Written by Alexandria Hilton
Who doesn’t love a nice and tidy list?! Even better … a round number like TEN?!
As we begin our end-of-the-year celebrations, we here in the office are reminiscing on some of our most favorite bars, pubs, saloons, taverns, you-name-its and what-ya-call-its from around the world. Please enjoy our expert picks for Top Ten Best Bars on Planet Earth!
(Beware the sneaky eleventh; our honorable mention may be the most important…)
*We list the following in no particular order. We love them all dearly.*
1. Marina Jack, Sarasota, Florida
Michelle’s pick, this spot is undeniably Sarasotan. Close-by, O’Leary’s is a family favorite that unfortunately sustained some serious damage in the recent storms. I remember dancing in and amongst crowded tables there as a child; an amused toddler singing along to Margaritaville, I believed I was the entertainment and nobody stopped me! The views of the city go unmatched from this part of the bayfront. Anyone who wants to feel authentically local should come here; it’s a concept as simple as the bar itself.
2. Wolf’s Fang Camp, Antarctica
“That’s like, *100 thousand year-old-ice,” Isabelle said casually as I waited patiently for this photo of said dinosaur ice to materialize onto my laptop. My jaw dropped before the picture AirDrop’d itself onto my screen.
I have done a bit of fact-checking and I’d like to address your (my) skepticism: The Greatest Day by White Desert Antarctica includes a hike that ends with a cocktail chilled by *10,000-year-old glacial ice. But let’s be real: whether 10 thousand or 100 thousand, it’s many more years than I can fathom. Considering my unreasonable amusement at the silicone rocks ice tray in my freezer, a trip to my seventh continent may be more urgent than I thought. Anyone else?
3. Goldenpass Express, Interlaken to Montreux
This remarkably changeable addition to the list is a joint submission from Taryn and Molly. “Amazing views because they were always changing!” Multitaskers as they are, they put forward this unique experience as a prime example of “bubbles with a view.” That’s something people say. . . right? They assured me that the ever-changing Swiss landscape just over their shoulders, always within sight and never leaving much to be desired, made their cheese pairing taste just that much tastier!
4. Roo Mountain Vineyards, Ellijay
Jolene’s submission may have been my favorite because it started with, “I realized when you asked this that I really haven’t been to that many bars…” and I am just a sucker for this kind of honesty! “Bars” in the traditional sense are not for everyone! This list was always meant to be more than your run-of-the-mill dark and smelly pub.
This vineyard in Georgia piqued my interest to say the very least; named after The Rooster, a spiritual guide to the Cherokee Nation, the original owners of the land, and symbol of “using one’s voice for the greater good,” the vineyard and its bar offer a unique experience for any fellow Floridians craving some altitude (*me: raising my hand*). A visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains would pair really nicely with the apple chutney on the turkey sandwich, dare I say even better with a glass of chardonnay.
5. Hotel Ponsonby, Auckland
An obvious choice for me, I needn’t think very hard on the establishment I’d like to flaunt. While I am by no means an unbiased source, I enthusiastically invite you to fact-check me when I tell you this is the best bar in Auckland! Start the night here and end the night here. If you want crowds, make it Friday; if you want great food and stellar service, come in for lunch on Thursday and then come back for a margarita or four at happy hour. An operation run by lovely people who enjoy one another, care about their community, and take pride in the work they do, Hotel Ponsonby has an infectious energy.
At the intersection of high-standards and low-fuss, the pub’s vibe epitomizes the overall mindset of the New Zealanders you’ll meet: quality is a given and “complicated” is an empty, foreign word. Bring your dog! Bring your friends! And give the bouncer a giant hug from me!
6. Wine Bar Suklje, Ljubljana
Isabelle’s pick: classic and timeless, a wine bar is an integral part to any list of this sort. This spot, a little bit edgy with a pinch of posh, is a great example of a place dutifully giving wine a more approachable name. The outdoor space specifically lends itself to a relaxed sipping atmosphere — and the intentionally curated list is sure to show you something new!
Psst: if you’re looking for interesting wines of great value, get experimental and grab a bottle of Slovenian Refosco. Come to think of it, value is a word that immediately surfaces at the mention of Slovenia; a charming destination top-of-mind for many of us in the ATI office lately, we’re already dreaming of sending you to Ljubliana, Lake Bled or Portoroz sometime soon!
7. The Temple Bar, Dublin
This is where I had my first (and likely last) Irish car bomb. If you’re looking for something easy, this is it! It’s a cheery, energetic option for the night before your football team plays and a brutal option for a sore loser for just after the match that didn’t quite go your way. I would not recommend it be the only bar you visit in Dublin… oh, who am I kidding?! You’re not fooling anyone, you pub-crawler, you!
If you want to meet other Americans, head here! With live Irish music every night, this seems to me a comfortable option for the US traveler! Truly, though, the Irish are painfully accommodating and kind. You’ll feel cared-for all over the city! As you crawl… and crawl… and crawl…
8. Vista Bar, One & Only Cape Town
It’s no secret we love this city. We’re even less coy about how much we love this hotel! Mal’s pick, the vista bar at the One & Only Cape Town overlooks iconic Table Mountain. A testament to the sense-of-place (*holds pinky out, turns nose slightly up*) you might feel in a seat at the bar, it’s the only place I’ve ever heard my mother forgo French Champagne for South African Cap Classique. Take a moment. Let that one settle in … They’ve got a great kale salad, too! The bar’s proximity to Nobu coupled with the warmth of the One & Only staff puts this one high on the list for many of us.
9. Le Magritte Bar, The Beaumont
Alexis couldn’t decide which bar in London was her favorite; considering the wide range you can find in a city such as this, I don’t blame her. On her behalf, I submit to you Le Magritte Bar in the lobby of The Beaumont. If you’re after an American whisky in the city, this is the spot for you. As hard as I have tried, I am not a whisky-drinker and feel quite out of place in bars like this. The team at Le Magritte happily made me an agave-based whisky-cocktail-wannabe and I felt just as sophisticated as the rest of the crowd. I sipped from a rocks glass and imagined I was shoulder-to-shoulder with Hemingway, stealing glances at the page in front of him as he worked into the early hours of the morning or (more-likely) casually eavesdropping as he shamelessly charmed the waitstaff with his tales of Africa.
This style of bar popularized itself during the 1920s in London, when the city became a bustling hub of creatives, where many of history’s most famous artists met and mingled, the city a container for the intersection of them all, bars like this the perfect backdrop against which their shared experiences influenced one another, shaping the art that shaped my understanding of art itself!
10. Marlin Bar, Lizard Island Resort
For my whole life, I have listened closely as people asked Mal, “so what destination is on your bucket list?” She has always come up with some way to get a good chuckle out of her listener, as she does, but she has never not said, “The Great Barrier Reef.” She has always seemed quite serious about this.
And as our oceans warm and The Reef is subject to unprecedented patterns, there is reason for quite serious concern about the longevity of this extraordinary ecosystem. I hate to be a Debbie-Downer as we round out or list but we have to adjust our bucket lists because…well… some experiential destinations might just kick the bucket before we do… Malaka and I visited The Reef together for the first time in late April. After a morning with coral and an afternoon with sharks, we enjoyed a slow sundowner at the Marlin Bar, the sky pink all day long, the light rains letting up just in time for dinner. It was blissful. And I hope to get back there very soon.
