My Top-18 EDM Clubs

Closed - none. Though technically Reset, my #3, is closed. I feel bad removing it, mainly because I have it so highly regarded. And doubly so because they opened a terrible velvet rope, mockery of a club in the same location today. 

18.) Pink Chihuahua  (London, England - 2022)

This was a surprising place that I went to twice on my last trip to London. First taken there by a couple work friends - one mostly who swore the place, which is downstairs of a latin restaurant, is great. What I found was perfect. Not too big, but not too crowded. Great mix of 00s hip hop and EDM, with amazing drinks, including some fantastic margaritas. It's only not higher because it isn't really an EDM club, and was more drink forward than music forward, which sin't really the case of most of these on the list.

17.) Aether  (Budapest, Hungary - 2024)

I almost didn't get a chance to experience Aether, as the top floor (same name) is a more traditional hip-hop type shop. But the second day I ventured down to in theory go to the bathroom, and saw the door in the corner leading to the real Aether, the real underground, fog machine, graet ventilation with a long bar, playing good classic techno EDM. Maybe because it was underground, it wasn't too crowded either, but the crowd was there were in absolute love with the music and the energy of the place.

16.) The Loft @ Skyway Theater  (Minneapolis, USA - 2022)

On the downside, they had maybe the worst drinks of any of them on the list, which is why its 8th. Admittedly they were strong, but their "soda" component of my whiskey soda order was basically water. But at least they were cheap. Anyway, let's get to the upside of the place. It had maybe the best ventilation system of any large space club i've been to. It was so airy, despite being crowded (not overcrowded) and them going heavy on the fog machine. Also the acts the day I went were spectacular. They seem to curate well as the place isn't open every day on the weekend. Great place, just don't expect drinks.

15.) Womb (Tokyo, Japan - 2023)

Womb was the most expansive club I went to in my time in Tokyo - easily the busiest and the largest. Three floors, all showcasing different types of music. The grournd floor with more underground, deeper EDM. The top floor with more traditional, laid-back house. Both of those two were my got to, with a giant laser-light and packed mainstream floor in the middle. Tons of bars, tons of people - it was just a great time in Tokyo. Only thing keeping it from being higher is it could've done great to have better ventilation - a small complaint as it was easy to not even realize getting lost in the great scene.

14.) Culture Club Revelin  (Dubrovnik, Croatia - 2017)

I debated whether or not to put this on the list, mainly because it is more of just all-around club than a EDM/House club. Granted they played a lot of that music, but they also played hip-hop, and had girls dancing in cages, and was more of a pure play party spot, than anything else. Not that it's bad. It migth be the best pure club I've been to, certainly the coolest atmosphere, but to me it fits on the list. Just go there knowing what it is.

13.) Cakeshop (Seoul, Korea - 2022)

Two clubs in Seoul make the list this time, and showcase the different elements of what makes Seoul a great city with everything. Cakeshop is lighter, airier, with a great bar on the side, and great tunes. It is a bit less hectic, less "clubby" and headbanging-ey than other spots in Seoul, with the same carefree attitude that made the city work. The music at Cakeshop was just perfect to enjoy, dance to, imbibe to, right in the heart of Itaewon.

12.) Club Ambar  (Santiago, Chile - 2024, 2025)

If you ever go to Club Ambar in Santiago, avoid their main floor like the plague - the floor with all the trappings of the worst quasi-techno clubs that attract the worst type of crowd. But feat not, because two side rooms at Ambar are just awesome. First is the side room on the main floor, playing just a perfect style of house, with a truly great vibe. Then of course is the basement, with pure hardcore trance - with a cavernous underground feel to match. I've rarely seen a place combine such a mainstream (in a bad way) vibe in their main floor with such great underground vibes in their side rooms.

