The Top 48 Cocktail Bars in Phoenix
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · U.S. Bartender of the Year · Libby Lingua
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Bar Team
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
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Rank 2. Little Rituals
Cocktail Bar
Ascend to this fourth-floor hotel bar where a metal beaded curtain announces your arrival at a glittering den of upholstered luxury, and order a cocktail from a menu illustrated like a picture book with drinks you won't find elsewhere. The sophisticated crowd here ranges from hotel guests to locals making a night of it, and the bar snacks run from small bites to proper meals.
- The Pinnacle Guide 1 Pin
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Ross Simon
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Rank 2. Carry On
Cocktail Bar
Step into a meticulously designed 1970s first-class cabin where flight attendants in vintage uniforms serve martinis and roving beverage carts dispense cocktails crafted by award-winning bartender Jax Donahue, all while the city vanishes from the cabin windows. It's an immersive splurge that requires advance reservations and a willingness to suspend disbelief—think Mad Men luxury without the turbulence.
- 50 Best 2025 · Best Bar Design Award
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Top 10 U.S. Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Jax Donahue
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Rank 4. Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
Cocktail Bar
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Hotel Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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Rank 4. Platform 18 at Century Grand
Cocktail Bar
Platform 18 at Century Grand recreates the interior of a Prohibition-era Presidential train car with wood paneling and digital windows showing mountain vistas, making it easy to forget you're in downtown Phoenix. The bar specializes in reimagined classic cocktails and original drinks inspired by 1920s New York—try the Film Star, a Vesper variation with olive oil-washed gin and lemon Lillet served with orange and thyme caramel corn, though you'll need a reservation to board.
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 4 Finalist · Best U.S. Bar Team
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · U.S. Bartender of the Year · Nicole Giampino
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Rank 6. Pretty Penny
International
A sleek Roosevelt Row dining room draped in forest green where two bartenders known for rowdy nightlife pivoted to cooking serious food—think hamachi al pastor and orecchiette with charred-tomato bolognese, plus caviar service if you're splurging. The cocktails (charred tomato martini, passionfruit negroni) are built to match the boldness on the plate, making this an upscale celebration of a meal.
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. West
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Finalist · Top Mixologist/Bartender · Brenon Stuart
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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Rank 6. Barcoa Agaveria
Mexican
A converted warehouse on First Avenue houses two agave-focused bars run by the Phoenix food-festival producer David Tyda: the energetic main-level cantina opens onto a patio where you can sip mezcal cocktails among local artists' work, while the basement bar downstairs trades volume for intimacy and an encyclopedic selection of spirits. Provecho food truck camps outside if you want tacos with your tequila.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Most Creative Handcrafted Cocktail Program
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Agave Selection · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 8. Melindas Alley
Cocktail Bar
Duck into the alley beside the Renaissance Downtown and descend into a crimson cocktail lounge that swallows all other colors whole, its low velvet seating and rotating chalkboard of drink specials designed for lingering. Open just two nights a week, this moody basement spot rewards the effort to find it with glamorous coupe glasses and the sense that you've stumbled onto something truly private.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Top Mixologist/Bartender · PJ Vader Baron
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Speakeasy · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 8. Killer Whale Sex Club
Cocktail Bar
A moody Roosevelt Row cocktail lounge decorated with beautifully smutty polaroids shot inside the bar—a cheeky visual joke that somehow feels democratic rather than sleazy. The veteran mixologists behind the counter match the playful irreverence with inventive, experimental drinks that taste like intimate treats.
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Finalist · Top Mixologist/Bartender · Brenon Stuart
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Cocktails With a Side of Tasteful Nudity · Best of Phoenix
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- Esquire 2023 · The Desert Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Most Creative Handcrafted Cocktail Program
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best One-Two Punch · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 11. Grey Hen Rx at Century Grand
Chinese-American
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 4 Finalist · Best U.S. Bar Team
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner: Barter & Shake · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 11. First & Last
New American
The Gold Spot building's soaring ceilings and candlelit booths make this a date-night spot where the Hammonds' rotating menu swings from buttery clams to inventive sourdough bolognese, anchored by craft cocktails with real backbone. By day it's a counter operation slinging focaccia sandwiches and grandma pizza slices that draw lines, though dinner is when the romance kicks in.
