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Best Nightlife in United States (2026)

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

60 places · Updated November 12, 2026

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21. Broken Shaker

Hotel garden cocktail bar$$Mid-Beach

Broken Shaker is the backyard cocktail bar at Freehand Miami, set on a brick-lined patio and named Best American Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail.

View details — Broken Shaker

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25. Off The Record

Hotel cocktail bar$$$$Lafayette Square

The cocktail bar of The Hay-Adams, across from the White House, known for its political cartoons and its tagline, the place to be seen but not heard.

View details — Off The Record

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26. 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.

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27. 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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28. 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.

View details — Tipitina’s

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30. 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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35. 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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36. 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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37. 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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38. 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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39. 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.

View details — Westlight

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40. 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