This year we gave ourselves a tough assignment: visit Orlando bars and give them the Bar Exam treatment. We judged these watering holes on everything from the quality of bathrooms to pet-friendliness and even answered the essay question “Why should I drink here?” Take a look through these test results and maybe you’ll rediscover an old favorite or find a new standby.

Click here to see all the Bar Exams.

Stardust Video & Coffee Stardust started life as a video rental place that served coffee and over the years has morphed to serve the changing desires of the community. Among its many functions (work and study spot, café, live music venue, market host) and despite its ramshackle air, the ’dust is prized by anyone looking for a quality buzz. The bartenders of the Slanted and Enchanted Bar (in the big room) are given free rein to come up with inventive craft cocktails; the Scotch Bar (in the smaller room) stocks exquisite bottles; and the bottled beer and cider selection is choice. For many, it’s a home away from home.
The Hammered LambWith one of the best patios in town and a tradition of offering free shots every time the train goes by, the Lamb offers a killer combo of comfort and festivity. Tons of seating, heaters for when it’s cold, a gorgeous lake view and a full bar mean you may never go inside, but when you do, guess what: same level of comfort, same full bar, plus a ping-pong table. Nothing “baa”d about it. (Sorry.)
SideshowYou don’t go to a carnival to drink hoity-toity craft beer – you want to get drunk on the classics and ride some rides. In this case, the ride is your own class-act drunkenness. It’s a trip to see passers-by stop mid-stride and soak in the ambience. Can you blame them? The place is a visual marvel. The Sideshow is in town, and we’re the freaks – act accordingly.
Wally’s Mills Avenue LiquorsWally’s has been an Orlando institution for as long as anyone still drinking can remember. Wally’s serves the strongest drinks (a rum and Coke looks like ginger ale), has the longest hours (open 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Saturday), sells package goods later than anyone from their storefront/table area and has the best wallpaper in town. Local celebrattorney John Morgan is known to pop in unannounced from time to time and buy a round for the bar. Cash only.
The MatadorMatador is the best of both worlds: It’s a dark dive with plenty of seating, where you can get an adventurous craft cocktail or just order up your usual drink. The patio is typically jumping after hours, but happy hour is normally chill. It’s almost too easy to order round after round in this well-rounded Ivanhoe watering hole.
The Thirsty TopherThere’s a massive amount of interesting beers, a well-curated wine list, and well-informed bartenders to help you make good choices – plus interesting decor and outdoor tables. Meet a blind date here if you want to seem cool, or bring your regular honey for a low-key but grown-up date night.
The Courtesy BarOne of the first Orlando bars to kickstart the craft-cocktail movement here, the Courtesy is a don’t-miss on any true connoisseur’s barhop. Truly creative drink recipes are tested exhaustively before hitting the menu – no “hey, this might be good” sloppiness here – and only a few customer favorites stick around through the menu’s seasonal updates. In addition to the delicious drinks, the vibe is sophisticated without being stuffy: Lighting and sound levels are both pleasingly low, while style points for the vintage furnishings and long banquette are high.
BARTCool art on the walls, a great selection of craft beers, spot-on curation of the Netflix queue – if your college buddy had a dozen vintage arcade games in his living room, you’d feel like you were there. The room fills up late with a young crowd ready to drop cash on the serious beer selection – the cost is balanced out by free play on almost all the games (plus there’s usually a happy-hour deal to be had). Clean, comfortable, clubhouse vibe.
The Smiling BisonOn certain nights, there’s live music, and nothing’s better at the Bison than being adventurous and trying new beers on draft while soaking in the sounds on Jazz Tuesdays. They retained the marvelous bar many of us perched around when Redlight Redlight occupied the space, which means the Bison bar top similarly serves as communal grounds for random small talk with other barflies.
SportstownSportstown is one of the linchpins of the Milk District. It’s weird that it has a very no-frills kind of vibe despite the seemingly endless number of frills it offers. Beer is plentiful and generally pretty cheap, particularly on weekdays; rental prices for pool tables and other games won’t break the bank, either. Whether you’re looking for an after-work hang, pregaming for a later event in the District, or just want to go to a place where there’s something to do while you drink, Sportstown may just have what you’re looking for.
The Geek EasyIf you were turned off by the Geek Easy when it first opened, with its fluorescent lighting and weird membership fee, it’s definitely time to revisit the place. Recent renovations have doubled the space, the lighting is now at an appropriate level, and the selection of beer and “cocktails” is both varied and cheap. Various events occur weekly, from comedy to trivia to the aforementioned karaoke, making good use of the new stage and PA.
The Lucky LureHanging out at the Lucky Lure on a sunny afternoon is so much like being at the beach – the long narrow room festooned in nautical decor like fish traps, buoys and surfboards; the open-air windows all along one side – that it’s a surprise to find the scuffed-up concrete floor doesn’t have sand on it. The huge selection of great beer (cans only; they’ll give you a coozie if you ask) is complemented by strong cocktails. Lean an elbow on the long open ledge and watch the birds and boats on Lake Ivanhoe, or turn your back to the street and pretend the sound of traffic on Orange Avenue is ocean waves.
