25 best bars in metro Phoenix

For our final week exploring 25 essential metro Phoenix bars, we raised a glass to a historic Melrose bar, we went a little bit country at a longtime saloon, we enjoyed our board game paired with a glass of wine, sipped award winning cocktails and ended up at a neighborhood haunt that's become a standby for good reason.

Now that you know which bars are essential to our team, it's time to tell us about yours. Join the conversation by emailing me at [email protected] with the subject line: "My essential bar" and it could end up on our readers' essential bars list later this summer.

25 essential bars in metro Phoenix

In no particular order, here's a look at some essential metro Phoenix bars.

Buffalo Chip Saloon

Though it only opened in 1998, this old-timey saloon and dance hall in Cave Creek feels like it's been there forever. Inside is all bullhorns and rustic wood, while the picnic tables on the back patio overlook the line dancing area and stage and an arena where they hold mini-rodeos and mutton busting. The crowd is a mix of cowboys and city slickers who come for cold beer, line-dancing classes, country music and a bonefide, country-style night out.

Details: 6823 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek. 480-488-9118, buffalochipsaloon.com.

— Felicia Campbell

Boycott Bar

One of only 33 lesbian bars left in the United States, Boycott Bar holds a special place in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly for lesbian patrons who have few bars tailored specifically to them. The cozy, welcoming environment contrasts with larger, louder, more mainstream gay clubs. More than just a nightlife spot, it's a vital part of Phoenix's LGBTQ+ history and culture, and it remains a beloved destination for everything from karaoke to dance parties to happy hour with friends.

Details: 4301 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. 602-825-6240, instagram.com/boycott_bar.

—Tiffany Acosta

Century Grand

Century Grand isn't just one bar, it's three cool bars in one space. It’s no wonder it's been shortlisted for numerous awards and was named the Best Cocktail Bar in the U.S. in 2023 by the Spirited Awards and among the best in the world in 2024. Over-the-top décor transports at Platform 18, a train station-themed bar serving drinks from the Prohibition era, Grey Hen, an apothecary-inspired bar and UnderTow, a nautical tiki bar. It isn't all show, either. The drinks are seriously good and strong. Reservations are recommended and require a deposit that's applied to your bill.

Details: 3626 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-739-1388, centurygrandphx.com/platform18-cocktail-bar.

— Bahar Anooshahr

Rewined Beer and Wine Bar

If you've ever waited for a table at Glai Baan restaurant, you likely have been offered the option to wait at neighboring Rewined Beer and Wine Bar. But the space is worthy of a visit on its own.

Beyond IPAs and glasses of wine, the list includes sours, ciders, slushies and hard kombucha to enjoy under colorful twinkly lights, while you decorate the chalkboards, play one of the many games or just chat the night away. There's also events many nights of the week, like Tuesday Night Trivia, Monday Karaoke, the occasional Sip N Paint on Thursdays and Bingo & Bubbles on Sunday. It's the kind of place where it's easy to become a regular.

Details: 3308 N. 24th St., Phoenix. 602-429-9660, @bekind__rewined on Instagram.

— Dina Kaur

Linger Longer Lounge

This is another hidden spot and I mean hidden. Tucked in the far corner of a shopping center on 16th Street and Maryland, it's well-known to folks in the neighborhood, but hardly a place you'd notice driving by. A patio sits between the bar and a private event space where local musicians play shows, the bar hosts open mic nights and there's even a Mexican brunch pop-up on the weekend. The rest of the week, bar snacks have a German flair. Though the bar is no-frills, the drinks are excellent and many use local booze, like Del Bac. Add to that a solid happy hour from 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and you've got everything you could want from a neighborhood bar.

Details: 6522 N. 16th St., Phoenix. 602-694-0342, lingerlongerlounge.com.

—Bahar Anooshahr

Wren House

An award-winning brewery with a cult following, Wren House is the brainchild of Drew Pool, brother to Jarred and Arron Pool who own Gadzooks. Inspired by the beers he tasted in Europe, he opened his brewery with Bill Hammond in 2015 and has been producing solid beers ever since. Wren House has two locations, one inside a 1930s bungalow in Phoenix and another in Ahwatukee. Grab your favorite brew and relax inside or on the patio with friends. Outside food is allowed at the Phoenix taproom. Wren Sudhalle offers a food menu.

