Photography by Richard maack J&G Steakhouse

From sports bars to singles scenes, posh lounges to pubs, wine cafés to watering holes, here are some of the Valley’s best places to belly up.

BEER BARS

Four Peaks Brewing Company
If all Four Peaks had going for it was its extensive line of award-winning local beer, it still would be worthy of this list. But they go above and beyond, drawing even non-drinkers to the table with their delicious pub grub as well. But first, the beers: They brew eight “mainstays,” including their most famous, Kilt Lifter Scottish-style ale, as well as the English-style 8th Street Ale and an Arizona Peach. Seasonally, you might find Orange Blossom Ale (spring), Pumpkin Porter (October-November) or Alt Ball and Chain (summer). True beer geeks come just for the weekly cask-conditioned ales.

Food-wise, they’re all over the map, with pizzas, burgers, salads, Thai hummus, spanakopita, Bavarian pretzels and Mexican dishes – and they do everything dandy. Carne adovada is especially awesome. The Tempe pub is part of the actual brewing facility and is indoor-outdoor, for a beer garden feel.
Info: 1340 E. Eighth St., Tempe, 480-303-9967; 15730 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480-991-1795, fourpeaks.com


Papago Brewing
Variety is the buzzword here, with 30 constantly changing brews on tap and hundreds in bottles. Looking for a Leap of Faith, Shark Attack or a Nefarious Ten Pin? You’re covered. The tap selections span the globe, from the British Isles and Belgium to right here at home, and they even have a beer engine for cask-conditioned ales. The bartenders know their stuff, too, so don’t be intimidated about trying something new. Just ask; they’ll give you a sample if they’re not too swamped (which is, unfortunately, a lot of the time).

Yes, the place reeks of yeast even though their beers aren’t brewed on-site, and the atmosphere recalls a beer lover’s basement. But even if you’re not a beer drinker, we guarantee you’ll find something you like. Try the raspberry Lambic, Ace Pear cider or mead (honey wine).
Info: 7107 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale; 480-425-7439, papagobrewing.com

The Roosevelt

The Roosevelt
Matt Pool of Matt’s Big Breakfast is also behind this beacon for beer lovers in the hipper-than-hip arts district just south of Roosevelt Street. It’s set up in a charming, tiny historic house with creaky wood floors but also nods to modern times with a special cooler built to keep beer cold. You can see it in the back room; check out the glass wall with kegs behind it.

Pool, a stickler for serving only the best, carries more than a dozen beers on tap, a few dozen in bottles and cans, and about 25 intriguing bottles of wine.

Even if you don’t drink, go for the mind-blowing bar menu, which boasts some of our favorite late-night snacks in town, including grilled cheese and creamy tomato soup, “ham and eggs” with Southern-style deviled eggs, smoked oysters in a sardine tin can, and kettle chips with addictive pan-roasted sweet onion and Maytag blue cheese dips.
Info: 816 N. Third St., Phoenix; 602-254-2561, rooseveltrow.org


SanTan Brewing
Anthony Canecchia worked for Four Peaks from 1996 to 2003, racking up numerous brewing awards before opening this place with Aaron Sanchez. The 1954 building used to be Valley National Bank. Safe deposit boxes serve as a bench in the waiting area, and the vault is by the bathrooms, but now it’s only used to store grain, not greenbacks, so don’t try anything funny.

Along with the rich history, they pour seven SanTan brews on tap – they only serve their own creations, save for some guest ciders – and have a full bar. A large sidewalk patio and a menu created specifically for beer pairings make this a favorite hangout in the area.

Its establishment in 2007 – along with Canecchia’s devotion to bringing the area back – was a key turning point in making downtown Chandler a destination.

And as for the brewery’s growing popularity? Well, you know you’ve found success when lawyers for Arizona State University issue a cease-and-desist letter for naming the house ale “Sun Devil Ale.” At press time, SanTan owners had issued a public call to create a new name for the ale.
Info: 8 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler; 480-917-8700, santanbrewing.com


Yard House
You can’t miss the notion that this is a beer mecca from the moment you walk in and see taps lining the length of the central bar – on both sides. They boast the world’s largest selection of draft beer; at the Westgate location, it’s 130. You can get them by the six-pack, goblet, pint or half yard. Five miles of gleaming steel pipes running along the ceiling deliver cold suds from the keg room to waiting patrons – and there can be quite a rambunctious crowd on nights with games and events at University of Phoenix Stadium.

