I t’s a bar! It’s a plane! It’s — a metro Phoenix cocktail destination! If you’ve sipped a cocktail in this city recently, you know Phoenix is a hotspot for immersive bars with world-class drinks. But 25 years ago, it was merely a hot place with a reputation for chain restaurants and dust. At the turn of the century, no one considered Phoenix much of a drinking destination. Sure, you’d find your cool old Western saloons and historic steakhouses. Craft beer was just starting to enter the picture. But bars were mainly places where you could nurse a bottle of Miller Lite or maybe a Jack and Coke. And these are some of life’s simple pleasures. Who doesn’t love shooting a game of pool underneath Christmas lights, beside a bangin’ jukebox, while you arch the occa- sional flirty eyebrow at strangers? Over the years, the city evolved and Phoenix’s drinks scene matured into some- thing undeniably cosmopolitan. In the early days of the cocktail scene, a lack of competition allowed mixologists to tinker instead of fighting for attention. Gradually, these determined Epicureans cultivated a genuine scene. Soon enough, the national spotlight found the Valley. Now, travelers from all over the country visit to see what we’ve got on offer. Our boundless sprawl and frontier mentality provide space and freedom for creative bar owners to set up shop and go big. You want to turducken a three-bar concept — a vintage train car, an apothe- cary and a seafaring ship — under a single roof? Go wild. The city’s your oyster. A crucial moment for craft mixology in downtown Phoenix was when Ross Simon opened Bitter & Twisted in 2014. The downtown Phoenix bar combines indus- trial, urban architecture with a storybook menu, transporting customers around the globe with genuinely unique flavors. The city had a new standard for excellence on the rocks. In 2015, cocktail mastermind Jason Asher partnered with Rich Furnari to launch the hospitality group Barter & Shake and, soon after, the bar Counter Intuitive in Old Town Scottsdale. The duo debuted Arcadia’s UnderTow in 2016. The nautical tiki bar became the first in a wave of immersive bars built around evoking a sense of travel and adventure. The award- winning train-themed Platform 18 started chugging at Century Grand in 2019, and the Instagram-darling plane bar Carry On took flight in 2024. In July 2025, Little Rituals was named the best hotel bar in the nation at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. The swanky cocktail destination on the fourth floor of the Residence Inn by Marriott Phoenix Downtown continues to earn the industry’s top accolades. The past quarter-century also saw leaps in the state’s home-grown beverage production. In 1999, Arizona had 12 licensed wine producers. Today, the state is home to nearly 100 producers who culti- vate a range of varieties, crafting bottles and blends that travel nationwide. Arizona craft brewers, too, make top-notch beers that continue to earn national recognition. But bars are about more than plaques and rankings. They bring people together. They’re where friends gather to tell old stories and to live new ones. They help cele- brate life’s highs and commiserate the lows. For some people, a bar night means gathering with neighbors to swap sips of dazzling cocktails. Others prefer to pair a bottle of syrah with funky Spanish cheeses. And there are still plenty of barflies looking for a Bud heavy on ice, a rack of half- straight pool cues and a jukebox that takes crinkly dollar bills. The bar scene in Phoenix has grown up fast. Our collection of dives, breweries, wine bars, immersive experiences, neigh- borhood haunts and nostalgic watering holes has never been stronger. With such an abundance of riches, it’s hard to narrow it down. But Phoenix New Times editors and writers have traveled the Valley, doing research disguised as drinking, or maybe the other way around. Here are our Top 100 Bars in Phoenix. - Tirion Boan DOWNTOWN PHOENIX Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. Fire pits and double IPAs Barcoa Agaveria Two-floor agave extravaganza Bikini Lounge Cash-only tiki dive Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour Mixology magic in swanky digs Carry On Retro plane ride with cocktails Club Contact Downtown’s newest, hottest club Coabana Tropical chic Cobra Arcade Bar Games, colorful drinks and lively dancefloor Cornish Pasty Co. Pastys, pool and Guinness Floor 13 Rooftop Bar Urban skyline perch Gracie’s Tax Bar Hipster haven Greenwood Brewing Airy, bright brewery Hanny’s “Mad Men” and martinis Highball An upstairs speakeasy Killer Whale Sex Club Dark, cheeky bar Little Rituals Best hotel bar in the U.S. Luckys Indoor Outdoor New-school dive, great patio, surprisingly good cocktails Melinda’s Alley Spooky basement bar Sana Sana Cerveceria Craft beer with cultura Sam Babalola presents a “Duck Bath Punch” at Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour. (Brigette Doby)