Details: 2125 N. 24th St, Phoenix.  602-244-9184. Also 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix. wrenhousebrewing.com.  — Bahar Anooshahr

Bikini Lounge

The oldest tiki bar in Phoenix is a dimly lit dive with loads of character that’s been a fixture on Grand Avenue since 1947. A door propped open on a recent Sunday afternoon offered just enough natural lighting for the couple playing pool at the back of the windowless room, while strands of brightly colored Christmas lights illuminated the tiki-centric kitsch behind the bar. Take in the view of a wooden carving of a ukulele-playing hula girl and a nearby painting of a topless hula dancer in a bamboo frame to accompany friendly service and the drinks that are the perfect combination of cheap and strong. It is cash only, by the way, so come prepared or be prepared to pay the ATM $3 every time you talk yourself into just one more round.

Details: 1502 Grand Ave., Phoenix. Instagram: @thebikinilounge, 602-252-0472.

— Ed Masley

Hidden Track Bottle Shop and Wine Bar

For hard-to-find and natural wines, Hidden Track wine room and bottle shop is a great place to try a taste of something new with the winemakers themselves or a friend. I like to split a bottle to pair with their scratch-made tapas menu of dishes like tea egg, tinned fish tartines and flammekueche, an Alsatian version of thin crust pizza, traditionally made with unleavened pastry dough topped with crème fraiche, guanciale and onions.

Details: 4700 N. 12th St., Suite 118, Phoenix. 602-314-6476, hiddentrackbottleshop.com.

—Bahar Anooshahr

Gracie's Tax Bar

A block away from Gracie's Tax Bar you'll hear the music — either a local band or DJ on the back patio — and once you walk in, you'll be welcomed by the smell of pickle fries and buffalo chicken sandwiches. What keeps me coming back are the affordable drinks and the comfort of feeling like a regular.

Details: 711 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. 602-793-1110, graciestaxbar.com.

—Dina Kaur

Espiritu Mesa

Espiritu is just fun, from the brooding, candle-lit interior to the sarcastic menu that invites guests to "Prepare yourself for a moderate to semi-decent cocktail experience." But don't be fooled, the earnest and inventive bartenders will make sure your tipple is a far cry better than decent. Drinks run the gamut from sweet and sultry to downright strange (the salsa-inspired drink does indeed taste like a fresh salsa). My favorite is a twist on a whiskey sour called La Toxica, made with mezcal, pineapple amaro, Xila agave liqueur, spiced chai and egg whites. With such an interesting menu, there has to be a second round. Thankfully, the bar snacks range from nibbles like homemade chips to full-blown meals to help you soak up the powerful concoctions.

Details: 123 W. Main St., Mesa. 480-272-6825, espiritumesa.com.

— Felicia Campbell

Hai Noon

Sloane McFarland and Ian Rosales, the owner and chef of Welcome Diner, teamed up with James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda, formerly of Nobuo at Teeter House, to open a quirky bar in a retro motel in south Scottsdale. They describe it as a kind of Japanese-Sonoran fever dream, and that’s exactly what the drinks deliver with concoctions like the Goma, made with a black sesame-infused tequila shaken with sweet chili agave and lime juice. Wild and wonderful.

Details: 7017 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale. Hainoonaz.com.

— Felicia Campbell

Drunken Tiger

Drunken Tiger is festooned with graffiti art on the walls and a soju glass Christmas tree, setting the tone for the fun and eclectic atmosphere. The Korean pub offers superb bar snacks like Korean fried chicken, kimchi pork fries and corn cheese to fortify you for soju and soju cocktails, Korean beers like Tiger Beer and Cass, or a combination of the two with soju bombs — a shot glass filled with soju dropped into a pint of beer.

Details: 1954 S. Dobson Road #5, Mesa. 480-755-7555, drunkentigeraz.com.

— Tiffany Acosta

AZ88

This iconic Scottsdale bar has been a destination for good vibes and good martinis “filled to the brim” since 1988. Tucked in Scottsdale's Civic Center Plaza, the name is a combination of Arizona and the year it opened and the beloved haunt has become a go-to for many on Christmas Eve. Almost as well known for its rotating, massive art installations as it is for its massive martini list, AZ88 is old-school, over-the-top indulgence. Case in point: The bar’s food menu starts with desserts because life is short.

Details: 7353 E. Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale. 480-994-5576, az88.com.