It’s not just a beer joint, though: The list of specialty drinks, martinis and wines ensures that no one in your party will go thirsty, so it’s ideal for group outings. The menu goes on and on, too, with a zany cornucopia of seafood, steaks, ribs, burgers, pizza, salads and entrées.
Info: 9401 W. Westgate Blvd., Glendale, 623-872-3900; other locations: Phoenix (480-563-9273), Scottsdale (480-675-9273), yardhouse.com


ICONIC BARS

Buffalo Chip Saloon
Other bars have mechanical bull riding. This one has real bull riding. You heard us: real cowboys on real bulls, getting bucked off into the dirt. Hard. Of course, you can’t be a greenhorn. Every Friday night, real pros sign a booklet of waivers and go into the ring to compete for cash and prizes.

Also on Fridays, try the “wagon camp” barbecue buffet or the fish fry (with cod, catfish, lake perch and walleye) out back, in view of the bull riders.

Inside, check out the crazy-quilt Western décor, from the buffalo trophy head and steer horns on the walls to the old boot collection hanging from the ceiling. Patrons’ snapshots line the underside of the bar overhang.

Want to kick up those Tony Lamas? There’s live music and dancing every night of the week, with free dance lessons on Thursdays. And calling all Cheese Heads: It’s the place to be to cheer on Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers.
Info: 6811 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek; 480-488-9118, buffalochipsaloon.com


Coach House
If you thought there wasn’t an unpretentious place left in Scottsdale, think again. This hole-in-the-wall hangout, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009, is possibly the only place left where you’ll be out of place ordering a Cosmo, or anything else that contains more than two ingredients.

So what, you say? Aren’t there are plenty of neighborhood bars like that around the Valley? Yes, but this one has more personality. It’s the kind of place where you feel like a regular when you’ve been there just five minutes.

Best time of day to go? Just about anytime. They open at 6 a.m., and day drinkers are not pariahs here. Best time of the year to go, even though they’re open 365 days, is around the holidays for its famous (or infamous) indoor/outdoor mega-watt light display, which probably can be seen from space. Before drinking too much, view the lights through 3-D glasses. Whoa.
Info: 7011 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale; 480-990-3433, coachhousescottsdale.com

Durant's

Durant’s
Yes, it’s a legendary fine-dining establishment in central Phoenix that opened in 1950. But its bar holds its own – just look up to see the line of local “best of” awards that already have been bestowed. The décor – red velvet-flocked wallpaper, red tufted booths and wild carpeting – is so old that it’s no longer dated, it’s retro. The bow-tied bartenders are pros, both efficient and empathetic. The ostensible reason people come is for the martinis, which are, to the naked eye, mixed the same way they are everyplace else.

But there’s something special here. Maybe it’s the fact that you know big deals have gone down here – history was made, major events celebrated. You’re sitting on the same barstool that could have held up a political bigwig or captain of industry. Jack Durant is gone, but he left a legacy – not an easy feat in this transient town.
Info: 2611 N. Central Ave., Phoenix; 602-264-5967, durantsaz.com


George & Dragon Pub
British soccer hooligans, old punk rockers and garden-variety hipsters mingle easily in this bastion of all things British. If you want to catch Manchester United on the telly, this is your place. While you root, fill your belly with bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie, fish and chips or Cornish pasties. Wash it down with a bottle of Fuller’s or Sam Smith, brought across the pond, or one of their two-dozen draught beers. Not a soccer fan? They show local sports on their many screens, too. Or you can play pool, darts, poker or trivia, or head to the patio for a smoke. The booths have seen better days, and the place has little polish, but that’s all part of the charm.
Info: 4240 N. Central Ave., Phoenix; 602-241-0018, georgeanddragonpub.net

Greasewood Flat

Greasewood Flat
Imagine a beer garden, complete with rows and rows of picnic tables, but on the set of a Western movie. Cue up a band playing Waylon Jennings’ and Willie Nelson’s “Luckenbach, Texas.” Add in fire barrels, horseshoes, wagon wheels, a couple of roosters, some donkeys and a dance floor where all ages sway and jump to the beat.

Greasewood Flat is an experience for tourists, locals and bikers alike who come for the sheer novelty. People pile their empties into plastic trash cans and listen for their number to be called so they can eat bacon green chili cheeseburgers and chilidogs out of paper baskets. Don’t get fancy with your drink, either: Lines snake out the door of the claustrophobic “bar” (more like a counter where you order and then high-tail it back outside), and you bark out your order on demand as soon as you belly up.
Info: 27375 N. Alma School Pkwy., Scottsdale; 480-585-9430, greasewoodflat.net