Destinations

15 Best Bars in Charleston

The best kind of Southern comfort.

February 26, 2020

People think of Charleston as a small Southern town, but when it comes to its bars and nightlife, it feels like anything but. The adage "there's something for everyone" applies here as well as it does anywhere. Nationally renowned cocktail makers, dives and rooftops heavy with local beer, and, of course, there's no shortage of patios to sip a glass of Provence rosé and slurp oysters on. If it's a night of live music or drag queen bingo you want, they've got that too. No matter your choice, our list has something for you. These are the very best bars in Charleston.

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Photo by Andrew Cebulka
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Vintage Lounge
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This space was most formerly Torch, a dark nightclub, and Betsy Berry of B. Berry Interiors has transformed it into a light and elegant space that suggests a stylish European spot. Everything centers around wine here, from wine-based cocktails, to wine flights, by the glass, and by the bottle. There's even a glass for $10 called "The Blind." If you guess its contents, it's free. There's also a serious cheese and charcuterie selection to fill out your table (and to Instagram next to your glass of course).
Courtesy Edmund's Oast
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Edmund's Oast
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You want beer? Edmund's Oast produces beer as well as showcases other offerings from outstanding producers, so there are more than 35 options on tap. More interested in wine? Then there plenty of options—leaning heavily on whites, rosé, and sparkling—that compliment the food, and most run $12 to $15 by the glass. Fancy a cocktail? Then enjoy one of the most inventive programs in the city, run by Jayce McConnell.

Courtesy The Commodore
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The Commodore
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The sign on the building says "Touch of Class," but proceed on because you are in the right place. The Commodore's bar is an original to the building, and so is the vibe, a music club so classic and iconic that you immediately feel cool for having chosen this spot. The dance floor catches the light of a disco ball; there are velvet curtains, mirrors, and lots of dark corners; and the night is young. The bar staff is fast and efficient, but they will not hold your hand while you debate the merits of mezcal or tequila. This place is for the music lovers, for the dancers who don't like to sit, and for those who wish they could go back in time while wearing the latest fashions. It's for a lot of people who are not looking for a quiet evening.
Courtesy NDG
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The Bar at Husk
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You've heard about the burger, the bourbon collection, the balanced-yet-boozy cocktails, and you're finally here to experience it all. Dark and sexy, the inside of this bar feels a bit like a pirate ship, but not in a theme-park way. The downstairs is dominated by a long bar, and the exposed brick wall opposite it has some bar seating as well—but get ready to get cozy, because on the weekends, you can expect it to be packed wall to wall with thirsty diners. Of course, if you need more room, head upstairs or try to snag a table at the proper restaurant, Husk.

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Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge
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Located next to a Subway sandwich shop in now-crowded Avondale, Voodoo has been welcoming all for years with its tiki goth-fortune teller-dive bar aesthetic. This is a neighborhood joint, so regulars abound, bartenders have been slinging drinks for years, and Drag Queen Bingo, live music nights, and DJ parties happen often. Come early, and the place is chill, but come after 10, and you're likely walking into a dance party. Tiki drinks are the centerpiece here, and if you're at a table, try a flaming Voodoo bowl to share. If you're at the bar and feeling adventurous, don't miss Caroline's concoctions. The long-time bar manager creates custom infusions that usually land on the specials boards.
Photo by Andrew Cebulka
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The Cocktail Club
It's Charleston architecture taken down to its brass tacks here, literally, with framing of former room walls creating different spaces, crumbling brick fireplaces anchoring those rooms, roomy leather chairs and an underlit bar so tall there are ladders for the bartenders. This was one of the first solid craft cocktail bars in Charleston, and it's still going strong. The Double Standard, made with serrano gin and cilantro and lime juice remains a classic known throughout the city. But the Cocktail Club walks the line between craft bar and club, so plan accordingly. There's a velvet rope and a lot of people ready to mingle.

Courtesy Doar Bros
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Doar Bros.
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Tucked into a block that seemed given over permanently to tourists, Doar Bros. beckons guests with luxe design, reminiscent of a velvet-lined jewel box. The crew here cares about its cocktails, and it's obvious that its guests do too. This isn't a vodka-soda crowd—they're trying to decide if the night calls for a Boulevardier or a Negroni. Drinks are entrenched in the trendy ways of the cocktail scene, but what makes them so good is the execution and the editing. Whether it is to win hearts, chat with clients, catch up with friends, or fly solo for a sip yourself, Doar Bros. has the door open for you.
Photo by Andrew Cebulka
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Proof
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It's an unassuming entrance on King Street into a small place with dark wood, sunlight slanting in through front windows until finally succumbing and the night begins. An absinthe fountain sits prominently between guests and barkeeps and bottles crowd narrow shelves on the bar wall. There's a daily quote and some daily specials on a chalkboard, punctuated by the sound of bartenders hand-cracking ice. The cocktail list is the perfect pitch between inventive and classic. A Sazerac or Scotch-based Penicillin sits beside a Siddhartha Spritz with Mango Shrub; they make a mean Manhattan but also something reminiscent of Strawberry Quik. It's that old adage that you have to know the rules before you can break them and the staff at Proof are A+ students of the cocktail canon.

