PubClub.com Reveals Our Top 10 Bars In The World

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com

My travels around the world have taken me to some great places and I have been in some fantastic bars. Some have been legendary, like Harry’s New York Bar in Paris where the Bloody Mary and other famous cocktails were created, and others that have just been a good place to have a drink at the beach, like the Ocean Deck in Daytona Beach, FL.

But there are certain spots that stand out above all others. And when I was asked to come up with list of my Top 10 bars in the world that I have personally visited for an article on PubClub.com in the University of Alabama’s alunni magazine, these are the places I mentioned.

1.) Sharkeez, Manhattan Beach, CA

The original Sharkeez, a mecca of the thirsty and sunburned in this Southern California beach party town, had all the elements of the perfect bar. It was the first bar to show surf videos on TVs, played fun party music and was filled with single people drinking concoctions like the Shark Attack out of large buckets with long straws. Today, Sharkeez has moved across the street but you can get a similar experience to the original a mile away in neighboring Hermosa Beach. There are also Sharkeez locations in Newport Beach, Long Beach (there called Panama Joe’s) and San Diego’s Pacific Beach (known there at Hideaway).

2.) Skandinavian Bar, Mykonos Island, Greece

The world goes to party in Greece in the summertime and for the biggest and best scene, there is the Skandinavian Bar. It’s actually two small bars in an alley with an upstairs dance club, so you basically hang out in the street between going into the bars to get a drink or one of it’s crazy shots such as the Mind Eraser (it does, by the way). When you feel like dancing, you simply go upstairs. It’s an international party scene and one that should be on everyone’s nightlife bucket list. There’s a small cover charge for the dance club; the bottom level is free.

3.) Paradiaser Beach Club, Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Greece

Before one goes to the Skandinavian Bar, you warm up at Paradise Beach. There are three bars side by side there, the best of which is Paradise Beach Club. There, people dance on the bar in bikinis and board shorts and by late afternoon it’s an all-out international beach party.

4.) Innisfree Irish Pub, Tuscaloosa, AL

No list would be complete without a great college bar and Innisfree Irish Pub at the University of Alabama is it. Innisfree is a top nightlife destination for students and alumni for one simple reason: the crowd and the management. The bar provides the platform – two rooms, two patios, DJ music and an well-trained staff – and everyone else does the rest. This is an excellent mingling bar, which is why it’s on this list.

5.) Gallettes, Tuscaloosa, AL

This is another standout college bar. Located on the University of Alabama Strip, Gallettes is a true pub club, with a hangout bar in the front and a Vegas-style nightclub in the rear. It also has one of the crazy unique-to-Tuscaloosa signature drinks, the Yellow Hammer.

6.) Madison Avenue Pub, Toronto, Canada

Toronto is an awesome city for nightlife and on Thursday nights, all roads lead to the Madison Ave., Pub, or simply “the Maddy” as locals call it. The Maddy is a multi-story bar in a stylish Victorian house with patios on several levels. Each is full of fun people, making it an ideal Toronto singles scene bar. As the night wears on, people tend to move down the different levels. The party size is smaller but in a way a bit more intense.

7.) Duke’s Waikiki, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

This is the ony real touist bar to make this list. But it deserves it because “Duke’s on Sunday” is an Waikiki legend, immortazlied in a song by popular Hawaiian entertainer Henry Kapono, who regularly performs on the lanai each Sunday. It’s such a thing to do in Waikiki Beach that a lot of locals go there.  Duke’s on Sunday is oe of the top bars in all the Pacific islands. At other times, Duke’s is a fine place to sit and watch the slow-rolling waves of Waikiki Beach while keeping an eye out for a fun group that is boarding the yellow party boat out front on the sand.

8.) Opera Bar, Sydney, Australia

This open-air bar at the foot of the iconic Sydney Opera House stretches for a long way by Sydney Harbor with the Sydney Harbor Bridge across the water. The Opera Bar the perfect place to start your nightilfe in Sydney, as there are multiple bars, picnic tables to sit and more mingling opportunies than there are kangaroos in Australia.

9.) The Roxy Cabaret, Vancouver, Canada

As I mentioned to the Alabama Alumni Magazine writer, any best bars list should include a live music venue. And the best one is the Roxy in Vancouver, Canada. It’s what a live music venue should be: basic, lots of beer and great bands.

10.) Bootlegger, San Diego, CA

This lively bar is the home for the University of Alabama alumni during football games. It bills itself as “Tuscaloosa West” and it lives up to that nickname. It plays th Southern country songs during TV timeouts, Alabama favorites “Dixieland Delight,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Rammer Jammer” while the crowd sings and dances. The staff laughs along with the patrons and as as result it is one of my San Diego “go-to” bars, even when it’s not a fall Saturday.

About Kevin Wilkerson

An award-winning ournalist and travel blogger traveling around the world to find the best bars, nightlife, food, events and activities. I have been to bars in nearly every state, plus to more than a dozen countries.