The 22 Best Pubs in the United States

Portraits of historical drunkards and ne'er-do-wells line the walls of this downtown cocktail bar, which sets the tone pretty efficiently. Long shared tables give the room a public-hall looseness, and the menu swings wide, pairing gin martinis and oysters with po'boys and tropical painkillers. The occasional burlesque night confirms that nobody here is pretending this is a quiet spot for serious reflection.

This is an English-style pub on Belmont, low-ceilinged and wood-beamed, with decades of cigarette smoke apparently still living in the walls. The beer comes in proper 20-ounce pints, there are real metal-tipped darts, and the Scotch eggs and fish and chips have outlasted every menu update. Regulars fill it by evening, and the vintage posters, flags, and brass plaques suggest nobody has felt the need to redecorate since the Reagan administration.

The bones of the building are original 1950s auto-service center, which gives this neighborhood brewpub a satisfying reason to look up at the ceiling. IPAs anchor the tap list, with other ales rotating by season, so regulars tend to have a new reason to stop in. A nice wrinkle: if someone in your group isn't feeling beer, the wine bar next door will send them over with a glass, no drama.

The Druid is an Irish pub in Inman Square, the kind where the bartender's accent comes standard and the Guinness gets poured with the patience of someone who has seen impatient people. Live music turns up often, and it sometimes becomes an impromptu session of fiddles and bodhrán drums in which several generations of strangers simply know the same songs. Expect pub prices, wool sweaters, and a table you will not want to leave.

Guinness signs and hand-drawn maps of Ireland cover the walls of this Irish pub and restaurant in the far western suburbs of Phoenix. Fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage, and a full Irish breakfast on weekends anchor the menu. Bartenders know regulars by name, and the event calendar stays busy with live music, karaoke, and trivia nights, which is a lot to offer a neighborhood that doesn't always get this kind of attention.

Pint glasses hang from the ceiling and dollar bills plaster the columns at this Irish pub tucked into the back of a downtown Phoenix hotel. The menu runs shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and beef stew, with Guinness on draft doing most of the heavy lifting. A jug of apple pie shots on the bar suggests the night can go a few different directions. Phoenix New Times named it one of the top 100 bars in the city in 2025.

Dark wood booths and old-world clutter give this Irish pub on Henderson a genuinely lived-in feel, even though it hasn't been around forever. A covered deck out back shifts the mood from cozy to open-air in about twenty steps. The beer menu runs from Hoegaarden and Paulaner to local Deep Ellum pours, and the food leans classic bar with a Tex-Mex detour. Whoever programs the 80s rock soundtrack is the unsung hero of the operation.

Kirwan's is an Irish pub on the Wharf, all dark wood that wouldn't look out of place on a 17th-century naval vessel. Downstairs is for sports fans and conference lanyards pouring Guinness, while an upstairs mezzanine has a closed-off snug and a whiskey room tucked below for anyone who'd like their stout with fewer opinions shouted at it. Shepherd's pie and a spice bag are the order, entry-level pub prices apply.

An Irish gastropub in Shirlington where the full Irish breakfast runs on weekdays too, not just weekends. The owner is from Tipperary, and it shows: rashers, puddings, beans, eggs, and a potato cake with homemade brown bread on the plate. The kind of place where a pint and a proper fry-up at noon on a Tuesday feels entirely reasonable, which is really the whole point of an Irish pub.