11.) Club Under  (Buenos Aires, Argentina - 2023)

Honestly, if I went to Buenos Aires in 2019 or a few years earlier, this probablhy would be higher up the list. The place was everything you want out of an EDM club - good ventilation, good music acts, a ton of people having a grand old time. They probably could use slightly better crowd control (granted, there was still a line to enter), as the Saturday I went it was astonishingly crowded. There's really no complaints here to be had, it was just a bit jarring to, for the first time at an EDM spot, feel old.

10.) Espacio 93  (Santiago, Chile - 2024)

I don't think there has been any club I've been to that was more aggressively fast in its beats. This place was full momentum all the time. Also had some of the best architecture inside, with walls and poles and ledges and various rooms to enjoy the heavy, heavy, fast, fast beats. It was like a better, more compact, darker version of Club Under. The first night I went was some sort of BDSM type event so it was a bit out there. The second night was more traditional but the energy was unparalleled, even if it scared me out at times.

9.) Savage (Hanoi, Vietnam - 2019)

I have another Vietnam spot higher up the list. They are very similar in structure, but the main knock, the only knock, I have on Savage is that it was underground so it was a bit hot. They have one area that you enter that has more poppy house playing and a full bar, with another full bar in a shadowy back room that was hardcore EDM. Perfect mix of options, with full ability to move from one to the next. Savage also had full supply of balloons, more to come on that in a second here. Vietnam also has maybe the best bar service of any of these - in these cases the drink aspect is as much as the music, at least for the entry bar / area.

8.) D-Edge  (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 2025)

One of the weirdly great places I've been to that combine the worst parts of corporate club world (a card taht tracks all your purchases that you close out when you leave) with the greatest industrial setting on the banks of Gamboa Beach. The setting is amazing. The crowd is great. The drinks are plentiful and fairly cheap. My only real complaints is I wish the music went harder (at least when I was there), and the whole wristband corporate nature of it all. But still, it was an amazing nights in Rio at D-Edge.

7.) Vent (Tokyo, Japan - 2023)

I don't go to clubs wanting to see great architecture and design, but it is hard not to notice these aspects of Vent, a truly special club in Tokyo. The exposed concrete walls, the trees indoors, the high ceilings, the exposed cement bar. It was all just a cool vibe, a great scene. The music was excellent as well, really curated DT setlists and a great energy that attracted an equal mix of locals and foreigners. It was a spot that didn't allow photos (like Modular to come next, would put a sticker on your phone camera), which is a little nuance I actually have come to enjoy. This place was just about having a great time, with a beautiful visage to experience it all in.

6.) Modular  (Cape Town, South Africa - 2018, 2022)

I have to say, Modular gets way more crowded than my places at ahead of it, but they did a great job of not really making it feel that way, with three full service bars in the same area. They also had a pretty great ventilation and air conditioning. It was packed though. They had no real regard for crowd control. Modular had some of the better DJ sets I've heard in terms of quality top to bottom. If even you're in Cape Town, would fully recommend going there on Thursday. It's slightly less crowded, but every bit as good.

5.) Habitat Living Sound  (Calgary, Canada - 2019)

I'm not sure if they're open or not. They definitely closed for good soon after the pandemic, but then re-opened in 2021, but seem to have closed again. Anyway, it was an experience. The only real downside is that it wasn't that big of a space, but on the plus side, they had excellent crowd control, shockingly cheap and decent drinks (i.e. if you ordered a whiskey soda you got a decent amount of whiskey), and the DJs were all pretty good. The good crowd control actually made this one of the more pleasant clubs to be in. I mourn for Canada's loss here.

4.) Club Faust (Seoul, Korea - 2022)

If I described Club Faust, a dark, large room that is open from 12am-7am, with a series of artists and DJs, you could probably well picture what Club Faust looks like. It is what it is, which is just perfect for what it is trying to be. Seoul is a lot about glitz on one end, but heart and passion on the other. No one would go to Club Faust to be "seen", mostly because you effectively literally cannot see anyone all that well. After a while your eyes do get adjusted, and your ears are great from the get go.

