While some days it might seem like craft beer is the only thing you ever hear about, 2017 was actually a pretty big year for cocktail connoisseurs as well. Nearly a dozen new bars opened this year in Columbus that have a big focus on handcrafted cocktail menus, and almost every bar selected by our readers and editors for the Top 10 list has that same focus.
That includes the bar in the number one spot at the top of the list: The Keep. After opening in April on the second floor of the LeVeque Tower, The Keep quickly won over locals looking for a dark and private bar environment, with a French brasserie restaurant attached to boot.
“The self-contained speakeasy within LeVeque Tower is already a draw for the area’s event-goers,” said CU Staff Writer Lauren Sega. “Combining elements from several time periods, its name coming from the medieval word for food and beverage storage, and its ambiance and soundtrack coming from the prohibition era in which the tower was erected.”
For more information, visit www.thekeepcolumbus.com.
The Top 10 New Bars of 2017:
- The Keep
- Watershed Kitchen
- Platform Beer Co.
- Juniper
- The Light of Seven Matchsticks
- Buckeye Bourbon House
- Pub Mahone
- Service Bar
- Two Truths
- TRISM
Flashback: Best New Bar of 2016 — PINS Mechanical Co.
Flashback: Best New Bar of 2015 — The Walrus
Flashback: Best New Bar of 2014 — Oddfellows Liquor Bar
Flashback: Best New Bar of 2013 — 16-Bit Bar+Arcade
Note: Our “Best of 2017″ lists are published as the combined results of our annual Reader Nomination Survey and Editor’s Choice picks.