— Bahar Anooshahr

Valley Bar

From the time it opened in 2015, this basement bar has been among the cooler spots to catch a show in metro Phoenix. The intimate, 250-capacity room books a mix of national and local acts. But Valley Bar has always been more than a music venue, as anyone who’s ever hung a left at the foot of the stairwell can attest. That’s where you’ll find the Rose Room, named in honor of the state’s first female governor, Rose Mofford, whose portrait looks out on a lounge where signature cocktails include the Rose Mofford, a sweet-tart vodka drink mixed with a Fugit Liqueur de Violettes and rose water. The visual centerpiece is a bit darker — a slowly spinning, shadow-cast kinetic projection that hangs above the bar in haunting tribute to the trunk murders of legendary Arizona dismemberer Winnie Ruth Judd.

Details: 130 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-368-3121, valleybarphx.com.

— Ed Masley

TT Roadhouse

The best bars are dive bars, though not everyone thinks so, obviously. TT Roadhouse, a longtime haunt in south Scottsdale, works out for you no matter which side of the dive-bar fence you land on. It’s got a good-size cocktail menu along with plenty of beers, which makes it perfect for bikers and whatever the hip crowd in Old Town calls itself these days. You probably won’t get influencer-famous here but you will have a good time. It’s just a fun place to drink and meet people, and what more do you want from a bar?

There are a variety of specials — $1 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon or Hamm’s on Sundays — but the best is the all-day, every-day Trash Can, a can of PBR or Hamm’s and a well shot for $4.50. Bottoms up.

Details: 2915 N. 68th St., Scottsdale. 480-947-8723. ttroadhouse.com.

— Bill Goodykoontz

The Captain’s Cabin

The Captain’s Cabin is a cozy, nautical-themed speakeasy behind an unmarked portal door a few steps south of Hula’s Modern Tiki in Phoenix. It’s a Hula’s spinoff “where a late '40s era Tahitian sailor’s bar meets the modern day craft cocktail lounge,” to borrow a spot-on bit of hype from the Hula’s website. You can even order appetizers in from Hula’s. And when I say cozy, I’m talking 24 people would start to feel a little tight in there.

They’ve certainly captured the aesthetic of a captain’s cabin with a wood interior, a model ship and skulls sharing space with the premium spirits on the shelves behind the bar. You could almost say it’s all about the atmosphere, but with Valley mixologist David Muhlstein running the ship, the drinks are also outstanding, from the Captain’s Mai Tai to the Stars Will Guide You (St. George Spiced Pear liqueur, Paranubes, Four Roses bourbon, cinnamon, lemon, Australian Barrel spice bitters).

Details: 5114 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. hulasmoderntiki.com/captainscabin.

—Ed Masley

Easy Tiger

Easy Tiger is the perfect kind of dive bar. Its anti-flashy, strip mall exterior and no-frills interior are coupled with good, simple bar snacks like Korean BBQ wings and specialty drinks like the Jet Pilot made with rum, falernum, cinnamon, grapefruit, bitters and lime.

Besides food and drink, Easy Tiger has everything you’d want in a neighborhood joint: karaoke on Monday nights, live music on the weekends, a pool table, darts and board games to keep you entertained while you toss back a drink or four. It’s only been open for two years but somehow feels like a place where regulars have been hanging for decades.

Details: 4725 W. Olive Ave., Glendale. facebook.com/easytigerbar.

— Meredith White

Barcoa

Hidden below a more casual cantina, the basement bar at Barcoa is built around celebrating local Sonoran spirits with a massive list of tequilas, mezcal, bacanora, sotol, raicilla and distilado de agave available on their own, in flights and shaken into cocktails. Many of the bottles come from small Mexican producers, which means you won’t find them anywhere else, and the bartenders are as passionate about telling their stories as pouring their spirits. Try the elote moda made with elote mezcal, ancestral corn whisky, licor de elote, piloncillo and orange bitters for a twist on an old fashioned or get a flight and learn about more obscure agaves. Details: 829 N. First Ave., Phoenix; 602-980-0788, barcoaphx.com.

— Felicia Campbell

Casey Moore's Oyster House

An ASU classic, Casey Moore's Oyster House is not only a great stop for tasty seafood but is just as famous for its lively outdoor area that is beautiful at night once the lights come on and the cool breeze is blowing. The bar is rumored to be haunted by William and Mary Moeur who died in the home during the mid-1900s and the spirits from the bordello that followed still linger as forks fly off the tables, lights flicker and paintings fall off the walls. Or it could just be one too many drinks.

Details: 850 S. Ash Ave., Tempe. 480-968-9935, caseymoores.com.