3.) Reset  (Cape Town, South Africa - 2020)

RIP, as this was another one that was a Covid casualty. Luckily Modular still exists, but Reset was just a better venue. With two levels and two performance spaces, a bit more light on the second floor, more heavy in the underground one. Bars had a lot of bartenders. They had great ventilation. The crowd control was decent, but just having it across two floors just made it all seem bigger and better. On the whole Reset was a fantastic place and a real loss in terms of nighttime entertainment for Cape Town.

2.) The Black Box  (Denver, USA - 2021)

There's one major question mark in ranking The Black Box this highly, and that is the fact that when I went in August 2021, they were still doing a reasonable amount of crowd limiting due to covid. There was no mask restriction, but they were operating at half capacity. That said, even if you double the crowd I don't think it would have been so much worse. The space was great - with lounge area with another DJ space when you enter, and a much larger space in the interior. Other than my place at number one this place had the best bar set-up, with at least five bartenders working, and the ability to go to the bar in the outside area at any time. The music was uniformly excellent, with generally three acts that all were great each day.

1.) The Observatory  (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - 2019)

From the truly loungey lounge that is its main area, to a full service bar with tons of bartenders that make things quick, to the plentiful balloons, to the light, airy indoor more heavy EDM club that had great ventilation, to it also being on the fifth floor with great sightlines of Ho Chi Minh City around you, The Observatory was close to perfect. That Friday and Saturday night spent at it was about as good as it has ever been in a club experience. You truly feel like you are at a rooftop bar one second, and a hardcore EDM club the next. Just an incredible set-up, great msuic, great balloons, cheap but good drinks, and a great crowd with a good mix of locals and expats. It all added up to a perfect experience.

My Top-18 Cocktail Bars

Closed:

(Was #8/16 - Wa-Shu, Taipei)

Wa-Shu was a Japanese Cocktail Bar in the heart of Taipei that I went to twice. The bartenders were quick to tell me that they were Taiwanese, but the cocktails featured Japanese-based alcohol mostly. I had multiple Japanese Whiskey based cocktails, including my favorite being a weird one that used peanut butter seeped through a coffee filter to create a peanut butter old fashioned. It was one of the places with no supposed menu, where we tell them a certain flavor, or fruit or type of food, and they'll whip up something that makes sense based on that. It worked every time. The Wa-Shu guys knew very much what they were doing.

18.) The Gin House  (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - 2019, 2022)

This place may have closed down, it is hard to tell, but The Gin House was a great place in Ho Chi Minh City. My only real complaint is they get a bit too crowded, largely because they had live music Wednesday through Sunday - granted the music was generally good. The cocktails were great. Yes, most were gin based, and I was lucky enough to come when they had a resident mixologist from New Zealand of all places visiting, but they were smooth, refreshing and a great starter for a night out in Ho Chi Minh City - the place I would go to after is coming up in the next category.

17.) Whisper Sister  (Tallinn, Estonia - 2024)

They get pretty limited points for a super half-hearted attempt at "speakeasy-ness" as all you need to do is call them and they'll open up the apartment building front door where they reside in teh basement. But get into the place, you're met with a wall of liquors adn concoctions. They have a fairly brief menu of about 12 options (though you can order off menu, of course) but all are fairly whimsical and good. The only real knock I have is they are super exacting with their pours so they aren't the largest drinks, but man they are excellent. 

16.) Cobbler (Seoul, Korea - 2022)

    

Cobbler was situated in a pretty seemingly quiet part of Seoul, an area not really well known for bars and the like, but deep in this residential area of narrow alleys is Cobbler. It had great decor, made to look like a clubhouse lodge, with exposed wood everywhere. The drinks were excellent, with no set menu and you just give them your preferences. The drinks were all little, interesting twists on classics, the best being a truly incredibly smoked somkey old fashioned that nonetheless as smooth as any I had. The place was well crafted, well maintained, a truly professional outfit that took pride in just serving great cocktails.

15.) Flekk  (Istanbul, Turkey - 2024)

Flekk is too cool and popular for its own good almost - just a palce that people come every day to hang out and chill but just happens to have amazing cocktails, all pretty novel inventions, by the staff in the small bar at the back. As a solo traveler, was able to generally score myself a seat at the bar which made the service a bit faster. But this isn't a place to rush through life, but sit back and enjoy. They were quite liberal with their pours, but exacting in their bitters and syrups and the like. Flekk was a true surprise in how great it was in the middle of the urban maw of Istanbul.

14.) Liz Cocktail & Co  (Rio de Janeiro - 2025)

I'm mixed on the value and efficacy of theme-y cocktail bars. Liz isn't pure theme, but they have a nice menu design where they have 3 drinks representing each decade from the 1930s to the 2020s - one of which is based on a famous artist from that decade. It's a bit kitschy, but what's honestly weird is if they stripped that whole conceit away, and just served the same drinks without the decade / artist tie-in, I honestly think it might be further up. The drinks are neat, easy to drink, playful, strong. All good things, in the posh Leblon part of Rio.

13.) The Bellwoods (Tokyo, Japan - 2023)

You enter into The Bellwoods, see the old timey dress worn by the fun bartenders, and the ragtime era music playing, and you get immediately what they're after. There's no weird entrance or hideaway that pushes into that aspect of a speakeasy - jsut a decor, vibe and sense that you are back in the old days. The Cocktails are excellent, with cool glasses and great presentation, if a bit on the lighter, sweeter side. Still, with a core list of about 20 options, you can go a while without running out of things to try, and ragtime era environment to soak up.

12.) Meteor  (Minneapolis, USA - 2022)

It is hard to judge a place like Meteor, which has zero of the acceptable levels of pretension that come with all five above it. If anything it is set-up like a dive bar, with low lights, mostly bar seating and gourmet hot dogs rolling, but has an inventive, playful cocktail list of about 15 regulars. Their use of strange ingredients, like Sesame in a bourbon-based cocktail, or coconut milk in a gin-based one, was excellent. It isn't too expensive coming in at $12 a pop. They even have a decent draft beer list if you want to mix it up - granted that has no real impact on the ranking here.

11.) Bar Prep  (Gyeongju, Korea - 2024)

Gyeongju shouldn't have a place this nice. Like in a small, fairly sleepy, tourist town is just a gem of a conctail bar, behind a heavy oak door. You're presented with Korean perfection, from the exactness of the drinks, to the little plate of treats they give you. Smoke, crazy flavors (a lot of Korean berries), and so much more. Bar Prep is just better than it should be for a tertiary city in South Korea. And yes, this is me saying that a place this good should exist in a Hoboken. Anyway, the best part is their coffee-based cocktails (expressly not Espresso Martini), which are just amazing.

10.) Summer Experiment (HCMC, Vietnam - 2023)

Ho Chi Minh City is a city on the rise, and much as it has in every area of life, it is setting it sights higher and higher on top cocktail spots. Summer Experiment is like almost everything in HCMC, up two stories in a dark alley, but enter through its doors and you walk into a sleek, dark bar with some outside seating, and a long bar with weird ingredients, hundreds of bottles and young bartenders looking to develop some crazy stuff. Not all of it is perfect, but their good concoctions, like the best frozen cocktail I've ever had, to a great play on a Manhattan, knock it out of the park. Summer Experiment is relatively new, so I foresee it rising in promenance.

9.) Tres Monos  (Buenos Aires, Argentina - 2023)

This place just hit all the notes really well. It is very well reputed, but not too crowded (a bit plus in the bustling late-night mecca that is Buenos Aires). The drinks are excellent - inventive without being pretentious (granted, a few places higher on my list could be accused of being such). In the end, this place consistently served great cocktails and had a great Ho - a mix of bar-front seating to watch the mixologists do their thing, to a lot of couch and chilling space, which of course like any top Buenos Aires space, spilled out into the streets.

