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North America

Bar entertainment in North America

  1. A

    Fiume

    Tiny spot above the Abyssinia Ethiopian restaurant in West Philly. Live music Thursday through Sunday.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Fastnet

    This friendly pub serves a fine selection of Irish beers on tap, decent pub grub and live-feed rugby.

    reviewed

  3. Elite

    An extremely friendly Capitol Hill establishment with darts, pool, not-too-loud music and decent cocktails.

    reviewed

  4. C

    Electric Pickle

    Miami can work its magic on anyone, even Wynwood's angst-ridden artists and hipsters (Wypsters). Like Cinderella touched by a fairy godmother (or a very good DJ), they become glamorous club kids in this two-story hepcat hot spot. The Pickle is as sexy and gorgeous as Miami gets, but with its modish library and (semi)literati clientele, it's also intelligent enough to hold a conversation...though you should expect it to be a sloppy, fun drunk by midnight.

    reviewed

  5. Eddie Brady's

    Neighborhood tavern in a rehabilitated downtown building (c 1863).

    reviewed

  6. D

    D'Mongo's

    With its retro ambience, ribs cookin' on the outdoor smoker, and jazz or country bands croonin', it's a pity this secret hideaway is open on Fridays only.

    reviewed

  7. Cove

    Far from the Beale St crowds, this hipsterish new dive rocks a nautical theme while serving retro cocktails (sidecars, Singapore Slings) and upscale bar snacks (oysters on the half shell, chips with fresh anchovies). A good place to meet locals.

    reviewed

  8. Contigo

    Big shade trees over a relaxed patio make this one of the nicest places in town to chill out with a cocktail.

    reviewed

  9. Contigo

    Big shade trees over a relaxed patio make this one of the nicest places in town to chill out with a cocktail.

    reviewed

  10. Casino Club

    In a ski resort less than 75 years old, this dive bar is the oldest thing still standing and has witnessed everything from gambling fist fights, to psychedelic hippies, to the rise and fall of Ernest Hemingway (yes, he downed a few in here), to tattooed men on Harleys riding through the front door. A survivor, if nothing else!

    reviewed

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  12. Brillo Box Bar

    Live music, excellent menu and a good Sunday brunch at this popular spot in Lawrenceville.

    reviewed

  13. Brick Store Pub

    Beer hounds geek out on Atlanta's best beer selection, with some 17 meticulously chosen draughts (so underground, they're striking oil) and a separate Belgian beer bar upstairs. In total, nearly 200 by the bottle and a cool quotient approaching exhausting.

    reviewed

  14. Belmont

    Young hipsters mellow out with small-batch bourbon at this low-key new lounge, in a narrow 1930s-style King St storefront.

    reviewed

  15. B Bar

    This smallish basement bar, tucked under the Betsy Hotel, has two salient features. One is a crowd of the beautiful, in-the-know SoBe-tastic types you expect at South Beach nightspots. The other is an odd, low- hanging reflective ceiling, built out of a sort of wobbly material that sinks in like soft Jell-o and ripples like a stone in a pond when you touch it. It's a pretty cool thing to witness, especially when all sorts of drunk, beautiful people try to (literally) raise the roof.

    reviewed

  16. E

    Aqua Bar

    Imagine a food court where the options include a raw bar, sushi, gelato and other international delights. Add a fully stocked bar with generous tenders pouring the drinks. Now put the whole place in a gorgeous seaside setting, overlooking a little beach and beautiful harbor. Now, imagine this whole scene at sunset. That's no fantasy, that's Aqua Bar.

    reviewed

  17. Ale Mary's

    Its name and decor pay homage to Maryland's Catholic roots, with crosses, rosaries and nun things scattered about. Aside from the kitsch factor, Ale Mary's brings in a fun festive crowd and serves satisfying food (crab cakes, tater tots, bread pudding).

    reviewed

  18. Abraxas

    Abraxas is open, uncrowded, located in a classical deco building, serves fantastic beer from around the USA and the world, and has clientele and staff who are the friendly sort, the types who will quickly make friends with a stranger and then keep said stranger entertained and inebriated until closing time. It's tucked away in a residential area; take your traveling friends here and they'll wonder how you ever found it.

    reviewed

  19. F

    Abe's on Lincoln

    Ditch the tourists – drink with the locals.

    reviewed

  20. G

    Double Down Saloon

    You can't get more punk rock than a dive whose tangy, blood-red house drink is named 'Ass Juice' and where happy hour means everything in the bar is two bucks. (Ass Juice and a Twinkie for $5; one of Vegas' bizarrely badass bargains.) Killer jukebox, cash only.

    reviewed

  21. H

    Bier Baron

    Since changing name and ownership, the former Brickskeller serves better food and has better service, with the same dark, pubby ambience and venerable selection of bottled and draft beer (over 500 brews!).

    reviewed

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  23. Waterfront Bar & Grill

    Beer and burgers are the orders of choice at this cheerful neighborhood bar, opened in 1933 shortly after Prohibition was outlawed.

    reviewed

  24. Surf City Billiards & Café

    For shooting stick, dartboards, big-screen TVs and darn good pub grub.

    reviewed

  25. I

    Smuggler's Cove

    Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum…or wait, make that a Dead Reckoning tawny port cocktail with Angostura bitters, Nicaraguan rum and vanilla liqueur, unless someone wants to share the flaming Scorpion Bowl? Pirates are bedeviled by choice at this shambling Barbary Coast shipwreck of a tiki bar, hidden speakeasy-style behind a tinted door. With tasting flights from a selection of 200 specialty rums and 70 historic cocktail recipes gleaned from rum-running around the world, you won't be dry-docked for long.

    reviewed

  26. Eleven

    This glam spot occupies a historic building, serves New American cuisine and offers different theme nights from Musical Mondays to high-energy dance parties; check the website for club nights.

    reviewed

  27. J

    Bar Agricole

    Drink your way to a history degree with well-researched cocktails: Bellamy Scotch Sour with egg whites passes the test, but Tequila Fix with lime, pineapple gum and hellfire bitters earns honors. And talk about an overachiever – for its modern wabi-sabi design with natural materials and sleek deck, Agricole won a James Beard Award for restaurant design. Bar bites here are a proper pig-out, including pork pâté with aspic fried farm egg with crispy pork belly.

    reviewed