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The bar at Undertow, with plants hanging from the ceiling and barrel designs in the background.
Undertow in Phoenix.
Undertow

14 Vital Phoenix Bars to Visit

Cool places to get a great drink

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Undertow in Phoenix.
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When you’re thirsty for a beer, a great cocktail, or a glass of wine, Phoenix is an excellent place to be. It’s home to a dozen great breweries, one wildly creative meadery, wine bars both elegant and down-home, and a cocktail scene to rival those in larger cities.

Eager to drink a cocktail in an immersive environment? Phoenix offers three such bars under one roof. And when you’d rather relax at a laidback watering hole, the city has you covered there, too. Here are some of the Phoenix area’s best places to drink.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Jade Bar

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Twelve years ago, this stylish, multi-windowed bar in the Sanctuary Resort & Spa was ground zero for the city’s nascent cocktail culture. Now, Christiaan Röllich, an accomplished mixologist and author of Bar Chef who ran the cocktail program at LA’s Lucques for a decade, breathes new life into this legendary watering hole. His beautiful, seasonal cocktails are made with premium spirits, local fruits and vegetables, and assertive ingredients such as turmeric and harissa. And the views of Paradise Valley — both indoors and out on the patio — are gorgeous.

A bright green cocktail with mint and cucumber garnish at Jade Bar.
A cocktail from Jade Bar.
Nikki Buchanan

Jamie's Wine Bar at Wrigley Mansion

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For elegant Old-World wines and a taste of history, check out this classy bar, tucked away in Wrigley Mansion, a gracious Phoenix landmark built by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley 100 years ago. Paneled in mahogany and furnished with plush upholstered couches and crystal chandeliers, the room has the elegant look of a library. It’s the perfect backdrop for the Old-World wines offered here, including 25 wines by the glass and wine flights highlighting everything from Champagne and Riesling to Barbaresco and Madeira. Jamie’s also has access to the Wrigley’s impressive wine cellar, which houses 1800 different wine labels. Nowhere else in town offers such interesting and expensive wines by the glass.

Century Grand

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Century Grand is a Disneyland for cocktail-lovers. The building houses three cocktail bars, each with its own immersive environment. Platform 18 replicates the Presidential Pullman train car, complete with the rumbling background noise of the tracks, and a snowy Colorado landscape whizzing by the windows. Here, the cocktails are based on gin and other clear spirits. Tiny Grey Hen RX, which is inspired by a New Orleans apothecary shop, specializes in whiskeys. It’s also a good place to get boozy classics such as the Sazerac or Vieux Carré. Meanwhile, moody UnderTow, which recalls a spice trader’s turn-of-the-century clipper ship, exudes a tiki vibe and concentrates on rum-based cocktails. Reservations for a 90-minute experience are required.

Far Away Wine And Provisions

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Longtime wine pros Pat Jasmin and Chris French have opened a quirky rock and roll-themed wine bar and bottle shop that’s light years from the pretentious wine bars of 20 years ago. Besides the velvet Elvis painting and Marge and Homer Simpson Pez dispensers, you’ll find 325-350 carefully curated bottles racked on the walls, more than 30 affordably priced wines by the glass on the menu, and a global list that favors independent producers and zero-intervention wines. Refrigerated cases are stocked with more than 60 craft beers as well, while a short food menu offers snacks and themed small plates, including Sympathy for the deviled eggs, Keep Mo-Rockin’ in the Free World meatballs and a savory slab of cheesecake, drizzled with lavender honey. Ask nicely and they’ll spin some vinyl from French’s vast rock and roll collection.

A wine shop with tables and a wall of retail wines.
Get comfy at Far Away.
Nikki Buchanan

The Wandering Tortoise

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The secret glories of the Arizona beverage scene are on full display at the Tortoise, a friendly, beer-geek hub of local libations. They include a bevy of selections from Arizona’s world-class Superstition Meadery, as well as kegs from the rising small-batch, scientist-run cidery, Stoic Cider. Arizona-centric offerings extend to an expansive beer list (which also sources limited-release brews from the greater region and beyond). Owners Shay Gau and Justin Evans pour some of the best finds from the state’s best breweries, including Wren House, Arizona Wilderness, and Pueblo Vida. 