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner · Emerging Restaurant of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Sandwiches · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
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Rank 11. Steak 44
Modern Steakhouse
A dark, polished steakhouse on Phoenix's north side that somehow feels as comfortable for a casual bar dinner as it does for celebrations, with a modern menu that ranges from hand-cut wet-aged beef to soft shell crabs in vanilla bean tempura. The 12-ounce Delmonico arrives butter-drenched with beautiful marbling, or you can splurge on truffle butter if you're feeling it.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Steakhouse · Best of the Valley
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Rank 11. Boycott Bar
Cocktail Bar
A welcoming lesbian bar in the Melrose District marked by a pink light, Boycott pours cold beers and well-made cocktails alongside drag shows and dancing. The event calendar rotates through Pride parties, Latin nights, and country dance floors, making it equally good for a casual drink or a full night out.
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Lesbian Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Lesbian Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Lesbian Bar · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 11. Gallo Blanco
Mexican
Gallo Blanco occupies a historic brick building in Garfield with big windows and an airy feel, serving straightforward Mexican food across breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Start with the guacamole and chips, then move on to something like the barbacoa burrito or Taco Dorado, ideally chased with a house Paloma.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Paloma · Best of Phoenix
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Restaurants In Phoenix
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Phoenix
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Rank 11. Rough Rider
Cocktail Bar
A hidden basement speakeasy in downtown Phoenix where you take the elevator down to a moody, wood-lined room that feels plucked from another century, all dark corners and cozy nooks. Cocktails carry cheeky Victorian names and the kitchen matches the mood with chicory-rubbed duck, black garlic pork chops, and fried cauliflower that tastes like upscale fish and chips.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Underground Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Imbibe Where to Drink in Phoenix
- Eater The Best Bars in Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Off-Label Use of Pickles: Dill Pickle Pizza · Best of the Valley
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Top Chef · Ivan Gonzalez
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner · Most Creative Handcrafted Cocktail
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Beef Wellington · Standout Signature Dish
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: In-Good Spirits · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Phoenix New Times Our top 12 favorite sushi restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 20. théa
Mediterranean
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Ultimate Patio Atmosphere
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 20. The Gladly
New American
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: In-Good Spirits · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Original Chopped Salad · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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A cozy patio tucked behind a Thai restaurant where you can sip craft cocktails while grilling your own meal tableside in a bubbling soup-filled vat—that's mookata, and Mr. Baan's does it right. The bourbon-forward Village Gold Stash, infused with lapsang souchong tea, pairs perfectly with the casual, social vibe of cooking your own dinner with friends.
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Cook-It-Yourself Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Cook-It-Yourself Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner: Barter & Shake · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Eater The Best Bars in Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 27. Valley Bar
Dive Bar
Down an alley that smells questionable and past a long staircase descends Valley Bar, a basement dive where cheap beer and cocktails named after Arizona politicians flow while a mobile of the famous trunk murderess Winnie Ruth Judd hangs overhead. Weekends bring DJs to the dance floor, and the Rose Room offers skeeball, pool, and shuffleboard for those who prefer their drinking stationary.
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Basement Bar · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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Rank 30. Butler’s Easy
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 30. Floor 13 Rooftop Bar
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 30. Upstairs at FLINT
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 30. Luckys Indoor Outdoor
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 30. Six Byrd Cider
Cider Beer Bar
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Rank 30. Sazerac
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 40. Asi Es La Vida Restaurant
Upscale Mexican
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Rank 42. The Green Woodpecker
Modern Mexican
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