The Best Places in the United States

A mural of Anthony Bourdain watches over the salsa bar at this colorful westside Mexican spot, which also happens to make a mole latte. The blackboard menu shifts constantly, running from mahi mahi tacos to vegan Cuban tacos, so there's rarely a reason to expect the same meal twice. Hikers coming down from Tumamoc Hill fill the room, still sandy from the trail, which tells you roughly what to wear.

Outdoor-only seating under a covered brick patio means you're eating in the Tucson sun no matter what, which somehow feels exactly right for a no-frills Mexican spot that's been feeding the neighborhood forever. Carne asada tacos, chile rellenos in tomato sauce, tamales, breakfast burritos, horchata from a big jar on the counter. The menu hasn't drifted toward trend, and the regulars at the picnic tables seem glad about that.

Racing memorabilia lines the exposed brick walls of this craft brewery, where the beer garden stretches out to fire pits, communal tables, and a corner that welcomes dogs. A rotating food truck or two parks out front, so you're not stuck choosing between a pint and dinner. The house IPAs lean citrusy and dry, and the blonde ale is the kind of thing you order when the Tucson heat starts winning.

A banh mi Benedict gives you a pretty clear read on where Nook's head is at. This downtown Tucson breakfast and brunch spot does New American riffs on morning classics, with local art on the walls and the kind of wooden-and-light interior that makes a 10am meal feel like a considered decision. The hanger steak and eggs with smoked chimichurri quietly upstages everything around it. Weekends fill up fast.

Hand-painted signage and coolers stocked with aguas frescas and Mexican sodas set the tone at this old-school Tucson taquería. The menu runs from breakfast burritos to chilaquiles to pozole available by the cup or, if things are going well, by the gallon. Vegetarians eat as well as anyone here, which is not always a given at a place this unapologetically no-frills. Bring cash and an appetite calibrated for generous portions.

The cocktail list pulls from the shelves around you, which tells you exactly what kind of place this is: part upscale liquor store, part proper bar, and committed to being both at once. Depending on which Phoenix-area location you land in, the extras might include a golf simulator, pinball, a pizzeria, or a cigar lounge. The drinks run from spritzes to stirred classics, and the bottles for sale are genuinely worth browsing.

The dining room walls look like marble, the ceiling traces a ring of light around wood paneling, and the menu runs about a dozen items. This Santa Clara Korean restaurant keeps its focus narrow: the main pull is seolleongtang, a milky, slow-cooked beef bone broth with oxtail and slippery rice noodles. Weekends pack the strip mall with families willing to wait thirty minutes for a bowl, which tells you most of what you need to know.

A J-shaped yellow bar and a handful of stools are the entire dining room at this takeout-only shack in San Rafael, and most people just grab their box and go. The menu changes constantly, sometimes the morning of, and things sell out. The chef pulls from various Asian cuisines and California seasonality, so one week it's pork in black vinegar caramel over rice, the next it's ceviche salad. Call ahead or arrive early, and arrive with no fixed idea of what you want.

Dollar bills papering the walls floor to ceiling, Christmas lights above, and a stage that gets a rock band most nights of the week: Chopper John's is a dive bar that knows exactly what it is. The black-and-red room off Indian School Road draws regulars who look like they were designed to match the decor. Pool tables, a patio for smokers, and baseball on the TV fill in the gaps between sets.

A checkerboard dancefloor, light-up floors downstairs, and a patio that sulks attractively outside, all packed into a small downtown nightclub that drew a line around the block on opening night. DJ sets and pop-up food nights keep the calendar full, but the periodic Dance Dance Revolution parties and lube wrestling events are what really set the tone. The crowd is genuinely mixed in the best way, and nobody seems to be here ironically.

Vintage arcade cabinets run on Cobra-stamped tokens, which tells you everything about the vibe before you've touched a joystick. This cocktail bar and arcade in downtown Phoenix covers its walls in local murals, pours signature drinks with names like Garbage Pail Kids and Punch Out, and hosts Valley DJs on weekends. When the crowd hits comic-con density, an anime-themed overflow lounge a few doors down offers Japanese import games and cocktails served in fugu-shaped mugs.

Red-lit and tucked into a corner of Bishop Arts that requires a little intention to find, LadyLove is a lounge and dance bar that somehow calibrated the music at exactly the volume where you can still finish a sentence. The crowd skews queer and curious, the patio turns strangers into regulars, and the house cocktails lean tart and a little spicy. DJ nights run on Saturdays.

A craft brewery taproom in north Scottsdale that solved the age-old standoff between beer nerds and sports fans by simply installing TVs everywhere. The brewmaster leans toward classic European styles, rotating Czech lagers, English milds, and an Oktoberfest marzen through the taps. The covered patio connects to a permanent BBQ food trailer, so there's no reason to leave at halftime. Phoenix New Times named it Best New Brewery of 2025.

