The Insider's Guide to Phoenix Speakeasies

Imagine a human beings without bar … it ’s not pretty , huh ? It ’s almost hard to believe that the generation before us sputter through Prohibition , drinking in unavowed , seedy places just so that we could proudly sip our cocktail without fear today . But the thought is sort of sexy , too . golden for us , some of these obscure speakeasies still be in modern - daytime Phoenix . From historical cover rooms and underground cellar cellars to freshly fabricate den , this is your ultimate template to Phoenix ’s speakeasy - style drinkeries .

Melinda’s Alley

This mysterious - yet - informal 49 - tooshie bar is located deep beneath the Renaissance hotel Downtown . decorate in Victorian - era elan , it ’s one of the newest cash - only speakeasies in town where hungry weekend toper can get their fill of innovative cocktail and gossip about whether Melinda was a former brothel madam ( or so we ’ve hear ) . While there ’s no install computer address for this spot , just see for the red light in the alley . If it ’s on , the drink are pouring .

The Mystery Room at the Arizona Biltmore

You ’ve got to eff the “ whisper word ” to get into this historical speakeasy , which originally opened in 1929 . Accepting guests on an invite - only basis , the Arizona Biltmore was truly the bee ’s knees and foretell as a jazz - long time fame hangout . The Mystery Room – once a men ’s smoking room for salute bootleg beverages while the resort kept follow for Prohibition raids – was access only by a orphic stairway , and its bottle of booze were conceal behind a double - sided bookcase that swiveled . After Prohibition ended , the holiday resort opened its first non - unavowed cocktail bar in 1933 . Although proscription is over , the Mystery Room has kept to its straight social subprogram . Look for the “ whisper word ” on the resort ’s social media Page to get accession to the drinking spot on Sundays .

Honor Amongst Thieves

This second - story waiting room is located above The Colony , and is one of the newestcocktail bars in Phoenix . Although it ’s not located underground , this hidden cocktail stamping ground has no shortfall of Prohibition - earned run average flair . From the boozing to the decor , Honor Amongst Thieves nails it . The drink menu is divided by martini , key signature cocktail , cheekies ( small shot ) , and citywides ( a beer and a barb ) . And , when you order your libation , in dead on target speakeasy way , you ’ll likely get a “ welcome dead reckoning ” with your cocktail . Drinkers can employ the back step to get in – but be aware , seating is restrict to only 80 multitude .

Rokerij

Translated to “ smokehouse ” in Dutch , Rokerij specialize in just that . Take the stairs down to the Rokerij cellar and imbibe in cocktails like margarita and martinis , or choose from a menu filled with steak , chops , and a lineup of little bites let in grilled shrimp , chipotle ribs , blackened crenation , and Roger Bacon - wrapped jalapeños . The pallidly alight underground drinkery is furnish with copper top stripe , wood - invest ceiling , and plush seating expanse with cushy booths . This dungeon - esque speckle is a weekday felicitous 60 minutes must , but it ’s also great for brunch on weekends , where you may order favorites like huevos rancheros and a breakfast quesadilla .

The Womack

This ' 60s - enliven cocktail lounge just swung open its doorway – making it the newest place on this list . The atavistic - fashion ginmill pays homage to the outre Phoenix nightlife of the past and the now - shuttered iconic hot spot Chez Nouz . There are no window in this indistinctly alight legal profession , and the moody infinite is complemented by full-bodied leather seats and atomic number 79 - flecked velvet wallpaper . The menu features classics like lobster caprese and French onion dip , and you ’ll likely find sixties staple fibre such as the sloe gin fizz and an amaretto acidity on the cocktail listing .

Hanny’s

This swank restaurant and saloon is house in a former section store that was constructed in 1947 called Hanny ’s . Today , the name is still the same , but you wo n’t happen any dress shirt or snappy shoe . Instead await a vast combining of great intellectual nourishment and deglutition , including Champagne cocktails , vino , classical martini and Manhattans , and a natural selection of beer in addition to other boozy concoctions . Be sure to take a ride in the glass - floor vertigo elevator to the basement while you ’re here .

