USA TODAY released its Bars of the Year 2026 list on July 29, and two Arizona establishments were included among the 38 venues recognized nationwide. The list spans a wide range of drinking destinations, from neighborhood dives to upscale cocktail bars, and both Sunny’s Lounge in Phoenix and Yucca Tap Room in Tempe were singled out as representative entries from the state.
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Sunny’s Lounge, an intimate spot in central Phoenix, was one of the two Arizona locations named on the list. The venue’s inclusion places it alongside a varied selection of bars chosen by USA TODAY for the 2026 compilation, which aims to highlight notable drinking establishments across the United States. The list itself totals 38 bars and reflects a cross-section of styles and atmospheres.
Neon 'Love, Sunny's Lounge' sign inside Sunny's Lounge in Phoenix — one of two Arizona bars named to USA TODAY's 2026 Bars of the Year.
Yucca Tap Room in Tempe was the other Arizona bar included on the 2026 roundup. The Tempe venue appears on the national list alongside venues ranging from modest neighborhood bars to high-end cocktail lounges. The USA TODAY compilation released July 29 identifies 38 such bars across the country, and Yucca Tap Room’s selection places it within that broader national context.
Yucca Tap Room's stage with large 'YUCCA' letters — the Tempe bar named to USA TODAY's 2026 Bars of the Year list.
The USA TODAY Bars of the Year list is presented as a collection that includes a spectrum of bar types, explicitly described as ranging from dives to high-end cocktail bars. The inclusion of both Sunny’s Lounge and Yucca Tap Room underscores the list’s diversity and its attempt to represent different bar atmospheres and local scenes. The list release date was July 29, 2026, and its entries number 38 in total.
A brief reaction was captured from Mat Snapp, chief operating officer of Barter and Shake, who responded to the list with an exclamation: "Stop it right now." That comment was recorded in the coverage surrounding the USA TODAY list release. No further statements or details from Barter and Shake were provided in the immediate release information.
The USA TODAY Bars of the Year 2026 collection serves as a national roundup meant to showcase notable drinking spots across many regions. For Arizona, Sunny’s Lounge in Phoenix and Yucca Tap Room in Tempe are the two venues that appear on the list of 38, joining bars from other states and cities that collectively form the publication’s annual selection.
This release, published July 29, 2026, lists the 38 bars and highlights the two Arizona entries without specifying relative rankings or awarding a single top spot. The presentation emphasizes the variety of recognized bars rather than a strict hierarchy, placing Sunny’s Lounge and Yucca Tap Room among a broad group of establishments that USA TODAY chose to feature in its 2026 Bars of the Year.
According to the USA TODAY feature, Arizona Republic critic Bahar Anooshahr described Sunny’s Lounge as a neighborhood gem that is essentially a sophisticated cocktail bar cosplaying as a dive. The entry on Yucca Tap Room highlighted the Tempe venue’s roots in Arizona’s early 1990s music scene, once hyped as the next Seattle and a magnet for major labels.
Sunny’s Lounge opened in September 2023 at 2701 E. Indian School Road, taking over the longtime Shady’s space and is operated by the Barter & Shake team behind Century Grand and UnderTow.
The Phoenix bar operates as an intimate neighborhood cocktail spot (with booths, a small back patio and a pool table), typically open roughly 11 a.m.–2 a.m., and initially rolled out about 15 core craft cocktails generally priced in the $12–$13 range.
The Yucca Tap Room is located at 29 W. Southern Avenue in Tempe and has been a local live‑music fixture since at least the 1970s; the room’s capacity is commonly listed around 165–200 people and it has hosted influential local bands such as Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments.
The Yucca sits on Danelle Plaza and its future has been part of ongoing redevelopment discussions in Tempe, with the plaza and Yucca’s ownership involved in proposed development agreements in recent years.