8.) Backroom Bar  (Santiago, Chile - 2025)

My preferred Santiago spot, Siete Negronis, closed (it probably sat just outside prior lists), but instead I discovered a place that was frankly better. Chile's best offering is its insanely good weather. Well, at Backroom you got to combine that with their amazing cocktails. The place in the back("room") was enclosed walls, but no ceiling, with being able to see the stars and the beauty of night in the gem of South America. The drinks were strong, with their own concoctions of various martinis, various martinis, and so much more. Backroom is a great place, even if the unique selling point is mostly the atmosphere.

7.) Hotsy Totsy  (Budapest, Hungary - 2024)

How do you like 52 drink options? Hotsy Totsy gives you that with teh conceit of them all being grouped into four types and put on playing cards. You sit down in their underground bunker type bar, and you are given a deck to cycle through. A bit gimmicky, sure, but the drinks then prove themselves anyway. The crispest, the coldest, the best cocktails I've had in Europe, with the added bonus of a really cool scene and fun bartenders to talk to. Hotsy Totsy was in the heart of the Budapest nightlife scene, but more understated, classy and coolly dark than the vividness of the Jewish Quarter outside.

6.) Alice (Seoul, Korean - 2022)

Alice was quasi-gimmicky, in that it was Alice in Wonderland theme - but they didn't hit you over the head with the theme, but instead hit you over the head with great cocktails. There were interesting ingredients, from utilizing soy bean paste, to beer foam and flowers, to so much more. Even the names were whimsical - like "Hippity, Hoppity" and similar things. The best part I appreciated is that none of the drinks were overly strong or bitter, just perfectly balanced, perfectly inventive.

5.) Bar Trench (Tokyo, Japan - 2023)

Small but incredibly strong, Bar Trench was the favorite place I went to on my recent trip to Japan, with a wealth of cocktail options, all liquor-forward to not make you feel cheated, with also incredibly knowledgeable, entertaining bartenders that will play around with different styles and make stuff on request without going too far down the pretension rabbit hole. Bar Trench just makes super good, strong, solid, inventive drinks - plus has a really great vibe aided by teh smaller size and great decor with a giant library-style wall of bottles and fermentations, all to make your head spin for all the right reasons.

4.) Carnaval  (Lima, Peru - 2022)

Carnaval shows up the Worlds Best 50 Bars list, and after going there I have to say it earns that spot. It gets crowded, but is in a posh area of Lima, doesn't let in more people than they have seats for, and had a great energy aroudn it. The drinks were wild, in both preparation and design - things like alcoholic cotton candy as part of a play on an old fashioned, to a frozen watermelon cocktail that is melted when you tip your glass to combine it with a mint cocktail. It was all a scene, and it was just great.

4.) #FindTheLockerRoom (Bangkok, Thailand - 2022)

Sometimes speakeasies can take the concept of just how hidden their entrance can be a bit too far. FindTheLockerRoom, down a wet and damp alley, and a row of lockers, toed the line. But the second you're greeted with an almost farcical second set of lockers, you enter a beautiful dark, roomy, bar with some incredible cocktails. The cocktails themselves are all reinventions of old classics, and were all uniformly great. The only real complain is the bar was a bit small, but I take it in a sense that fits with the speakeasy theme. Great concept, made a lot better by peerless execution.

2.) Cause Effect  (Cape Town, South Africa - 2020, 2022)

Cause Effect shouldn't be this good. It is placed right in the heart of the most touristy place in Cape Town. Basically this is like if a bar in Times Square was an amazing place. But somehow it is. They are easily the most inventive cocktail makers. Nearly all of their 20+ standard cocktail offerigns are a production, with props and set-ups and incredible staging. My favorite was one where you are given a plate with a depressed area in the middle, which is covered by an image of a bird and you're told you need to puncture the image which then combines with the cocktail below it to create something magical. The place has to be visited to truly understand it, but it is just incredible, and I can't overstate enough how brilliantly weird it is that this place exists in the V&A Waterfront.

