USA TODAY's Expanded Bar List.
USA TODAY highlights 39 diverse venues on its 2026 Bars of the Year list.
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Key Points
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Bottle & Cork (Delaware) and Shipwrecked (Massachusetts) and Femme Bar (Massachusetts) are among the USA TODAY Bars of the Year 2026 lineup, broadening Northeast representation beyond the venues named in the summary.
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The Ambleside Pub is highlighted for an authentic, ‘unapologetically British pub’ experience, including a no-stools wood bar and traditional hand-poured cask ales (brewed the same way for 400 years) along with classic pub fare like fish and chips.
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The Fortunate Glass in Wilmington, North Carolina is noted for a third straight appearance on the Bars of the Year list, following past Wilmington entries like The Blind Elephant and Ocean Grill and Tiki Bar.
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Fort Collins area highlights include Twin Staves in Windsor (with drinks like Pink Pony Club and Green Machine) and the Sunset Lounge Rooftop Bar atop the Elizabeth Hotel, plus table-side ordering via a QR code for Hearth Restaurant and Pub.
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The Bars of the Year list is reported as featuring 39 venues, not 38 as some summaries have stated.
USA TODAY has named 39 bars as its Bars of the Year 2026 — dropping the single "Bar of the Year" crown entirely for the first time. USA TODAY Network released the list on July 29, 2026, spotlighting venues in nearly every region of the country, from beach shacks in Delaware to rooftop lounges in Colorado.
The 39 picks span dive bars, queer spaces, British pubs, wine bars, and craft beer halls. According to North Jerseyand Delaware Online, the list was compiled by a nationwide network of local food writers — not a single editorial panel — giving each region its own voice.
Why USA TODAY Ditched the Single Winner This Year
Past USA TODAY bar lists were smaller and more selective. The first list in August 2024 named just 27 venues. The 2025 list grew to 29. This year's jump to 39 is the biggest expansion yet. The shift signals a deliberate editorial choice: no single bar defines American drinking culture anymore.
Rather than reward one elite cocktail temple, USA TODAY is treating bars as "cultural preservation sites," in the words of its editorial team. The list mixes a 90-year-old Delaware beach bar, *Bottle & Cork* (open since 1936), with a brand-new Colorado cocktail lounge that only opened in fall 2025. That range is the point.
No TVs, No Stools, and 400-Year-Old Beer Recipes
Several picks stand out for what they refuse to offer. The Ambleside Pub in Mount Kisco, New York has no bar stools — by design. Owner Drew Hodgson, who grew up in Cumbria, England, wants guests to stand and talk. The pub serves real cask ales brewed using techniques that are roughly 400 years old, kept at exactly 50°F and poured by hand-pump.
Twin Staves in Windsor, Colorado bans televisions entirely. Co-owner Ryan Spilborghs — a former Colorado Rockies outfielder — built the lounge around "community and connection." Guests sit in high-backed booths and use a QR code to order food from the upstairs Hearth Restaurant and Pub, keeping their eyes off screens and on each other.
Three-Peat for Wilmington, and a Win for Queer Spaces
The Fortunate Glass in Wilmington, North Carolina makes the list for the third straight year. Owner Celeste Glass uses state-of-the-art wine preservation systems to keep a large rotating bottle-and-glass selection fresh. Wilmington has now placed on every USA TODAY bar list — prior picks included The Blind Elephant and Ocean Grill and Tiki Bar, according to Delaware Online.
Femme Bar in Worcester, Massachusetts is one of the list's most significant inclusions. Co-owner Danielle Spring built it as a visible, safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community. There are only about 21 lesbian bars left in the entire United States. National recognition from USA TODAY gives venues like Femme Bar real financial and cultural staying power, according to Seacoast Online.
Old Dives, Beach Bars, and the Towns Behind Them
Some of the list's most storied picks are defined by sheer age. Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell, New Jersey opened in 1933 and now pours more than 100 rotating craft beers tied to an "MBA" — Master of Beer Appreciation — loyalty program. Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, Delaware turns 90 this year and remains one of the oldest live music venues on the list, according to North Jersey.
Ohio claims two spots: Land-Grant Brewing in Columbus and Northside Yacht Club in Cincinnati, reflecting the state's deep craft-beer culture. Florida's Good Night John Boy in Delray Beach and New Jersey's D'Jais in Belmar round out the coastal picks. Together, the 39 venues show that the best bars in America are not found in one city — they are the social heart of wherever they happen to be, according to Utica OD.
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