Thunderbird Lounge

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This retro bar opened in Phoenix’s Melrose District in early 2019, and draws its considerable fan base from the neighborhood and beyond. Linoleum floors, funky lamps, and wood-paneled walls conjure the 1970s, as do the jukebox and working cigarette machine. Bar tops feature wood salvaged from an abandoned bowling alley. Drinkers can sip RC Cola and throw back lowbrow snacks flown in from the Midwest. Classic well drinks are affordable and solid. The beer list features macros and micros, with a few local all-stars, like Mother Road’s Tower Station IPA. An open, grassy stretch and cornhole game out back make for a fun patio. 

Sauvage Bottle Shop

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This 100-square-foot wine shop is more bottle shop, less bar. But it is home to the most fascinating wine and wine-adjacent selections in town, and customers can drink bottles in Sauvage or in the outdoor food hall it calls home. Chris Lingua, proprietor and the man behind the shop’s varied tunes, sources low-intervention wines in the orbit of natural, though he hesitates to use that zeitgeist-y word. He sources Swedish ciders made from pear and apple juice, and Italian Grillo partly fermented in clay vessels, like the ancient Romans did. The bottle selection, displayed by price on one shop wall, changes frequently.

BARCOA Agaveria

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David Tyda and Jourdain Blanchette opened this bi-level cocktail bar to celebrate Mexico’s famous agave-based spirits — namely, obscure heritage brands of tequila, mezcal, bacanora, raicilla and sotol (the only spirit on this list distilled from a plant called Desert Spoon). Their 40-page drink menu features somewhere around 200 labels, accompanied by tasting notes and explanations of origins and processes. For an even better education, consider one of a dozen flights, or book a group private tasting ($75 per person). Both the colorful upstairs cantina and moodier, dimly lit basement have different vibes and different cocktail menus, but some drinks are available in either setting. 

Garden Bar Phx

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Housed in a bright white converted bungalow built in 1914, Garden Bar is a breath of fresh air — a beautiful space that feels more like a comfortable home than a place to drink. It’s light, bright, and tastefully decorated, featuring a few front porch tables and a small backyard patio. More importantly, the cocktails here are always balanced and delicious. Mixology heavy-hitter Kim Haasarud, the eight-time cocktail book author who currently serves as president of the US Bartenders Guild, owns the place.

Two upholstered chairs next to a coffee table in a white room with a floral mural on the wall.
A private place to drink and chat at Garden Bar.
Nikki Buchanan

Gracie's Tax Bar

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In a peach-painted brick building that still bears the timeworn sign of its former tenant, a tax company, Gracie’s pours no-bullshit drinks for an eclectic crowd that draws from many Phoenix subcultures. Drinks are cheap. Food is simple and greasy (check out the onion rings and fried pickle spears). People nurse pitchers of beer and sangria on a patio where blooms of ivy creep up a white wall toward the pale desert sky. Inside, a wide-ranging jukebox oozes tunes into the heavy dimness. Fun fact: Grace Perry, owner, used to sing in a local metal band. Drink specials rotate, featuring the likes of mystery shots and a $5 tequila sunrise. 

Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour

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Ross Simon’s multi-award-winning cocktail bar (housed, ironically, in the 20s-era Luhrs Building, which was once home to the Arizona Prohibition Department) has anchored the downtown cocktail scene for eight years and counting. Ross drops an ambitious new menu each year, a lavishly illustrated tome filled with dozens of masterfully conceived and executed drinks. He considers the smallest details, right on down to the water filtration system and ice quality. Drinkers can keep it classic, sipping a polar martini or one of many slight, careful negroni riffs. Or they can get “whimsical as fuck” (B&T’s motto), and travel down novel avenues, from a butter-washed bourbon and Cocchi Torino concoction that nods to popcorn to a pina colada upgrade that is truly worth drinking.

