USA TODAY's Bars of the Year for 2024: How the list of best bars was decided

The best bars are welcoming. They bring friends and strangers together over a drink. That’s why the food and entertainment writers of the USA TODAY Network want to invite you to their favorite bars.

The Detroit Free Press dining and restaurant critic Lyndsay C. Green, along with other USA TODAY Network food writers, shared their suggestions for trendy cocktail lounges and well-worn neighborhood dives in their cities to create the 2024 USA TODAY Bars of the Year, a companion to the network’s Restaurants of the Year list published earlier this year.

We realize other “best bars” lists exist. What makes this list different is, our writers live in these communities and the bars they recommend are spots where they have spent more than a few late nights.

“A good bar is about more than just the drinks. The crowd and the vibe also matter. And it takes more than a quick visit to know which bars will be the best places to spend an evening,” said project leader Todd A. Price, a regional reporter in the South and longtime food and drinks writer. “Our writers know the bars that embody their towns.”

Whether you want to learn the hustle in Detroit, sip bourbon in Kentucky or try a new cocktail in Columbus, Ohio, our writers can show you where to go.

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“There are a number of glossy bars with fantastic beverage programs that have earned a national reputation in Detroit,” Green said. “But there are a number of watering holes that represent the pulse of the city that are equally deserving of public praise. I’m grateful to be a part of a network that offers me an opportunity to shine a light on those establishments for a wider audience to see just how dynamic this city’s dining scene is.”

The USA TODAY Network has more than 200 sites in 42 states. We asked our experts at these publications to submit the best bars where they live. We received nearly 80 nominations.

Then a team of experienced editors and writers narrowed that list down to 27 bars, ranging from humble dives to high-end lounges.

Now, raise a glass and savor our USA TODAY Bars of the Year 2024.