Grab a drink at these 6 top Tempe bars and breweries

Each year, we travel all around the Valley to find the top 100 bars in Phoenix. But sometimes you don't want to carpool or rideshare across town to grab a drink. If you call Tempe home and are looking for a great bar around Mill Avenue and the Arizona State University campus or you're deeper into the surrounding neighborhoods, here are six top spots for beer, wine, cocktails and a good time.

Casey Moore’s Oyster House

850 S. Ash Ave., Tempe

Casey Moore's Oyster House is a Tempe mainstay, known for its sprawling patio surrounding the former home of William A. and Mary Moeur, built circa 1910. The bar itself is named after an Irish woman who was born even earlier, in 1886, and who was known for singing, playing the piano and hosting frequent gatherings. (She is said to still haunt the place.) The home was rehabilitated in 1973, and a few bars came and went in the space until 1986, when it became Casey’s. The bar attracts students from nearby ASU, as well as neighborhood regulars, cyclists, tourists and service industry types. Indoors, you’ll find neon décor, some seating and a cozy bar; on the patio, you may smoke, bring your dog till 5 p.m. or bend elbows at the always-packed outdoor bar. The beer selection features a mix of local, domestic and imported brews, and the pub fare is above average. Go with the oysters or the neighborhood favorite, French onion soup.

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Stop in for a drink and some elevated bar snacks at the Golden Pineapple Craft Lounge in Tempe.

Lauren Cusimano

The Golden Pineapple

2700 S. Mill Ave., Tempe

This unassuming neighborhood watering hole located just down the street from ASU stands out thanks to a decades-old sprawling and towering ficus tree that shades a cozy, street-side, dog-friendly patio. The Golden Pineapple Craft Lounge’s rustic entrance gives way to a space that exudes laid-back beachside vibes with dining tables, high-tops and a J-shaped bar where bartenders work their magic. The impressive cocktail menu features thoughtful versions of classics. Order the house margarita with mezcal instead of tequila and spicy with a five-pepper agave mixer. The Malaysian Mule gets its flair from Thai chile and lemongrass. And Wild Turkey 101 that’s infused with Benton’s bacon is the base for the old fashioned. The food menu leans heavy on plates meant to be shared. Warm plantains get the nachos treatment with a pile of queso blanco, carne asada, jalapeno and cotija; while the Navajo taco and shrimp ceviche are departures from typical bar fare.

Hundred Mile Brewing Co.

690 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe

Although it’s a bit off the beaten path, tucked in near a Holiday Inn Express along the north bank of Tempe Town Lake, Hundred Mile Brewing Co. is worth seeking out for its indoor/outdoor vibe that’s big enough for groups yet appropriate for date night. The operation, which opened in December 2022, is housed in a 10,000-square-foot white brick former print shop. A large patio with an awning in front includes a dog-friendly turf area and games such as cornhole and giant Connect Four. Owner Sue Rigler and her team churn out quality brews that include IPAs, a hoppy pilsner, smooth amber ale, pale ale and more. The kitchen offers ramped-up bar food for almost any taste, including chimichurri nachos, a sesame-crusted ahi salad, vegan BLT and coffee-rubbed short ribs. There’s also a full bar with an impressive cocktail selection and a wine list that hits all the right notes.

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All kinds park themselves at this dark, cash-only Tempe bar.

Jacob Tyler Dunn

Palo Verde Lounge

1015 W. Broadway Road, Tempe

A perplexing question is: What’s the crowd like at Palo Verde Lounge? All kinds park themselves at this dark, cash-only Tempe bar. Construction workers in hi-vis gear at a prolonged happy hour. Weekly regulars from the neighborhood. New drinkers from nearby ASU. Like the clientele, the atmosphere can be hard to predict. Some nights you might walk into a quiet bar of laid-back folks nursing beers, shooting pool and watching TV, with “Neon Moon” playing serenely over the speakers. Other nights you’ll find a packed bike rack outside and a DJ presiding over a full dancefloor inside. Still other nights you’ll have to squeeze past a metal band unloading gear in the parking lot in order to enter. The man who oversees it all, Chuck Marthaler, is a former patron turned bartender turned owner, and he retains a keen sense of what drinkers are looking for in their local bar: cheap drinks, poured strong, by a bartender who’s quick to commit a regular’s order to memory.

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Skysill Rooftop Lounge is located on the 18th floor of The Westin Tempe.

Jeff Zaruba

Skysill Rooftop Lounge

11 E. Seventh St., Tempe

At 18 floors above the bustle of Mill Avenue, this buzzy spot atop The Westin Tempe flaunts the title of being the highest open-air rooftop bar in the Valley. Order your drink at the bar, the only covered space up there, and stroll around to soak up 360-degree views of downtown Tempe, iconic A Mountain, the Valley’s vast skyline and the Mill Avenue Bridge, which is stunning at night. The food menu shows an unexpected sophisticated side for poolside noshing. Duck carnitas nachos, grilled filet mignon and the signature burger are provided from the elegant ground-floor restaurant, Terra Tempe Kitchen & Spirits. There’s bottle service, Arizona beers are well represented and the seasonal cocktail menu reflects the mood of the moment whether the winter briskness calls for dark spirits and baking spices in a rocks glass or the summer heat begs for tropical fruit and vodka or tequila in a highball vessel. But, bottom line: It’s all about the view and a must-stop for any out-of-town visitors.

Yucca Tap Room

29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe

Yucca Tap Room is foremost a music venue — and a legendary one at that. It’s been around since the early 1970s and is known for offering a stage to the practitioners of the Tempe Sound, touring punk bands and many other alternative acts. But this windowless, wood-paneled strip-mall tenant is also an excellent neighborhood tavern, frequented by regulars who sometimes arrive when the doors swing open at 6 a.m. to slap the bar and down bloody marys. Yucca has expanded in recent years, taking over neighboring suites in order to add the Electric Bat Arcade. The place boasts good food, too, from breakfast burritos to late-night bites. There’s an impressive selection of craft beers, daily drink specials and a busy dance floor most weekends.