Little Rituals

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In early 2019, Ross Simon teamed up with Aaron DeFeo of Tucson to open a small, urbane cocktail lounge right down the street from B&T. Located on the fourth floor of a downtown Marriott, with views overlooking Chase Field and the distant Superstition Mountains, the place is a sleek, swanky draw for the cocktail aficionados who demand sophistication and get it here. Little Rituals swings for the fences with its mainstay cocktails, including a curry daiquiri with Sichuan pepper oil, Amari blends topped with salty foam, and a creamy fig-infused bourbon number, heady with Olorosso sherry, Nocino, and a whole egg.

An orange and yellow mural next to a bar counter with a bowl of citrus and fresh pineapples on top.
A mural celebrating Phoenix’s past and present at Little Rituals’ bar.
Nikki Buchanan

Superstition Meadery — Downtown

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Owners Jeff and Jen Herbert like to say they’re “reintroducing the world’s oldest fermented beverage to mankind” — not an idle boast, given that in the past 10 years, they’ve created over 300 unique meads and hard ciders in a wide range of flavor profiles. The interior’s wood floors, high, industrial-style ceilings and upholstered aqua bar stools signal that this may be a brewery (honey-imbued mead is beer’s kissing cousin, after all), but it’s a classy one. The mead selection is big enough to require categorization (meads made with apples, meads made with herbs and spices, meads made with wine grapes), and the food menu is just as vast. If you’re road-tripping, check out the meadery’s original location in Prescott.

Four Peaks Brewing Company

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Housed in a 100-year-old Mission Revival-style warehouse in Tempe, Four Peaks is not only Arizona’s biggest brewery but one of its oldest, turning out 14 year-round beers — including its flagship Scottish Ale called Kilt Lifter — as well as popular seasonal brews like the excellent pumpkin porter. The brewery was bought by Anheuser Busch in 2015, but nothing much has changed. The brick-walled and cavernous place is still beloved by spring training fans and ASU students of drinking age who love the patio, massive bar and laidback vibe. There’s plenty of beer-friendly food too, including the requisite wings, nachos, burgers, and pizza as well as more creative offerings such as carne adovada, green chile mac and cheese, and a poke bowl. And if you need a beer before or after a flight (who doesn’t?), Four Peaks has opened an outpost in Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor Airport.

Jade Bar

Twelve years ago, this stylish, multi-windowed bar in the Sanctuary Resort & Spa was ground zero for the city’s nascent cocktail culture. Now, Christiaan Röllich, an accomplished mixologist and author of Bar Chef who ran the cocktail program at LA’s Lucques for a decade, breathes new life into this legendary watering hole. His beautiful, seasonal cocktails are made with premium spirits, local fruits and vegetables, and assertive ingredients such as turmeric and harissa. And the views of Paradise Valley — both indoors and out on the patio — are gorgeous.

A bright green cocktail with mint and cucumber garnish at Jade Bar.
A cocktail from Jade Bar.
Nikki Buchanan

Jamie's Wine Bar at Wrigley Mansion

For elegant Old-World wines and a taste of history, check out this classy bar, tucked away in Wrigley Mansion, a gracious Phoenix landmark built by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley 100 years ago. Paneled in mahogany and furnished with plush upholstered couches and crystal chandeliers, the room has the elegant look of a library. It’s the perfect backdrop for the Old-World wines offered here, including 25 wines by the glass and wine flights highlighting everything from Champagne and Riesling to Barbaresco and Madeira. Jamie’s also has access to the Wrigley’s impressive wine cellar, which houses 1800 different wine labels. Nowhere else in town offers such interesting and expensive wines by the glass.

