Restaurants

One of the best bars in America is in Boston, according to USA Today

The Beacon Hill bar was among 29 bars that made the list.

Carrie Nation Cocktail Club was named one of the best bars in America by USA Today. Kayana Szymczak for the Boston Globe

By Katelyn Umholtz

August 1, 2025

2 minutes to read

Carrie Nation Cocktail Club in Beacon Hill is one of the nation’s best bars, according to USA Today journalists.

The 1920s-themed watering hole and jazz venue made in on a list full of dive bars, breweries, and swanky cocktail experiences in Arizona, South Carolina, and beyond. Carrie Nation was the only New England bar to make the cut.

The 29 bars that made the list were chosen by USA Today Network journalists, including Wicked Local’s regional food reporter Joanna Tzouvelis. Many of the bars are located in towns or cities where the mass media company Gannett has a digital or print presence.

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The restaurant journalist wrote about Carrie Nation for USA Today’s Best Bars in America list, including its ironic namesake: Carrie Nation, an American temperance advocate.

“Imagine a badass woman in 1900 who was so opposed to anyone drinking alcohol that she would barge into saloons with a hatchet, smashing liquor bottles and bar fixtures,” Tzouvelis wrote. “This historic female figure is no longer alive, but her spirit shines on with her name in lights at Carrie Nation Cocktail Club.”

The Beacon Hill bar, which opened in 2013, leans into the Prohibition era with its Victorian decor and its second bar located within a hidden speakeasy. Its menus include the classics, like the Vesper cocktail, the espresso martini, grilled oysters, and a 24-ounce steak to share.

Here are all the bars that made USA Today’s Best Bars in America list: