If you’re coming from the beach or just looking to get out of the house and hang out, an awesome bar can set the right summer mood.
There are hundreds of bars to choose from out there, but only a handful are actually worth your money. Sometimes the place you least expect could be the coolest bar ever. On the other hand, sometimes the coolest-looking bars are the worst.
To help you find the bar that’s right for you, here are our top 10 bars worthy of a visit.
10. LuLu’s Bait Shack
After a day on the Fort Lauderdale beach, LuLu’s is an awesome beachside bar to relax at. You can order a drink that they serve in an actual fishbowl that is yours for the taking — if you can finish it without stumbling out, that is. LuLu’s is located along Beach Place and its second-story location makes it perfect for people-watching. And if you don’t already know, people-watching is a whole other experience on its own.
9. Jimbo’s Sandbar
Jimbo’s is an awesome little bar on Hollywood Beach. What makes it so awesome is the bikini and lingerie contest that happens every Friday. Just like LuLu’s, the crowd-watching is quite the show. It’s not just the people on the beach, it’s the actual people in the bar, which makes for quite the experience.
8. Blue Anchor
Located in downtown Delray Beach, the Blue Anchor comes straight from England. The entire bar was moved and shipped from London in 1988 and set up shop right here in South Florida. The bar itself is about 147 years old and said to be haunted. In 1888 two women, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, were seen drinking with some gentleman at the bar and later found allegedly murdered by Jack the Ripper. Stride’s and Eddows’ ghosts are said to still haunt the bar. But more importantly, the bar still serves ice-cold beer.
7. Fat Tuesday
Located right down the street from Lulu’s, this is a great bar to add to the bar-hop list if you’re exploring Fort Lauderdale’s Beach Place. Not only do they have some pool tables, they’ve also incorporated one of the best ideas in a bar yet: punching bags. There’s always at least one violent drunk, and at Fat Tuesdays, instead of taking a punch from a drunken guy, put him to work on the bags. If you’re lucky, he won’t even notice the difference.
6. Bongos Cuban Café
Located at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, this is one of the coolest bars in South Florida, especially at night. The entire place is set up on the roof of the building and makes for a fantastic view of the Hard Rock area. The food is really good and the drinks don’t pull any punches. The only downside is the price tag. Drinks at Bongos can get pretty expensive if you’re not careful. But when you travel to the Hard Rock, you can’t expect anything cheap.
5. Da Big Kahuna
Another bar located at Beach Place, Da Big Kahuna has a wide range of nightlife entertainment. Every Monday and Wednesday is karaoke night, Friday nights feature live rock bands, and Saturday nights feature live reggae bands. As for drinking, Da Big Kahuna is known for its jungle juice drink served in a large shell with a ton of rum. Recommended for two people at least, but it’s sure to make a karaoke night well worth watching.
4. Le Tub Saloon
Just look for the place with bathtubs and toilets out front and you’ve found Le Tub Saloon. This Hollywood bar and restaurant used to be a gas station. Its unique decor and location is what has made it an iconic South Florida hot spot. But what it’s really known for is its 14-ounce burger. The burger is so good that it was voted the best in GQ Magazine next to Morton’s Steak House in New York. But don’t get confused, Le Tub is a shorts-and-T-shirt kind of place, and we like it that way.
3. Mellow Mushroom
This Delray Beach bar has 50 beers on tap and more than 50 bottled beers ranging from domestic to import. Try all of them and you get to be in the Beer Club, which gets you a T-shirt and hat and a plaque on the bar’s wall. When you’re feeling peckish from all the beer, the Mellow Mushroom is known for its awesome customizable pizzas. Hundreds of different beers and pizzas — sounds like a good summer.
2. Funky Buddha
More than 90 micro-brewed beers, 30 wines, 40 teas and 40 flavors of hookah make Funky Buddha a place to come back to over and over. It’s a great place to take a group of friends who have different tastes. With so many choices in alcohol, tea and hookah, you can’t go wrong. The fact that the place micro-brews more than 90 types of beers is impressive.
1. World of Beer
If you love beer, this is your Valhalla. Never before has there been a place where you could drink around the world in one sitting. World of Beer literally has beer from around the world, including beers that you will have a hard time pronouncing even when sober. There is one located at the Promenade in Coconut Creek, and a newly opened location in West Palm Beach.
If you fall in love with the place, you can get your hands on the loyalty card, which grants you one point for every different beer you try. If you reach 500 points (and yes, they have more than 500 beers), you get a T-shirt, plaque, mug and $250 party bar tab on them. It’s okay. You can wipe the tears of joy from your eyes now.