Bullitt BarThe dream of the ’90s is alive at Bullitt Bar – not the Portlandia one, the one that features flocks of tattooed girls in baby tees and pigtails and walls packed with collectible gig posters. The naked-lady wallpaper (better than Wally’s, and that’s high praise), the beer cooler housed in the back end of a ’70s van (painted with, yep, boobalicious ladies) and the booths done up in muscle-car seat upholstery make Bullitt look like a Vegas reconstruction of an “LA rocker bar,” but don’t overthink it – this is a hangout for strong drinks, loud music and big dumb fun.
Fish on FireIf you’re into fishing and boating around the Conway chain of lakes, you’re sure to make friends here – a lot of the patrons are Belle Isle and Conway residents who appreciate this place for its completely unpretentious, laid-back Florida fish camp kind of feel.
Burton’s BarPeople sometimes call Burton’s a dive bar, but that’s a misnomer – it’s much too clean and friendly to be called a dive. Burton’s is that type of bar you could classify as a “utility bar,” a place where absolutely everyone is comfortable. Here you can sit at the bar and watch sports while downing Miller Lites, debate politics while kicking game-animal ass at Big Buck Hunter, discuss the last book you read over a round of Lagunitas IPAs or just watch Thornton Park street life pass you by as you lounge outside with your dog.
Wing ShackWing Shack is a quintessential American sports bar. It’s local, it’s reasonably friendly and it’s designed with the sports fan in mind: Whether you’re at a table or sitting at the bar, you can see a TV from pretty much any vantage point. When football season is on, this place is hoppin’ on game nights. It’s a place where people gather to watch the game, eat bar food and down pitchers of inexpensive beer.
Barley and Vine BiergartenOne of the best new patio bars in town, the Biergarten is inviting, with a friendly staff, tons of beer options and a great atmosphere. Expect a mixed crowd of all ages, especially on the weekends when folks are day-drinking.
Hanson’s Shoe RepairThe speakeasy theme has been done to death, but Hanson’s does it right – you have to call ahead to get a password; only a limited number of people are allowed into the dim, narrow, impeccably designed space; and the craft cocktails are out of this world. No vodka served here – vodka wasn’t part of the American cocktail lexicon during the Prohibition era – but the bartenders will be happy to mix you something that’ll prove even more satisfying than that Cosmopolitan you may have had in mind.
Will’s PubCome for the shows, stay for the low doughs: Every Will’s drink is a dollar off until doors open, and if there is no show, it’s a dollar off everything all night. It’s a cheap drunk and possibly a place to meet a cheap date.
World of Beer Downtown OrlandoWelcome to one of the best patios in town, wrapping around the building and facing Lake Eola. Literally hundreds of beer choices from all over the world rotate through the taps and coolers, both seasonal choices and perma-faves, plus a decent wine list and hand-built craft cocktails. Add comically huge pretzels and “tavern taters,” and you’ve got a bar anyone can love.
Eden BarIt’s a place that can make a couple looking for craft cocktails just as happy as a crowd who just want to split a few pitchers of beer. The splashing fountain and tropical landscaping make it picturesque (when the weather’s nice), the menu is a good balance of satisfying bar snacks and more upscale fare, and the best movies in town are screening inside, just steps away. Unbeatable.
Keg ’N CorkKeg ’N Cork is a neighborhood bar in the best sense: a low-key place where people can have a few beers and hang out with friends. Located in the old McRaney’s Tavern space after a couple of other endeavors failed in the location (RIP, Barley’s Taphouse and Winter Park Saloon), the remodel has brightened things up, both inside and outside. The patio is inviting and the beer selection is respectably extensive. The food is OK, but don’t feel bad if the smell from 4 Rivers, located just next door, summons you for a barbecue break between beers. Parking headaches, long a problem at previous incarnations of this spot, are alleviated now that you’re allowed to park in the 4 Rivers lot.
The CabooseThe Caboose is as unpretentious as a bar gets, with loud music, a piecemeal approach to furnishing the space – which is now twice as big as when they started – and no-frills ways to get wasted with stiff drinks and domestic pitchers. You can disappear here.
Quantum Leap WineryIt’s a sophisticated space with a nifty cork floor and a deep front porch. Their flights are reasonably priced and somewhat of a novelty, since much of the wine is served on tap. Knowledgeable guides will help you explore their locally bottled, sustainable wine. Plus, a portion of the sale of every bottle of Kaley’s Rescue Red Blend supports the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando.
Rogue PubSouth Orlando blue-collar neighborhood meets fancy beer in a pool hall staffed by cute girls. If you’re looking for good beer in a laid-back atmosphere in a non-hipster-infested neighborhood, this is your bar.
Minus5 Ice BarMore of a tourist experience than a straight-up bar, Minus5 is a great place to escape from the Orlando summer heat. You’ll get tons of selfies (you in a fur-trimmed parka! you in an ice cave!), plus other shots of the chiseled-from-ice wintry wonderland, to post on social media. And the shots of the liquid variety? Those come in glasses made of ice. Which you can drink while sitting on a bench made of ice. Chillax! (Sorry.)
Cloak and BlasterWhen you step into Cloak and Blaster, you’ll forget you’re in a Waterford Lakes strip mall: It feels like a cross between a Middle-Earth tavern and the Great Hall at Hogwarts. A creative menu of beer-based “cocktails” (the “Wolf Bite” is the prettiest and tastiest), tons of table space for gaming and a decent selection of beer and cider means you’ve found your geeky home.