Three Beans Cafe is heaven for espresso martini lovers. The new bar opened in Old Town Scottsdale last December.

Three Beans Cafe

Phoenix’s bar scene is top shelf, and this past year has been a reminder of just that.

The outstanding hotel cocktail lounge Little Rituals finally got its flowers at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Seven Arizona breweries took home medals at the Great American Beer Festival. Local cocktail events and competitions continue to encourage bartenders to push the envelope and flex their creativity.

Bars don’t open at the blistering pace of restaurants in Phoenix, but there’s still plenty of new watering holes. This fall, New Times writers fanned out around the Valley, sauntering into neighborhood bars, luxe lounges and well-worn dives to narrow down our Top 100 Bars. We were well-hydrated, but thirsty to share the best places we uncovered. 

Among them, we were impressed by several newcomers (and like our best new restaurants, we consider spots that opened between December 2024 and this month). Here are the seven best new bars that opened around Phoenix this year.

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The ceiling above the dance floor at Club Contact gives the space a strangely celestial mood.

747 W. Van Buren St.
Since bursting onto the scene in April, Club Contact has become a nightclub that defies labels. The two-story club is the sibling to Grace Perry’s hip downtown haven, Gracie’s Tax Bar. Replacing the retro-themed Thundercat Lounge, Club Contact is a moodier, slinkier, more glam place. You’ll dance across the checkerboard floor to a diverse mix of DJs. The Club Contact calendar has also featured line dancing lessons, Dance Dance Revolution parties, lube wrestling, singles mixers and jazz nights. It won’t set you back much more than a $5 cover to enjoy this never-boring, ever-evolving lineup. Club Contact’s bar is well-stocked with a selection of cocktails, shots and bubbles. It’s also full of cheap cans of beer and an impressive roster of non-alcoholic sips. At the end of a night at Club Contact, you may feel lighter, but your wallet won’t.

Formation Brewing’s opening taplist included a malty Oktoberfest-inspired Emberfall Marzen and the tart Sun Crest Peach Ale.

Formation Brewing

925 N. Fifth St.
It’s become de rigueur for out-of-state restaurant groups to descend upon the Valley. Now, Phoenix has also caught the attention of beverage groups. In May, a conglomerate of Colorado-based breweries launched Formation Brewing in downtown Phoenix. Getting its doors open near Roosevelt Row came with delays and challenges. Still, when Formation opened in September, it delivered pitch-perfect sips, including the tropical-leaning Cloud Drifter Hazy IPA and the summery, tart Sun Crest Peach Sour. Those brews can be savored inside and out of Formation’s expansive, two-story, industrial-yet-rustic space. Grab a seat at one of the patio’s picnic tables and put in an order of smoked pork nachos. Paired with a few pints, Formation has everything you need to embrace patio season.

Jamie’s Bottle Shop offers hundreds of bottles from all over the world.

Jamie’s Bottle Shop

7033 E. Main St., #102, Scottsdale
Jamie’s Bottle Shop is more than a place to browse the well-appointed racks for a unique vintage. The shop, opened by Wrigley Mansion owner Jamie Hormel in March, is paired with a charming European-inspired bistro and bar. Grab a seat at the curved bar where the staff can help you choose a glass, a flight or a bottle to enjoy in the airy yet cozy space surrounded by impeccably organized bottles on sandy wood shelves. Don’t let the owner’s fine dining background intimidate you. The shop is stocked with over 700 labels that feature both recognizable and rare wines, ranging in price from $15 to $15,000. While you sip, order a plate of crispy potatoes with romesco sauce and creme fraiche. The warmth from the bar team and regulars who stop in fosters an atmosphere that will have you planning your next visit before you finish your pour.

Sana Sana Cerveceria opened on Roosevelt Row in March.

Sana Sana Cerveceria

915 N. Fourth St.
Roosevelt Row is home to one of the biggest and best selections of breweries in the Valley. Sana Sana Cerveceria, which opened in March, is not to be missed among the milieu. Founded by friends Daniel Castro and Johnny De Luna, Sana Sana celebrates Latino culture, infusing it into every sip and seat. Out of the gate, Sana Sana’s team has crafted excellent brews. The brewery’s crisp and lightly roasty Sana Negra dark lager or the sweet-tart Berlinerweiss, Mango Loco, are among our favorites. We dare you not to ooh and aah over the shimmering pinstripe detailing on Sana Sana’s lowrider-inspired bar. Don’t gasp too long, because you’ll need to stake a claim on a seat at this bustling, upbeat brewery. This is especially true when there’s an event or a DJ spinning. While there, you’ll also find solid eats as Sana Sana recruits popular trucks like La Hamburguesa to pull up out front.

Three Beans Cafe specializes in espresso martinis and other coffee cocktails.

Three Beans Cafe

7150 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale
If loving espresso martinis is wrong, Three Beans Cafe doesn’t want to be right. Luckily, this niche cafe and cocktail lounge is right at home among the martini-sipping crowd in Old Town Scottsdale. Three Beans Cafe swung open the doors of its cozy, retro country club-styled space in December 2024. The bar specializes in espresso martinis. That means fresh-pulled espresso shots add a jolt to six signature cocktails. Among them is Three Beans’ titular sipper, made with vanilla-flavored vodka and Borghetti. You can get these martinis and coffee drinks just about any time of day, as Three Beans is typically open from 10 a.m. to midnight. Though patrons can’t order vodka sodas or whiskey sours here, the cafe offers unleaded versions of its coffee and cocktails, along with a selection of pastries from the acclaimed Valley bakery, JL Patisserie. 

Title 9 is part of a growing list of women’s sports bars to open in the U.S. since the first debuted in 2022.

Title 9 Sports Grill

4221 N. Seventh Ave.
Phoenix broke through the glass ceiling of male-dominated sports bars when Title 9 Sports Grill arrived in the Melrose District in March. This groundbreaking space, founded by Audrey Corley and Kat Moore, showcases women and their achievements in both bold and subtle ways. Women’s games, from college to the pros, get priority airtime on Title 9’s 22 TVs. You won’t miss the photographable wall featuring Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi driving to the basket. The framed photos of notable women athletes and memorabilia are sure to catch your eye. What may be less obvious is that Corley’s bar menu is loaded with woman-owned beverage brands. Among them are Phoenix’s Greenwood Brewing, the gluten-free Holidaily Brewing Co., Drop of Sunshine wine and Bivouac Ciderworks. With that stellar roster, Title 9 proves there’s never been a better time to eat, drink or play like a girl.

Wren House’s PV microbrewery and taproom features four cask beer engines and about 20 traditional taps.

Wren House Brewing Co. Paradise Valley

12650 N. Tatum Blvd., #106
A new location of an existing bar doesn’t generally cause a stir. However, when the team at Wren House Brewing Co. adds a new taproom, they don’t simply copy and paste. Most recently, the brewers opened their latest location at PV, the new dining and shopping district at the site of the former Paradise Valley Mall. There, they’re introducing Valley drinkers to cask-aged beers. Popular in England, cask ales are a little different than the average American draft. These naturally carbonated brews are hand-pumped through a beer engine, resulting in a less bubbly, creamier mouthfeel. Try some of the brewery’s flagships, like Spellbinder Hazy IPA, or the bracing pale ale Buffalo Nickel, on cask to see how it compares. Wren House’s PV pub also pours 20 brews on traditional taps. No matter your order, you’ll want to hang out in the chic, comfortable lounge that blends European pub aesthetics with Wren House’s distinctly Arizonan style.