From a Natural Wine Bar to a Historic Saloon, Here’s Where to Drink in the West Right Now

The Sunset Travel Awards celebrate the best in travel in the West, and this year we had another record-breaking number of entrants of the highest level across all categories. These bars, saloons, and taprooms are the 2024 winners of the Where to Eat & Drink: Superior Sips category. Check out the complete list of winners here. For our definitive and searchable travel directory to help you plan your next trip in the West, click here.

Bar Gemini

Alanna Hale

This natural wine bar in San Francisco’s Mission is the sort of spot we wish every neighborhood had: great interior design, comfy booths great for sipping and chatting, tons of tinned fish and other salty wine-friendly snacks, killer grilled cheese for when you get really hungry, and groovy tunes on the sound system. A zeitgeisty spot for tasting what’s new and natural in the world of wine.

Botanist

Fairmont Pacific Rim

Located in Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim, Botanist is a hybrid cocktail lab and culinary theater focused on all that is botanical and seasonal in the Pacific Northwest. Here, Executive Chef Hector Laguna and Creative Beverage Director Grant Sceney craft dishes and drinks using pine, yuzu, and candy cap mushrooms to inspire whimsy and delight in diners. Recognized by the Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants and North America’s 50 Best Bars, Botanist is a celebration of local biodiversity and sustainability.

Hitching Post 2

Rob Stark

Fans from the cult classic Sideways will recognize this famed pinot purveyor, which also serves up some of the best Santa Maria-style BBQ in the region. Grab a glass of Cork Dancer Pinot, a whole grilled artichoke and a cut of the Valley’s finest and enjoy the view. A can’t-miss Santa Ynez Valley institution.

Bivouac Ciderworks Adventure Lodge & General Store

Kimberly Motos

This women-powered cidery and taproom in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood draws design inspiration from the great outdoors and includes an area selling provisions, adventure gear, espresso drinks, pastries, and chef-driven “grab ‘n stay” foods. After taking in a cider tasting led by one of the in-house “pommeliers,” which includes their proprietary selections, as well as other apple-based bevies from around the globe, peruse the general store’s collection of original commissioned artworks by women artists.

Genoa Bar and Saloon

Thomas J. Story

Nestled in historic Carson Valley, the Genoa Bar and Saloon opened in 1853 and is Nevada’s oldest bar. Here visitors can enjoy drinks where Mark Twain and John Wayne once did, surrounded by original pioneer paintings and a circa-1840s diamond dust mirror. This iconic saloon, rich in history, remains a favorite for history buffs and beverage enthusiasts alike and is a rare slice of the disappearing old West.