The gougères come with a side of Comté fondue, because why not gild the lily twice. Barbouzard is a glitzy Southern French dining room from Cédric Maupillier, and it reads more Riviera than Washington, which is the whole point. The deconstructed bouillabaisse and plancha scallops in curry sauce show a chef having fun with the format. At lunch, the K Street crowd fills in around a brisk prix fixe that moves fast enough to make a noon reservation feel civilized.

The onion soup follows Julia Child's recipe and nobody has touched it, which tells you something about the kitchen's instincts. This casually elegant French bistro in Sterling plays with the classics just enough, turning tuna tartare into something that reads like steak, serving Brie crispy, while leaving the soul of the thing intact. The Washingtonian named that tartare one of their favorite DC-area dishes of the year.

The benne dosa here folds like a quesadilla rather than rolling into a cylinder, which tells you this is Bangalorean, not generic Indian. It's a casual dosa counter in a Herndon strip mall that somehow has the quiet confidence of a place that doesn't need to explain itself. The butter-lacquered exterior crisps up hard while the inside stays soft with masala potatoes and podi, a coarse spice mix that the Washingtonian named among its favorite dishes of the year.

Sangria in towers and a drink menu that lists "mimosas" as the soup of the day sets the tone fast at this sports bar on Greenville Ave. Every seat inside, on the patio, or up on the rooftop faces a TV, which makes the place essentially one large, well-lubricated viewing party. Best for a sunny afternoon when the patio fills up and someone's local team is on.

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.

A chalkboard of rotating cocktail specials and a basement bathed so completely in red light that no other color survives the trip down. This speakeasy-style cocktail bar is tucked beneath the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, behind a mural and open only two nights a week, which is exactly the energy. Vintage velvet chairs and low tables give it the feel of a sitting room someone forgot to leave, and the drinks arrive in coupes and crystal-cut rocks glasses.

Pinball machines and candlelight set the tone at this casual gay cocktail bar on 16th Street, where the vibe leans more neighborhood hangout than high-drama nightclub. Lounge seating, a patio, and daily drink specials keep regulars coming back through the week. The menu covers craft cocktails, bar snacks, and specialty shots, which is all you really need when the room is this relaxed.

Gold palm fronds hang over the bar like a permanent vacation has been declared, and the drinks menu at this Cuban cocktail bar treats rum the way a serious wine list treats Burgundy. The daiquiri and mojito get thoughtful treatment alongside wilder tropical builds. The same team runs Pigtails and Rough Rider, so the pedigree tracks. Pink tiles, cozy booths, and food to keep things grounded.

Cash only, dark inside, and on any given night you might have to squeeze past a metal band unloading gear in the parking lot just to get through the door. Palo Verde is a Tempe dive bar where construction workers in hi-vis vests share the rail with ASU newcomers and neighborhood lifers. Drinks are cheap and poured strong, and the bartender has your order memorized before you've taken your jacket off.

The 12 tap handles are mounted in a repurposed fire truck behind the bar, which tells you everything you need to know about the vibe. Roosters is a country bar that's been an East Valley institution forever, with a red-and-black checkered dance floor, pool tables, live music most nights, open mics, and karaoke. A second stage and beer tubs sit out on the smoking patio. Strangers introduce you to their friends before the first round is done.

A small Bob Ross shrine materialized organically behind the bar here, one piece at a time, and nobody stopped it. That sets the tone for this cocktail bar just west of Bishop Arts, where the drinks are serious but the attitude is neighborly. The classics menu leans on genuine pillars of the canon, and happy hour runs deep into the week. Weeknights feel like catching up; weekends feel like something else entirely.

Eighteen floors above Mill Avenue, this open-air rooftop bar and pool lounge sits atop The Westin Tempe, claiming the highest perch of any outdoor bar in the Valley. The bar itself is the only covered spot up there, so order first, then wander the full 360 degrees: A Mountain one way, the Mill Avenue Bridge glowing at night the other. Seasonal cocktails and local Arizona beers do the heavy lifting, with flatbreads and tacos for ballast.

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.

A nomadic chalupa stand that bounces around northern Queens, posting intersections on Facebook like a food truck that's read too much Kerouac. Track it down and you're rewarded with tortillas fried in hot lard, then loaded with shredded pork, white onion, and whichever salsa you choose, or both. The New York Times named it among New York's top dishes of 2024 and ranked it on their 100 Best Restaurants list. Eight chalupas run about ten dollars.

The espresso martini that won Best Espresso Martini in the Dallas Observer's Best of Dallas landed Meyboom on the map, and the rest of the menu holds its own. This Belgian-influenced cocktail bar and brasserie on Lower Greenville leans old-world, with meticulously crafted cocktails, wine, and European brews alongside bar bites like fried goat cheese balls finished with a lambic beer cherry reduction. Cozy and a little classy, the kind of place where the drinks are taken seriously.

A red light on a side street marks the entrance, and from there you're following the speakeasy script to the letter: website password, narrow hallway, bookcase door. What's behind it is a dark cocktail bar with leather seating, Victorian details, and locked cabinets of private-label spirits. The drinks lean technical, with bacon fat-washed bourbon and toasted tortilla bitters among the building blocks. The kind of place that makes suburbanites feel delightfully conspiratorial.