— Dina Kaur

Little Rituals

This bar has racked up lots of national attention, from James Beard nominations to earning a spot on the Tails of the Cocktail finalists list and even a pin (the equivalent of a one Michelin star for bars) from The Pinnacle Guide. And it fully lives up to the hype.

As you enter the bar, enjoy a panoramic view of the Phoenix skyline before settling in and perusing pages of inventive cocktails. The drinks are divided into daily, delicious, refreshing, stirred and silky, indulgent and exotic. Presentation is almost as good as the drinks themselves, as is the case with one of the most popular drinks: Big City Nights made with Blackberry Botanist gin, Suze, vermouth, cinnamon syrup, lemon and egg white, with the foam printed with a painting of downtown Phoenix.

Details: 132 S. Central Ave., Phoenix (on the fourth floor of the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix Downtown). 602-603-2050, littleritualsbar.com.

— Bahar Anooshahr

The Dirty Drummer

As it says on the menu, the Dirty Drummer has been “an eatin’ and drinkin’ place since 1975.” A lot of things about this bar will take you right back to that decade, from the Kenny Rogers portrait on the wall to the steady stream of Eagles, Seger, Fleetwood Mac and Linda Ronstadt on the jukebox to the signs on the restroom doors (Olivia Newton-John and Elton John).

The Drummer also hosts live music, mostly country, but also touring rock acts, and has several TV screens throughout the bar to catch a ballgame. Last time I was there, I saw the Pirates beat the Dodgers.

Go off menu for a killer Bloody Mary and enjoy some hot wings — they’re as juicy (and as hot) as promised — or a burger if you’re there on Burger Tuesday.

Details: 2303 N. 44th St., Phoenix. 602-840-2726, thedirtydrummer.com.

— Ed Masley

The Cave at Quartz Bar

The Cave, a reservation-only, mirrored back room at Quartz bar in Phoenix, is a cocktail nerd’s paradise with drinks inspired by deserts of the world.

Often strange (think black olive and cherry cola with Scotch) and never boring, the presentation is over the top and the service is so friendly that drinking there makes you feel like you’re part of the cool kid cocktail club.

The rum-based Abricadabra Daiquiri said to be inspired by the Iranian desert of Dasht-e Kavir, seems to take cues from the cucumber and yogurt dip mast-o-khiar, balanced with mint water and lime. The yogurt cracker “snack” is a playful garnish reminiscent of kashk, a dehydrated yogurt Bedouin people take on long desert treks.

Though highly Instagrammable, it’s not all just for show. The Cave is serious about their conceptual drinks and offers the most cutting-edge cocktail program in a town with seriously great mixology.

Details: 341 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. 602-385-0299, quartzphx.com

— Felicia Campbell

Cider Corps

Regular beer isn’t for everyone. Cider, made from fermented apples, is the star at beloved, veteran-owned Mesa taproom Cider Corps. Their ciders have been recognized for being best in the U.S. for gluten-free diners, especially the Mango Foxtrot, a mango and rose hip semi-dry cider with 6.9% ABV.

Details: 31 S. Robson, Suite 103, Mesa. 480-993-3164, cidercorpsaz.com.

— Endia Fontanez

Charlie’s

In the historically gay culture hub of the Melrose District, Charlie's stands out. Opened as a country-Western bar in the 1980s, over the years it has evolved into a vibrant, inclusive nightclub that maintains its Western roots.

You can expect drag shows, karaoke, Latin and country dance nights, nightly drink deals and an iconic taco truck out front. The blend of country charm coupled with a lively, modern LGBTQ+ club atmosphere makes Charlie’s a uniquely Phoenix nightlife staple.

Details: 727 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-265-0224, charliesphoenix.com.

— Tiffany Acosta

Yucca Tap Room

Yucca Tap Room might be as synonymous with Tempe as the Sun Devils and the Gin Blossoms. At the intersection of Mill and Southern avenues, the long-running dive bar sits in a moss-hued strip mall that looks like it’s stuck in the 1960s.

At the legendary local hangout, guests can choose from a selection of 29 beers on tap and enjoy a happy "hour" that lasts from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Beyond its reputation as a neighborhood watering hole, Yucca is also a live music space where you can catch a punk or metal show.

Don’t forget to bring quarters for the rows of pinball machines at its Electric Bat Arcade.

Details: 29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe. 480-967-4777, yuccatap.com.

— Michael Salerno

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Reach the food, dining and nightlife editor at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best bars in Phoenix, AZ: 25 places to drink