Dahlia Del Sol

Bars Worth the Drive from Glendale

Five north Phoenix bars, from a mead house to an agave bar, with honest notes on how far each one is.

Glendale itself is quiet after dinner. Westgate, nine miles away, is where most guests end up because it is walkable once you have parked. If you want something more particular, these five are worth the drive east.

Thunderbird Lounge

Mid-century room, good records, unhurried. The most characterful bar on this list and the easiest to spend an evening in.

Superstition Meadery

Mead, taken seriously, and far better than that description suggests. Worth going once out of curiosity even if you think you will not like it.

Barcoa Agaveria

Agave spirits, a small room, and staff who will guide you if you ask. Go for the conversation with the bartender, not the volume.

Quartz

Cocktails done properly in a room designed for it. The choice for a slower, later drink.

Khla

Small, inventive and easy to miss. Worth seeking out if you like being the only visitors in the room.

Getting home

These are all a real drive from the house — twenty minutes to the far side of forty, depending where you land and when. Plan a ride rather than a driver. Westgate is the sensible option if you want to keep the evening simple, and the patio at the house is not a bad ending either.

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