1.) Licorecia Limantour  (Mexico City, Mexico - 2018)

I went to Licorecia Limantour without even knowing it was seen as a world renowned cocktail bar. It is high up the Worlds Top 50 bars. Granted, they have multiple locations - I went to both the main one and one in Polanco. Both have the same menu. Unsurprisingly a lot of cocktails were tequila or mezcal based but they were all crafted brilliantly. None were to too strong, all were super smooth to put down. The place had a great vibe in the heart of the city's more trendier areas, with an open layout letting you basically step inside from teh street. Licorecia Limantour was a marvelous part of my trip to Mexico City, and has only increased its reputation since 2018.

My Top-18 Beer Bars

Like my top restaurant lists, I'm graduating the places that have been closed into their own sections. My genius way of not having to continually increase the number. Lukcily, in the beer bar case, it's just two places.

Closed:

(Was #8/16 - Falling Rock Tap House,  Denver, CO)

Falling Rock closed down during the pandemic, more due to some odd rental dispute. It is hard to imagine it is gone. The place was an institution in Denver, and had a giant tap list of nearly all Colorado based craft breweries. I went there maybe four or five times and the place was a joy each time. The only thing keeping it from being higher up is the fact that the decor was a bit blah. There was a lot of normal bar trappings (novelty signs, sports jerseys, etc.), but ti was too bright, too much like a Buffalo Willd Wings type layout. Get past that, and the place was about perfect.

(Was #7/16 - Hilaria Gastrobar, Mexico City)

I don't want to overstate how good Mexico City beer may or may not be, but Hilaria probably has the best combination of location, food and beer of any is this list. The place is literally right off the Zocalo, with seating overlooking the main roads leading into CDMX's main square. The food was Mexican, but quite good version of it. The beer was plentiful - mostly can options, but from all over Mexico in one special spot. Honestly, hard to beat this combination of factors.

Best Beer Bars

18.) Magerks  (Horsham, USA - 2018)

It's weird ranking this one but I'd gone there enough during my project in suburban Pennsylvania that it easily makes the list. It was a giant upscale BrickHouse Tavern type place, but with a far more extensive and interesting tap list of about 30-40 beers, all servied in a giant bar in the middle. The kept the wall of windows open which gave a great atmosphere. They showed every type of sport on their TVs that were above the giant rectangular bar. All of this was great. The place it was in? take it or leave it. If this same place was in a major city, it might be Top-5.

17.) The Raleigh Times  (Raleigh, USA - 2019, 2020)

A couple of these are places I went to during various consulting gigs, including The Raleigh Times, built in the ground floor of the old newspaper building. Technically this is a full service bar more than just a beer bar, and often I went there for food when arriving into town on a late flight. But from a drinks perspective they had about 20 local (Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia) beers on tap, with a great variety of styles, ABV levels, etc. The place also had a really relaxed vibe, with music on a rooftop - though this was more reading it than seeing it as generally that was on weekends.

16.) Loyal Legion  (Portland, USA - 2017)

No surprise that a place like Portland that had itself a crazy collection of craft breweries, has a place where they had about 60 beers on tap, at least half being local craft beer. The bar is large, and in theory is a full service bar, but the imposing row of taps make it clear where they make their money. The beer list featured a ton of stouts as well. In the end, the over-abundance of options is somewhat of a drawback. You would think a bit more discretion could be used. 

15.) Gluck  (Santiago, Chile - 2025)

Chile is a burgeoning beer city. There are craft breweries aplenty. But this list isn't about craft breweries. This is about where beer is more varied than one places proclivities. Gluck is in a weird (if still super nice) part of Santiago, that is not on the normal tourist track - but taht might be why everyone there was a local enjoying some local craft Chilean beer. Most of the seating is outdoors - which personally I'm ambivalent on, probably costing it a few points. But the beer was cold, was good, and the vibe, like anything in Santiago really, was great.