Century Grand

Century Grand is a Disneyland for cocktail-lovers. The building houses three cocktail bars, each with its own immersive environment. Platform 18 replicates the Presidential Pullman train car, complete with the rumbling background noise of the tracks, and a snowy Colorado landscape whizzing by the windows. Here, the cocktails are based on gin and other clear spirits. Tiny Grey Hen RX, which is inspired by a New Orleans apothecary shop, specializes in whiskeys. It’s also a good place to get boozy classics such as the Sazerac or Vieux Carré. Meanwhile, moody UnderTow, which recalls a spice trader’s turn-of-the-century clipper ship, exudes a tiki vibe and concentrates on rum-based cocktails. Reservations for a 90-minute experience are required.

Far Away Wine And Provisions

Longtime wine pros Pat Jasmin and Chris French have opened a quirky rock and roll-themed wine bar and bottle shop that’s light years from the pretentious wine bars of 20 years ago. Besides the velvet Elvis painting and Marge and Homer Simpson Pez dispensers, you’ll find 325-350 carefully curated bottles racked on the walls, more than 30 affordably priced wines by the glass on the menu, and a global list that favors independent producers and zero-intervention wines. Refrigerated cases are stocked with more than 60 craft beers as well, while a short food menu offers snacks and themed small plates, including Sympathy for the deviled eggs, Keep Mo-Rockin’ in the Free World meatballs and a savory slab of cheesecake, drizzled with lavender honey. Ask nicely and they’ll spin some vinyl from French’s vast rock and roll collection.

A wine shop with tables and a wall of retail wines.
Get comfy at Far Away.
Nikki Buchanan

The Wandering Tortoise

The secret glories of the Arizona beverage scene are on full display at the Tortoise, a friendly, beer-geek hub of local libations. They include a bevy of selections from Arizona’s world-class Superstition Meadery, as well as kegs from the rising small-batch, scientist-run cidery, Stoic Cider. Arizona-centric offerings extend to an expansive beer list (which also sources limited-release brews from the greater region and beyond). Owners Shay Gau and Justin Evans pour some of the best finds from the state’s best breweries, including Wren House, Arizona Wilderness, and Pueblo Vida. 

Thunderbird Lounge

This retro bar opened in Phoenix’s Melrose District in early 2019, and draws its considerable fan base from the neighborhood and beyond. Linoleum floors, funky lamps, and wood-paneled walls conjure the 1970s, as do the jukebox and working cigarette machine. Bar tops feature wood salvaged from an abandoned bowling alley. Drinkers can sip RC Cola and throw back lowbrow snacks flown in from the Midwest. Classic well drinks are affordable and solid. The beer list features macros and micros, with a few local all-stars, like Mother Road’s Tower Station IPA. An open, grassy stretch and cornhole game out back make for a fun patio. 

Sauvage Bottle Shop

This 100-square-foot wine shop is more bottle shop, less bar. But it is home to the most fascinating wine and wine-adjacent selections in town, and customers can drink bottles in Sauvage or in the outdoor food hall it calls home. Chris Lingua, proprietor and the man behind the shop’s varied tunes, sources low-intervention wines in the orbit of natural, though he hesitates to use that zeitgeist-y word. He sources Swedish ciders made from pear and apple juice, and Italian Grillo partly fermented in clay vessels, like the ancient Romans did. The bottle selection, displayed by price on one shop wall, changes frequently.

BARCOA Agaveria

David Tyda and Jourdain Blanchette opened this bi-level cocktail bar to celebrate Mexico’s famous agave-based spirits — namely, obscure heritage brands of tequila, mezcal, bacanora, raicilla and sotol (the only spirit on this list distilled from a plant called Desert Spoon). Their 40-page drink menu features somewhere around 200 labels, accompanied by tasting notes and explanations of origins and processes. For an even better education, consider one of a dozen flights, or book a group private tasting ($75 per person). Both the colorful upstairs cantina and moodier, dimly lit basement have different vibes and different cocktail menus, but some drinks are available in either setting. 

Garden Bar Phx

Housed in a bright white converted bungalow built in 1914, Garden Bar is a breath of fresh air — a beautiful space that feels more like a comfortable home than a place to drink. It’s light, bright, and tastefully decorated, featuring a few front porch tables and a small backyard patio. More importantly, the cocktails here are always balanced and delicious. Mixology heavy-hitter Kim Haasarud, the eight-time cocktail book author who currently serves as president of the US Bartenders Guild, owns the place.