UnderTow

Making its debut this class and modeled to look like the hold of a clipper ship ship navigate the sea , Arcadia ’s invisible undercover drinkery is unlike anything that Phoenix has ever seen . UnderTow have an ornate wooden hand - carve bar and is laden with shipment elements one might see on a ship . Currently offering about 30 dissimilar exotic drinkable , include Tiki cocktails like the Scorpion Bowl , Dutchman ’s Demise , and the Smoking Cannon , UnderTow is convey old - school Tiki back to life with a new gimmick . There ’s no food on the menu here … yet . Soon , hungry patron can regularise a morsel from a choice of about 15 small dish antenna put together by chef Cullen Campbell of Crudo from across the street , which will let in taste like bao , shumai , and rib . The space is small , so reservations are highly encouraged .

The Ostrich

position directly below Crust , in the basement burrow that run underneath Downtown Chandler , this craft cocktail lounge has a celebrated chronicle . The space that ’s now The Ostrich was once a pop secret boozing address for thirsty travelers and Arizona ’s elite . The low - illuminated , speakeasy - style space is decorated with cozy , historic furniture , and the menu lists classic Prohibition - era cocktail alongside newfangled concoctions like The Candlestick Maker , a mezcal - filled libation , and The Baker – a New take on a whiskey glowering .

Valley Bar

This goal for live medicine , spoken word , and functioning just so happens to be located underground . To get there , you ’ll have to navigate an alley and take a flight of stairs of narrow-minded steps downward . Once you ’re inside , make your way to the Rose Room , named after Arizona ’s first lady governor , the late Rose Mofford . This loungey space offers a lean of more than 50 wine and a collection of unique cocktails , many of which are named after iconic , or infamous , Arizona politicians . Valley Bar also features a full kitchen which turns out eats like flatbreads , charcuterie boards , and salads . We recommend visit on Sunday when Valley Bar offers all - mean solar day happy minute .

Kazimierz World Wine Bar

Called Kazbar for scant , this secret Scottsdale wine stripe offers a Brobdingnagian selection of wine . And when we say huge , we mean it . This trendy haunt has more than 2,000 bottles to choose from . The cave - like distance can be accessed through a backdoor entrance . Upon arrival , Edgar Guest will be greeted by a candlelit space filled with wooden vino cask and plush couches . In addition to wine , Kazbar put up a selection of craft cocktails and internationally inspired bite including artisan tall mallow , shredded meat , fondu , and flatbreads . There ’s also alive music on select dark .

The Little Woody

This bustling underground hangout is home to a handful of colonnade games and an wide whiskey solicitation . This “ upscale dive ” is decorated in logarithm wallpaper with woods paneling and an well-lighted red bar . Sidle up and parliamentary law drinks like the Gun Shy Sour , Alcohol Salad , Arizona Mule , or the Wrecking Ball , to name a few .

MercBar

Picture a dimply illuminate , upscale living room decked out with dark forest walls , leather furnishings , and cushy couches , and you ’ve got a pretty accurate picture of MercBar . Modeled off of the now - shuttered NYC MercBar locating in SoHo , this swanky cocktail bar has been a night life staple fibre in the Valley since the mid-1990s . Bar visitors will find out a good selection of both classic and unique cocktail on the menu , from the Purple Rain ( made with 7 Leguas tequila , concord grape juice , hydrated lime juice , and agave ) to the mint julep or classical Bellini .

The Salt Cellar

Scottsdale ’s longstanding underground seafood eating place is n’t exactly a speakeasy , but if you ’re looking for a culinary dangerous undertaking , this place gibe the bill . Take the antique wooden stairway down three flights to the retreat bar for glad - hour specials , refreshed fish , and seafood selections . Salt Cellar has received legion award for its seafood - focused fare that feature sea - denizen from around the world , including spots like Hawaii , New Zealand , Boston , Alaska , Georges Bank , Chesapeake Bay , and the Gulf of Mexico . Salt Cellar was also one of the first place in Arizona to declare oneself twin glad hours – where deduction drinks are available from 4 pm to 7 necropsy and from 10 pm to 1 am – where a Long Island huitre shooter will only cost you a dollar bill - fifty .

best phoenix speakeasies