Courtesy The Living Room at the Dewberry
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The Living Room at the Dewberry
Put your phone in your pocket. Resist the urge Instagram as you enter the expansive lobby. You're too cool for that, remember? That brass bar is impressive and gleaming over there, and those white dinner jackets the bartenders are wearing are a nice touch. It's rare that a hotel bar in Charleston becomes a locals spot, but that's exactly what happened here. Award winning, unapologetically fancy, classic cocktails and inventive originals are available. There are custom ice cubes, negroni riffs poured out of coconuts on silver trays, and brandy snifters full of rare, top shelf whiskeys.
Courtesy Graft Wine Shop & Bar
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Graft Wine Shop
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Masculine, cool, and sleek, Graft is primarily a bottle shop where the owners like to hang out with their friends, but saddle up to the nine-seat bar, and you can be their friend, too. There is vinyl spinning, customers coming in to purchase wine for the evening, and some real conversations about terroir and tasting notes served on occasion. But no pretension here. Graft just wants you to drink good juice. Unless you are studying for your Court of Master Sommelier exam, you've likely heard of none of the wine, but that's the fun. Friendly prices invite adventurous leaps of ordering, and with the help of a Coravin, there are some fancy sips for those who might never be able to afford "that bottle."

Photo by Callie Cranford
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Royal American
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Stained glass, string lights, stickers, and a portrait of Ernest Tubbs. Dive bar, check. But wait ... a "No PBR, don't even ask" sign? That's the little clue that the Royal American is no regular dive bar, despite the fact that you aren't sure that latch on the bathroom stall ever really worked. There's a stage right beside the bar, a patio out front, a patio out to the side, dogs, and if you're lucky, the train conductor might just hold down the whistle as he passes by on tracks just a few feet from the building. The best bet in the bar will always be the stadium cup punch (bourbon, rum, or Kool-Aid green vodka) for $8, a canned beer, or a shot of the housemade cinnamon whiskey. Keep it simple.
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The Belmont
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For craft cocktail enthusiasts, this place is a Fernet-foggy dream come true. Open nightly at 5:30, there are black and white movies projected on the back wall, a 1950s clock hanging from the tin ceiling, dark corners and cozy booths, and not too many people at any one time allowed in the door. Excellent drinks come on cloth beverage napkins, homemade pop tarts and charcuterie come from the kitchen, and in general the ambiance oozes the edge of film noir.

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Stems & Skins
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If you want to learn about wine, Stems is the place to do it, where you feel like you're over at a friend's house who happens to be a somm. Because that's exactly where you are—they just couldn't fit you all in their living room, so they built this place. Upon walking in, you're handed a clipboard full of menus, from cheeses to tinned seafood to Coravin pours by the glass. The wine itself meanders regions, styles, plenty of things that most deft diners might put on the unusual side, and yet, it all seems downright easy because the service is so good.
Photo by Andrew Cebulka
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The Gin Joint
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One of the few places on East Bay that’s as frequented by locals as tourists, the speakeasy-themed Gin Joint is a Charleston staple for after-work cocktails and people-watching. The menu changes with the seasons, but opt for the bartender’s choice, where you pick two flavorful descriptors (tart, citrusy, refreshing) and then let the bow-tie clad bartender whip up a specialty with the assortment of fresh herbs and fruits on hand that day. Just know that because there's only room for one behind the bar, drinks can come out a little slow. Don't worry though, the flavor will be worth it.

Photo by JWKPEC
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The Griffon
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A dive bar of epic proportions, right in the middle of the tourist district. People have been tacking-up dollar bills on these walls for close to 20 years. But it's more than just cheap beer (though they've got that); there are 16 on draft and 18 bottles. If you go cocktail, go simple, and if you go wine, well, you're on your own. The beers range from Yuengling on draft to Westbrook's Key Lime Gose in the can, and happy hour is still one of the best deals in town with $2 PBR draft and $3 well liquor. There's an actual food menu, and the place can get packed at lunch, especially on Fridays during the heavy tourist season. The daily lunch specials (rotating meat-and-two dishes) and the fish and chips are the way to go.