From honky-tonks to cocktail dens, these are the best bars in Tennessee

Nashville is known for its honky-tonks, but it's certainly not limited to what you find on the brightly lit and crowded Broadway strip. Similarly, Memphis isn't all Beale Street blues clubs.

The best bars make you feel welcome, wherever they're located. They're a respite from the hustle and bustle of the day, a third place to relax and enjoy a drink, maybe chat a bit if you're so inclined (though sipping a glass of wine quietly in the corner is certainly a mood).

You'll find all of that and more in this list of Tennessee's best bars, compiled by the USA TODAY Network food and drink writers who frequent them. And once you've visited all of these, check out your out-of-state options with USA TODAY's Bars of the Year list for 2024.

Boneyard | Chattanooga

Details: 26 Station St.; 423-713-5000; boneyardbar.com

Ask the locals, the ones who pour the drinks, make the food and distill the whiskey, where they go on their nights off, and this spot will inevitably turn up on the list. This is not your classic cocktail bar, nor is it a hole in the wall. It is instead a bike shop by day and a slightly punk rock, somewhat industrial but very comfortable celebration of drink and music at night. You'll find a small but excellent selection of wines and big boozy cocktails including the Firing Squad, with mezcal, amaro, lime and cherry. To eat, grab Asian street food-style noodles, smash burgers and wings from the in-house food truck. Stick around for music that encompasses everything from karaoke to garage metal. — Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean

Whiskey Thief | Chattanooga

Details: 102 Walnut St.; 423-269-8555; whiskeythiefchattanooga.com

For unparalleled views of the city and river, head to this bar on the rooftop of the Edwin Hotel, the type of hotel that has its own signature scent in bespoke candles. Whiskey Thief is not precious, though. It's a gorgeous hang and free of retention. It's easy to while away a comfortable happy hour here with a bourbon flight or glass of wine and a charcuterie plate. Don't be afraid to put yourself in the hands of the bartenders, and don't be concerned if they recommend the lychee-based, brightly colored Meditation in Blue; it's actually good. — Lunsford

Boyd's Jig and Reel | Knoxville

Details: 101 S. Central St.; 865-247-7066; jigandreel.com

There aren't enough days in the year to try all the whiskey at Boyd's Jig and Reel, which boasts more than 1,000 bottles. Jenny Boyd, wife of University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd, has been playing fiddle nearly 30 years and decided back in 2011 to bring her love for Scottish music, culture and cuisine to Knoxville. She found the perfect place, right on the prominent corner of Jackson Avenue and Central Street in downtown's scruffy Old City, and musicians have flocked to the pub over the years to perform on its intimate stage. In addition to the beverage options, authentic Scottish decor and beautiful wooden finishes, the food menu also hits the spot. Boyd's toad in a hole is great for snacking, but beware of the burning English mustard. Feeling extra hungry? Don't let the haggis, neeps and tatties scare you. It's all tasty, and the entree also comes with a surprisingly refreshing field green salad. — Ryan Wilusz, Knox News

Preservation Pub | Knoxville

Details: 28 Market Square; 865-524-2224, scruffycity.com/preservation-pub

There are two kinds of “Pubby Buddies.” There’s the signature $5 menu item at Preservation Pub — a shot of whiskey and a PBR — and then there’s the friends you make while dancing to jam band music in the smoke-filled first floor and while sharing drinks from the rooftop “shot shack” trailer (or the magic beer tree). Owner Scott West, whose career is back on track after a money laundering conviction, considers the divey Preservation Pub and its nightly live music to be the “heart of the heart” — that is, the pulse that makes Knoxville’s pedestrian plaza Market Square come alive as one of the most-visited parts of the Scruffy City. — Wilusz

Preservation Pub a top U.S. bar: Everything to know before you go

District XII Social Club | Memphis

Details : 6642 Winchester Road; 901-422-3372; d12socialclub.com

Named partially in reference to the home of the main characters from “The Hunger Games,” District XII is a bar and nightclub like no other in Memphis. The club from duo Brent Hooks and Tony Smith was designed to fill a gap they noticed in the city’s nightlife: a space for millennials to enjoy. “It’s by us and for us,” Hooks said. Between a first-rate cocktail menu, freshly cooked wings and flatbreads, diverse music selection, constant party atmosphere and décor Hooks described as “simple, but classy,” DXII is worth a weekend out. Just make sure you reserve a booth. — Jacob Wilt, The Commercial Appeal

Earnestine & Hazel’s | Memphis

Details: 531 S. Main St.; 901-523-9754, earnestineandhazel.com

The word “iconic” gets thrown around a lot these days, but it’s an entirely apt description of this bar. The building Earnestine & Hazel’s calls home is nearly 100 years old, always packed, somewhat grimy and certainly haunted. And it’s the best dive bar in Memphis. The '30s-era pharmacy, hair salon, and later café and brothel was revived in the mid-1990s, quickly becoming a go-to spot for great music and great times. Grab a famous Soul Burger and listen to live music from local artists downstairs, or head upstairs into a moodily lit side room to chat and drink with friends for hours. E&H’s is a must-visit spot for dive bar lovers. — Wilt

Fox Bar | Nashville

Details: 2905B Gallatin Pike; thefoxnashville.com

This East Nashville bar has a hidden feel, located on the backside of a building fronting nondescript Gallatin Pike, where most drivers are headed elsewhere. That I-can’t-believe-I-stumbled-on-this-place vibe continues inside, with a gorgeously moody interior that somehow feels upscale Roaring '20s speakeasy and Western saloon all at once. The bar stock may be intimidating, but the bartenders are anything but, and they’ll walk you through an impressive selection of whiskeys and unusual sprits made into craft cocktails such as the Sunday Gravy. That one's a surprise hit, made with sun-dried tomato, gentian, dry sherry, bay leaf and parmesan rind for a delightfully savory and unforgettable drink. — Lunsford

Lipstick Lounge | Nashville

Details: 1400 Woodland St.; 615-226-6343, thelipsticklounge.com

Lipstick Lounge is an icon of once-gritty East Nashville. Now pricey homes surround it. But the bar, which opened in 2002, serves as a reminder of when the neighborhood was less polished. When it was a haven for artists and musicians who hadn't yet struck it big. When it was proudly home to a come-as-you-are attitude. Lipstick Lounge is still that. It's a colorful, raucous good time, with thumping music and costumes everywhere, even on a Sunday afternoon. Customers come for a huge menu of hangover drinks like the peach schnapps-based Flying Phyllis Diller, an ode to the queen of one-liners whose gay fan base is immense. Yes, Lipstick Lounge is a gay bar, but foremost it's "a bar for humans," its owners are fond of saying. It's a bar for anyone who likes to have fun in a welcoming but wild atmosphere. — Lunsford

Lipstick Lounge a top U.S. bar: Everything to know before you go

Robert's Western World | Nashville

Details: 416 Broadway #B; 615-244-9552; robertswesternworld.com

This 25-year-old Broadway bar could be considered a honky-tonk OG. It’s certainly one of the few bars on Broadway frequented unironically by a measurable number of locals. Robert’s is worth fighting the crowds. On that stage, country stars are born, go big and then come back again after their shows on the big Bridgestone Arena stage. Behind the bar you’ll find plenty of cold beers, whiskeys and signature cocktails, plus one nearly world-famous fried bologna sandwich. — Lunsford

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: From honky-tonks to cocktail dens, these are the best bars in Tennessee