14.) NYKS  (Montreal, Canada - many times)

So this one is largely on the vibes side but they do have a solid beer selection, including 2-3 beers of 2-3 local Montreal staples, including generally dark/stout beers. The atmosphere, spitting distance of the Place des Festivals where the Jazz Fest is held. I did go a few times unconnected to the Jazz Fest - including in the dead of winter arriving late into Montreal, it was just a great little refuge in the heart of the city.

13.) HeuHeuHeu  (Gyeongju, Korea - 2024)

Why I love Korea is for places like this. Gyeongju is not a big city. Tucked in a random residential street, sits this beauty of a beer bar. Now, about half of their taps were kicked - so honestly if that was more me comign at a bad time, this place honestly could be higher. The beer was decent - but their Korean Ham boards accompanying the beer was to die for. HeuHeuHeu was just a great place.

12.) Hopaholic (Budapest, Hungary - 2024)

If you get past the weird lime green stylings of the place, you can realize just how great it is. They had about 10 beers on tap, a great mix of mostly Central to Eastern European origin, including a healthy does of local Hungary. They also had about 100 different bottle options from all over. Budapest as a whole had a great beer culture, but Hopaholic was the one that best combined that culture and a cool setting, great rock music, and just a really nice place to start or end a night.

11.) Al Brewer's Beer Stand (Takayama, Japan - 2023)

Our first new entrant is one of the most random, exquisite places to find a great regional craft beer bar. AL Brewer's in Takayama is a simple place serving a great collection of beer from all around Japan, including focusing on a few options local to the Hida area. It was IPA heavy, with great tap pours in ice cold glasses. The setting was good too - semi open air, great decor and a truly great crowd of mostly tourists having fun with the local bartenders. Yes, I'm probably giving it a bit of extra credit for just how amazing it was to find it in Takayama, but the quality of the offering lives up to the ranking.

10.) RioTap Beer House  (Rio de Janeiro - 2025)    

On vibes, thsi place is higher up. On beer, it maybe is slightly lower. Brazil is not a beer mad country (yet), but RioTap is about as close you can come to a beer paradise in Rio. Like all places in Rio, it has mostly outdoor seating, an amazing vibe, the coolest bartenders and watiers. It has a list of about 200 beers to pick from, a good 60% from various parts of Brazil. The staff are knowledgeable. If Brazilian beer itself was better, this probably ranks higher up. I rank these 70% beer, 30% vibes - if the ratio was reversed, this is probably #5 or something.

9.) Stand Umineko Koto (Kyoto, Japan - 2023)

If you want to sample as many Japanese craft beers from all over the country, be it 24 taps or at least 100 more can options. They only serve Japanese beer, from all over Japan, and when I was there had about 10 of their taps being from a craft brewery in Osaka area. Overall, the selection was great, a good variety of all types, be it a few IPAs, three stouts and a good amoutn of sours. You can tell there was quite a care taken in what they procured to put on tap. The only thing keeping it from being higher is the "stand" of it all - the place generally requires you to stand at the bar. Good for interacting, not great for just chilling. Anyway, another special place on my Japan trip.

8.) The Wandering Tortouse  (Phoenix, USA - 2021)

This is the first of two Phoenix places, and I have to say Phoenix has got the beer bar concept locked down perfectly. Giant bar in the middle, tons of seating everywhere else. A giant tap list, of mostly local brews, with a brillaitn color coded system on how they write it, with all IPAs in Green, all Stouts/Porters in purple, all ales in white, all lagers in yellow. So simple, so smart, so effective. Why the Wandering Tortoise is a bit lower than its Phoenix companion is its location being a bit outside the city. It was perfectly fine and safe, and the place was great, but not super easy to get to.

