White Water Tavern continues its unbroken reign as the people’s champ in our annual readers’ poll of booze. The storied dive bar was voted Best Bar, Best Bar for Live Music, Best Dive Bar and runner-up for best bartender (for co-owner Matt White), Best Pick-Up Bar and Best Bar for Food, all of which makes it the most broadly popular bar in town, according to our readers.
Meanwhile, another regular Toast of the Town winner, the Capital Bar & Grill, racked up three firsts and one runner-up prize. What’s its appeal? It’s one of the go-to places for hard-to-find spirits, David Koon reports.
Lindsey Millar drops by Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge, another readers’ favorite, and somehow doesn’t come back reeking of smoke. Michael Roberts finds that the innovation of Vino’s Brew Pub brewmaster, Josiah Moody, is separating the brewpub from the craft beer pack.
Speaking of craft beer, there will be a celebration of suds at the Arkansas Times Craft Beer Festival, presented Nov. 2 by the Argenta Arts District. It will run 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Argenta Farmer’s Market grounds at Sixth and Main streets. Funkanites, The Salty Dogs and Weakness for Blondes will perform, and Argenta restaurants Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Cornerstone Pub & Grill and Reno’s Argenta Cafe will serve food. Tickets are $35 via arktimes.com/craftbeerfest, or $40 at the door if still available. See here for profiles of the more than 30 breweries that are participating.
Best Bar
White Water Tavern
Runners-up: Capital Bar & Grill, Dugan’s Pub, Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge
Best Bartender
Veo Tyson at SO Restaurant-Bar
Runners-up: Julianna Garner at The Hillcrest Fountain, Spencer Jansen at Capital Bar and Grill, Matt White at White Water Tavern
Best Wine Bar
Crush Wine Bar
Runners-up: By the Glass, Zin Urban Wine and Beer Bar, Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge
Best Sports Bar
Dugan’s Pub
Runners-up: Gusano’s Pizza, West End Smokehouse and Tavern, Big Whiskey’s American Bar and Grill
Best Pick-Up Bar
Bar Louie
Runners-up: The Hillcrest Fountain, White Water Tavern, Cajun’s Wharf
Best Gay Bar
Discovery
Runners-up: Missy Kitty’s, Trax
Best Bar for Live Music
White Water Tavern
Runners-up: Stickyz Rock-n-Roll Chicken Shack, Revolution, Afterthought
Best Dive Bar
White Water Tavern
Runners-up: Midtown Billiards, Town Pump, Pizza D’Action
Best Hotel Bar
Capital Bar & Grill
Runners-up: Mallards Bar, Embassy Suites (WLR), Bogie’s Nightclub
Best Bar for Pool, Darts, Shuffleboard and other games
The Hillcrest Fountain
Runners-up: Town Pump, West End Smokehouse and Tavern, Zack’s Place
Best Bar for Food
Capital Bar & Grill
Runners-up: Dugan’s Pub, Reno’s Argenta Cafe, White Water Tavern
Best Happy Hour
The Hillcrest Fountain
Runners-up: Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge, Dugan’s Pub, Crush Wine Bar
Best Drinking Brunch
YaYa’s Euro Bistro
Runners-up: The House, Loca Luna, Red Door Restaurant
Best Patio or Deck for Drinking
Cajun’s Wharf
Runners-up: U.S. Pizza Co. (Hillcrest), Hillcrest Fountain, Vino’s Brew Pub
Best Beer Selection
Flying Saucer
Runners-up: The House, Dugan’s Pub, Big Orange
Coldest Beer
U.S. Pizza (Hillcrest)
Runners-up: Flying Saucer, Dugan’s Pub, Town Pump
Tequila Selection
Santo Coyote Restaurant
Runners-up: Cantina Laredo, Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge, Senor Tequila
Best Bloody Mary
Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge
Runners-up: The House, Dugan’s Pub, Hibernia Irish Tavern
Best Martini
Capital Bar & Grill
Runners-up: Maduro Cigar Bar & Lounge, Ciao Baci, YaYa’s
Best Margarita
Santo Coyote Restaurant
Runners-up: Senor Tequila, Cantina Laredo, El Porton
Best Liquor store
Colonial Wine and Spirits
Runners-up: Grapevine Wine and Spirits, Popatop Fine Wine and Spirits, Springhill Wine and Liquor
Local Brew
Diamond Bear Brewing Co.
Runners-up: Vino’s, Boscos
National Brew
New Belgium
Runners-up: Boulevard, North Coast, Blue Moon
