20 Best Bars in Upper King, Charleston

Order a pomegranate, juiced on the spot and spiked with the liquor of your choice, at this casual but stylish hangout for wine, cocktails, and tapas. It's a coffee shop by day and a bar at night, but both iterations are distinguished by excellent service and impressive extras to go with your drinks.

This place doesn't seek attention—it won't even list its phone number. But with a soaring tin ceiling, exposed-brick walls, and a penchant for projecting black-and-white films onto the wall, the charisma comes naturally. An inventive cocktail menu served up by sharply dressed mixologists helps, too. Try their take on the spicy-sweet Brown Derby, a bourbon drink made with jalapeño-infused honey, or the Bells of Jalisco, featuring reposado tequila, more jalapeño honey, and lime juice. There's also a light menu of panini, charcuterie, and homemade Pop-Tarts.

This establishment characterizes the craft cocktail movement with its "farm-to-shaker" seasonal selection of creative concoctions. The bar showcases exposed brick walls and wooden beams inside its lounge areas, though warm evenings are best spent outside on the rooftop patio. Inside, some of Charleston's best bartenders muddle and shake clever mixtures like the Dad Bod (Demerara rum, rye whiskey, Falernum, grenadine, and lime) and the Double Standard (a blend of serrano pepper--infused gin and cucumber vodka).

Two of Charleston's most respected sommeliers co-own this wine shop and oenophile haven that spins classic records and hosts live bands on weekends. The walls are lined with carefully curated bottles that can be taken to go or popped and enjoyed on the spot.

This throwback speakeasy mixes signature craft cocktails and offers a respectable beer-and-wine selection to accompany Southern-inspired burgers, pork chops, and duck dishes. A ragtime jazz band plays in the early evening on weekends, then the tables are removed and a DJ transforms the dining room into a full-on dance club.

This homey wine bar on the city's fast-growing East Side is a relaxed setting for sipping intense wines with funky biodynamic and natural labels cropping up often on the smart by-the-glass list.

You'll do well just to find this place. Tucked into an alley behind the Walgreens at King and Calhoun streets, Burns Alley offers cozy quarters for sports fans in need of cheap beers and a giant projection screen. A small upstairs area overlooks the action, offering a premium vantage point during crowded evenings.

This friendly watering hole with 40 draft beers on tap offers a late-night menu of wings and pub grub. Live music on weekends and ample screens for sports events make this a popular hangout for the college crowd.

A local landmark, the city's oldest extant gay bar hosts lively karaoke parties, DJs and dancing on weekends, and boisterous drag shows.

This pricey bar and restaurant, which caters to a crowd of professionals young and old, has a contemporary, minimalist interior design. A piano-and-sax duo serenades the first-floor dinner patrons and the bar crowd several nights a week. During Sunday brunch, the Plantation Singers gospel group belts out the spiritual blues.

One of the driving forces behind Last Saint was the desire to create an all-star bar team: its members reliably put out some of the city's most sophisticated cocktails, even if they're often tinged with tropical silliness.

Once a train depot, this towering space is filled to the max when popular bands like Galactic, Neko Case, and Big Gigantic play. Tickets typically range from $15 to $25. The bar is open only on nights when a concert is scheduled.

Done up in black and white, this lively sushi bar serves fun small plates like ceviche with mango, pear, and mint-yuzu vinaigrette that pair perfectly with a sake flight. You can lounge on the couches during happy hour—which runs from 5 to 7 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—and enjoy half-priced sake and signature sushi rolls. On Saturday night, a high-energy DJ cranks out tunes while the place becomes a velvet rope club.

This bar atop the Historic District Hyatt House serves beer by the ounce from their 70 taps, allowing patrons to sample ad infinitum. Its biggest draw, however, is the view. From its ninth-floor vantage, it's the highest rooftop bar in the city.

These cozy quarters on King Street, complete with communal tables surrounded by bar stools, bustle at happy hour and on weekend evenings. The bartenders here are among the city's best, equally skilled in classic cocktails and creative takes on new spirits.

This place isn't really a dive bar—it just looks like one, thanks to dim lighting and an expansive deck that backs up to the train tracks. The bar serves an array of canned beers and a tasty trio of punches with rum, bourbon, or vodka poured over crushed ice. Hungry? Feast on blue-collar eats like fried bologna sandwiches, loaded baked potatoes, and house-made beef jerky. There's also live music throughout the week on an intimate indoor stage.

Funky sounds from the '70s and '80s mix with the latest club anthems at this perennially popular dance club. Listen to the cover bands at the downstairs bar, mingle on the outdoor patio, or head upstairs for the DJ-led dance party. It's open only Friday and Saturday night.