7.) El Deposito  (Mexico City, Mexico - 2025)

Nestled at the North end of Polanco, the poshest of posh suburbs with tasting menu restaurants, and world reknownked tasting menu spots and the like, sits El Deposito. Humble building, but amazing beer - including a vast, wide, and well mixed selection of craft Mexican beers from aroudn the country. They serve beer also in the icest cold of glasses. The decor and scene is a bit drab - but this place is, above else, just about the beer. And God bless them for that fact. Especially since my earlier go-to in Mexico City is no more.

6.) Koht  (Tallinn, Estonia - 2024)

Deep inside old town Tallinn, within an alley, lies Koht which is just a gem of a place. Low ceilings, one of which plastered with a bill from every currency known to man, and two bartenders that are super knowledgeable about all things beer. There were 12 on tap, from all over Europe (maybe 2-3 from Estonia) and a fridge full of various can options. The place played perfect rock music, had people coming and going all night long till their closing time at 3am. It was a place to just enjoy what it means to be in Tallinn.

5.) Clark Street Ale House  (Chicago, USA - 2022, 2023)

It was a bit surprising to find a tremendous beer bar in the heart (and I mean heart) of Chicago that (1) wasn't super crowded, (2) had a great tap list, both local and far away. Even better, the crowd was great, they played sports all over the palce, and had free popcorn (something of a Chicago staple, to be fair) available at all times. This was a golden place for someone who has had to Chicago more often recently for work reasons.

4.) Hop Scholar Ale House  (Spring, USA - 2018, 2019, 2020)

Most of my picks are in cities. Hop Scholar is very much not. It was in the Houston suburb that I both had a project in, and where I have a cousin that lives in. If anything there's a back road from my cousin's neighborhood that leaves directly to Hop Scholar. Anyway, as a place, it is everything. They have about 20 beers on tap. A very healthy amount of interesting stouts. It doesn't limit itself to Texas, but features enough local options to make it interesting. They also had a good food selection, with elevated pub fries and hot dogs. It was a refuge of a place on a project where I was alone for a long stretch. I don't think anyone should go out of their way to visit here, but if you ever find yourself in The Woodlands, hop on down to Hop Scholar.

3.) Toronado  (San Diego & San Francisco, USA - 2014, 2017)

I believe these two are if not owned by the same people, at least linked. The San Diego location has closed, which is a shame as to me it was slightly better than the San Francisco location. In both cases the place had a weird collection of people (headbangers, goths, everything else) along with about 25 beers on tap. Much like Wandering Tortoise I believe there's some color coding done in the way they show their beer, but I couldn't discern it. Toronado takes full advantage of the wealth of craft beer options in both cities, and were easily my favorite night options in either city.

2.) BarHop Brewco  (Toronto, Canada - 2017, 2019, 2020)

Situated in a dark, dive type bar, with a wall with a projector showing either sports or some old weird movies, and a tap list of about 30 beers, high majority being Canadian, BarHop Brewco was a fascinating place to visit. Half of the brews were sold at $5 CAD on Monday's, which is often the place I went. They had a good mix of bar and table seating. And they had great food - especially a PBJ burger that I had way too much. Everything about BarHop was great, including the crowds whether weekday or weekend. Best part was it was right in the heart of the city, but a block or so off the main drag. BarHop was close to perfect.

1.) The Theodore  (Phoenix, USA - 2021)

As perfect as BarHop was - it wasn't The Theodore perfect. I went there my first night traveling post covid, and it was great. I went there three times that trip and then went months later when I went to Phoenix for my friends wedding. I dragged our mutual friend that was also there to it late on a Friday, him being skeptical, and even he agreed it was fantastic. Giant bar, huge tap list, with that everpresent color coding that I love so much. No food, but food trucks aplently all around. Truly right in the heart of the city, serving as excellent place to either end the night or start one. The Theodore is about as perfect a place as I can picture when someone says to me what a great Beer Bar is.