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Best Nightlife in North America (2026)

Bars, pubs, live music venues, rooftop terraces and clubs for evenings out.

90 places · Updated November 12, 2026

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41. The Golden Tiki

Tiki bar$$Chinatown (Spring Mountain Road)

24-hour tiki bar in Chinatown serving traditional and original tropical cocktails, with a pirate backstory, a daily happy hour and a late-night food menu.

View details — The Golden Tiki

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42. The Showbox

Historic concert hall$$Pike Place Market

Opened in 1939 opposite Pike Place Market, The Showbox is a landmark concert hall for about 1,150 people that has hosted acts from Duke Ellington to Pearl Jam.

View details — The Showbox

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43. Tipitina’s

Live music venue$$Uptown

An Uptown music club opened in 1977 and named after a Professor Longhair song, hosting R&B, funk, rock and jazz shows for audiences aged 18 and up.

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45. Whisky a Go Go

Rock club and live music venue$$Sunset Strip, West Hollywood

Rock club on the Sunset Strip since January 1964, where The Doors were once the house band, still staging live music most nights.

View details — Whisky a Go Go

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46. Bar La Ópera

Historic cantina$$Centro Histórico

A cantina on Avenida 5 de Mayo with roots in an 1876 pastry shop, known for its private booths, its famous patrons and the bullet hole said to be from Pancho Villa.

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48. Guilt & Company

Underground live music bar$$Gastown

Down a set of stairs at 1 Alexander Street, Guilt & Company is an underground bar with two live music shows every night and late opening at weekends.

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52. Massey Hall

Concert hallDowntown

Toronto's historic concert hall at Shuter and Victoria Streets, opened in 1894 and reopened in 2021 after renovation, home to famous recordings by Neil Young, Rush and jazz greats.

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54. The Violet Hour

Craft cocktail bar$$$Wicker Park

The Violet Hour on North Damen Avenue is a cocktail bar with a James Beard Award-winning programme, serving pre-Prohibition style drinks from a seasonal menu every night.

View details — The Violet Hour

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55. Tiki-Ti

Tiki bar$$Los Feliz

Tiny family-run tiki bar on Sunset Boulevard, opened by Ray Buhen in 1961 and still run by his son and grandson, with a long menu of tropical drinks.

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57. Velveteen Rabbit

Craft cocktail and beer bar$$Arts District

Arts District craft cocktail and beer bar opened in 2013, known for seasonal cocktail menus, eight rotating taps, vintage furniture and a pink outdoor patio.

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58. Vesuvio Cafe

Historic bar$North Beach

Vesuvio Cafe is a North Beach bar founded in 1948, once frequented by Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, across Jack Kerouac Alley from City Lights.

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59. Westlight

Rooftop cocktail bar$$$Williamsburg, Brooklyn

A 22nd-floor rooftop bar atop The William Vale in Williamsburg, serving cocktails and small plates with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline.

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60. Zig Zag Café

Cocktail bar$$$Pike Place Market

Tucked below Pike Place Market on the Pike Street Hillclimb, Zig Zag Café is a cocktail bar known for helping to revive the classic Last Word cocktail.

View details — Zig Zag Café