The best bars in Charlotte by category
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On Wednesdays, Dahlia's has half-priced bottles of wine and live music. Photo: Alexis Clinton/Axios
Whether you're looking for a craft cocktail, a hidden speakeasy or a classic dive, this is the guide for you.
Why it matters: We have a handful of "best bars" list but this is the ultimate one. To compile it, we polled our 130K+ newsletter subscribers and 410K+ Instagram followers. Below are the top bars in Charlotte by category, according to Charlotteans.
Best cocktail bar: Dahlia's
What they're saying: 24% of survey respondents voted for Dahlia's as their favorite cocktail bar. Second place goes to Idlewild with 16% of the votes and third place goes to Dot Dot Dot with 13% of the votes.
The vibe: Dahlia's is a relatively new Uptown cocktail lounge with live music and small plates.
- Expect 10 signature cocktails, wine and beer. Food includes flatbreads and salads, plus customizable charcuterie and dessert boards.
Stop by: 123 East 5th St., on the third floor of the Binaco Tower, above Saku.
- Open seven days a week.
Go deeper: 21 best cocktail bars in Charlotte
Best brewery: Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
What they're saying: 27.6% of survey respondents voted for OMB as their favorite brewery. Second place goes to Wooden Robot with 7.1% of the votes.
- 26% of people voted "other," which comes as no surprise since there are over 40 breweries within the city limits. Honorable mentions include Town Brewing, Vaulted Oak and Suffolk Punch.
The vibe: OMB is a quintessential beer garden done right with plentiful outdoor space and traditional German beers across two locations, Axios' Emma Way writes.
Stop by: Lower South End, 4150 Yancey Road, and 15025 Bowl St. in Ballantyne.
Go deeper: 12 best breweries in Charlotte
Best speakeasy: Dot Dot Dot
What they're saying: 24% of survey respondents voted Dot Dot Dot as their favorite speakeasy. Second place goes to Folia in South End with 18.5% of votes. Third place goes to The Cellar at Duckworth's with 12% of the votes.
The vibe: Dot Dot Dot is an upscale, prohibition-style speakeasy in an old storage unit behind Park Road Shopping Center. You have to be a member, costs $10/year, to get in.
If you go: Reservations are highly recommended on weekends, Axios' McKenzie Rankin writes.
- Open Tuesday-Thursday 5-11pm, Friday 5pm-1am and Saturday 4pm-1am at 4237 Park Road.
Go deeper: 14 best hidden bars and speakeasies in Charlotte
Best sports bar: Ed's Tavern
What they're saying: 18.6% of survey respondents voted Ed's Tavern as their favorite sports bar. Dilworth Neighborhood Grille got the No. 2 spot with 15% of the votes and Selwyn Pub got third place with 14% of the votes.
The vibe: Ed's Tavern has plenty of TVs and a spacious patio, Axios' Ashley Mahoney writes. A must-try is their popular mimosa tower.
Stop by: 2200 Park Road
Go deeper: Top 15 sports bars in Charlotte
Best wine bar: Dilworth Tasting Room in Dilworth
What they're saying: 29% of respondents voted for Dilworth Tasting Room as their favorite wine bar. Foxcroft Wine Co. in Dilworth got second place with 21% of the votes, and The Bohemian landed in third place with 14% of the votes.
The vibe: The OG DTR is a coffee bar, wine bar and bottle shop with a gorgeous patio, Axios' Alexis Clinton writes.
- DTR has a 400-bottle wine selection plus a patio with tables and a bar surrounding a koi pond that adds a European feel.
Stop by: 300 E Tremont Ave.
- DTR also has locations in SouthPark and Plaza Midwood.
Go deeper: The 10 coolest wine bars in Charlotte, right now
Best dive bar: Thirsty Beaver Saloon
What they're saying: 34% of survey respondents voted for Thirsty Beaver as their favorite dive. Smokey Joe's got second place with 15.5% of the votes.
- 18.6% of people voted "other" and nominated bars that didn't make our original list, including Moosehead, Comet Grill and Jeff's Bucket Shop.
The vibe: It's a legendary Charlotte dive bar, Axios' Alex Sands writes. Once a nondescript building, Thirsty Beaver is hard to pass and not wonder about today — the way cookie-cutter apartments wrap around it. Come any day of the week and guarantee you'll leave with a story of your own.
Stop by: 1225 Central Ave.
Go deeper: 8 best dive bars in Charlotte
What’s next: There are a handful of bars we can’t wait to open next year. You may see them on our next ranking.
- In February, we're anticipating two new bars by known Charlotte mixologists — Chief's in NoDa by Bob Peters and Jean's Cold Drinks in Uptown by Ramble co-founder Larry Suggs.
- Go deeper with our full anticipated openings list
Editor's note: This list was last updated on Dec. 18, 2024. It was first published in August 2018.