Two upholstered chairs next to a coffee table in a white room with a floral mural on the wall.
A private place to drink and chat at Garden Bar.
Nikki Buchanan

Gracie's Tax Bar

In a peach-painted brick building that still bears the timeworn sign of its former tenant, a tax company, Gracie’s pours no-bullshit drinks for an eclectic crowd that draws from many Phoenix subcultures. Drinks are cheap. Food is simple and greasy (check out the onion rings and fried pickle spears). People nurse pitchers of beer and sangria on a patio where blooms of ivy creep up a white wall toward the pale desert sky. Inside, a wide-ranging jukebox oozes tunes into the heavy dimness. Fun fact: Grace Perry, owner, used to sing in a local metal band. Drink specials rotate, featuring the likes of mystery shots and a $5 tequila sunrise. 

Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour

Ross Simon’s multi-award-winning cocktail bar (housed, ironically, in the 20s-era Luhrs Building, which was once home to the Arizona Prohibition Department) has anchored the downtown cocktail scene for eight years and counting. Ross drops an ambitious new menu each year, a lavishly illustrated tome filled with dozens of masterfully conceived and executed drinks. He considers the smallest details, right on down to the water filtration system and ice quality. Drinkers can keep it classic, sipping a polar martini or one of many slight, careful negroni riffs. Or they can get “whimsical as fuck” (B&T’s motto), and travel down novel avenues, from a butter-washed bourbon and Cocchi Torino concoction that nods to popcorn to a pina colada upgrade that is truly worth drinking.

Little Rituals

In early 2019, Ross Simon teamed up with Aaron DeFeo of Tucson to open a small, urbane cocktail lounge right down the street from B&T. Located on the fourth floor of a downtown Marriott, with views overlooking Chase Field and the distant Superstition Mountains, the place is a sleek, swanky draw for the cocktail aficionados who demand sophistication and get it here. Little Rituals swings for the fences with its mainstay cocktails, including a curry daiquiri with Sichuan pepper oil, Amari blends topped with salty foam, and a creamy fig-infused bourbon number, heady with Olorosso sherry, Nocino, and a whole egg.

An orange and yellow mural next to a bar counter with a bowl of citrus and fresh pineapples on top.
A mural celebrating Phoenix’s past and present at Little Rituals’ bar.
Nikki Buchanan

Superstition Meadery — Downtown

Owners Jeff and Jen Herbert like to say they’re “reintroducing the world’s oldest fermented beverage to mankind” — not an idle boast, given that in the past 10 years, they’ve created over 300 unique meads and hard ciders in a wide range of flavor profiles. The interior’s wood floors, high, industrial-style ceilings and upholstered aqua bar stools signal that this may be a brewery (honey-imbued mead is beer’s kissing cousin, after all), but it’s a classy one. The mead selection is big enough to require categorization (meads made with apples, meads made with herbs and spices, meads made with wine grapes), and the food menu is just as vast. If you’re road-tripping, check out the meadery’s original location in Prescott.

Four Peaks Brewing Company

Housed in a 100-year-old Mission Revival-style warehouse in Tempe, Four Peaks is not only Arizona’s biggest brewery but one of its oldest, turning out 14 year-round beers — including its flagship Scottish Ale called Kilt Lifter — as well as popular seasonal brews like the excellent pumpkin porter. The brewery was bought by Anheuser Busch in 2015, but nothing much has changed. The brick-walled and cavernous place is still beloved by spring training fans and ASU students of drinking age who love the patio, massive bar and laidback vibe. There’s plenty of beer-friendly food too, including the requisite wings, nachos, burgers, and pizza as well as more creative offerings such as carne adovada, green chile mac and cheese, and a poke bowl. And if you need a beer before or after a flight (who doesn’t?), Four Peaks has opened an outpost in Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor Airport.

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