The walls at this Deep Ellum dive bar are covered floor to ceiling in years of pen-and-marker graffiti, and the house policy is to add your own. Adair's Saloon runs on outlaw country and live music most nights, with the honky-tonk crowd and the boot-scooters sharing space without much negotiation. The kitchen stays open until nearly two in the morning, which is exactly when a bar burger tastes best.

The long-fermented dough is the tell at this casual pizzeria: the crust has enough flavor that people actually finish it. Deck-oven pies share the menu with Italian-American standards like arancini, and the room draws the kind of crowd that orders feta ranch with chili oil on the side without needing to be told it exists. Two locations in Navy Yard and Shaw, with a counter-service slice shop in Bethesda if you're heading that direction.

The Venn diagram of bar and restaurant has Angry Dog planted right in the overlap, and nobody seems to mind. Cold beer, a game on, chili cheese dogs, burgers, and salads that have no business being this good for a place that smells like fried onions. Close enough to the American Airlines Center and Deep Ellum that it fills up fast on event nights, but regular enough that it works on a Tuesday with nothing going on.

The counter-service offshoot of All-Purpose's DC locations, AP Pizza Shop runs a leaner menu than its siblings but holds two things they don't: pizza by the slice and a chicken-parm sandwich that reportedly requires planning around. The deck-oven pies use long-fermented dough, which makes the crust worth eating on its own. Order the feta ranch with chili oil for dipping and pretend it was your idea.

The mollette, a pulled-oxtail sandwich with pickled vegetables and a sherry glaze, sits next to lobster and oysters on a menu that refuses to pick a lane, which is very much the point. Arrels is a modern Spanish restaurant where the cooking runs from rustic to refined without apology. The fideua, made with vermicelli, Manchego, jamón, and truffle cream, gives you a reason to linger well past the bread course.

The bookshelf at the back of this Bishop Arts cocktail bar is not for reading. Pull it open and you'll find a hidden back room that rotates global themes, which tracks for a place called Atlas. Out front, Aperol spritzes share the bar with Lone Stars, and the crowd runs from locals to tourists to first dates doing their nervous best. The pho, from a co-owner's family recipe, is a legitimately strange and welcome thing to order at midnight.

Ranch Water on tap sets the tone at this sprawling Maple Avenue sports bar. TVs cover every wall, there's a game room in the back for claw machines and pop-a-shot, and the patio handles overflow when a big game draws a crowd. College football dominates, though Love Island holds its own on the schedule. The kitchen turns out salads that have no business being as good as they are, plus flatbreads solid enough to keep you from just drinking through the evening.

Barbacana is a chef-driven dinner spot in the Bayou Lofts where the menu keeps changing and borrows from African, Middle Eastern, and Japanese cooking, with Texas ingredients holding it together. You can order a la carte and share a spread, or commit to the tasting menu. The counter overlooks the kitchen, which suits anyone who likes watching someone else be under pressure. Dress nicely, bring a few friends.

The Centipede cabinet by the door tells you everything: this is a bar-arcade where a round of drinks and a Street Fighter grudge match are basically the same errand. Twenty-four draft beers keep the tokens flowing, and the front patio fits a crowd large enough for giant Jenga, which is either a selling point or a warning depending on your Friday night. The vibe hovers somewhere between dive bar and Chuck E. Cheese, and nobody here seems bothered by that.

A converted warehouse near downtown with exposed brick, high ceilings, and the kind of eclectic lighting that says someone had fun with the budget. Barrio Brewing Co. is a sprawling brewpub with an old-school Tucson feel, pouring house-made ales alongside a pub menu that leans local, including their own take on the Sonoran Dog. It's been around forever, which in Arizona brewing terms makes it practically a geological feature.

There's no sign in the dim Preston Tower corridor that leads here, which is either a design choice or a filter for the impatient. Bernie's is a cocktail bar with art deco bones, a playlist running Quincy Jones and Stevie Nicks, and drinks poured by bartenders who treat a proper old fashioned as a matter of professional pride. The phone doesn't eat first at the well-dressed bar, which suits the regulars just fine.

The whole room is dressed as a vintage luxury train car, TVs where the windows would be, all looping passing landscapes in sync. It's a cocktail bar, a narrow one, with a chandelier whose crystals would really benefit from something rumbling the floorboards. The drinks lean into the theme, shifting and a little secretive, the kind you order twice without quite knowing why. The bathrooms apparently have their own story, though you'll have to go find out.

The fried chicken gets a 24-hour brine before it hits the fryer, which tells you something about the kitchen's priorities at this Deep Ellum cocktail bar. Six house cocktails are priced like they want you to order a second round, and the vibe is the kind of loose, unhurried thing that feels increasingly rare on Commerce Street. The Dallas Observer handed it Best Fried Chicken in 2024, so the secret is somewhat out, but the room still has its own quiet momentum.