeasy downtown by Don the Beachcomber, sister to Yeoman's Pub next door with tiki cocktails behind a hidden door.
Signature drink: Don the Beachcomber tiki cocktail
Food: Bar snacks
The Hyde Park Cafe ★ 4.0
The Hyde Park Cafe on Platt is a Friday and Saturday nightclub with DJs, dancing and a bottle-service crowd in South Tampa's Hyde Park district.
Signature drink: Bottle service cocktails
Food: Bar food
Tiny Tap Tavern ★ 4.1
Tiny Tap Tavern on Morrison is one of Tampa's oldest dive bars, a converted 1930s gas station with a foosball table, pool tables and a non-smoking room.
Signature drink: Cash-only domestic beer
Food: No kitchen
The Independent Bar and Cafe ★ 4.4
The Independent in South Seminole Heights pairs a deep Belgian and Florida craft beer list with European cafe fare and live music in a longtime neighborhood.
Signature drink: Belgian beer pour
Food: European cafe fare