The Basics Drinking Out

8 Hotels Where You Can Eat and Drink Right

Sleep and sip at these hotel bars and restos that know what they’re doing.

By
Virginia Miller
Virginia Miller
Virginia Miller
Virginia Miller is a writer based in San Francisco who travels the world in pursuit of good food and drinks.
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Updated 09/17/20
The Dorsey at The Venetian interior with a reflective glass-tile ceiling
Virginia Miller

With companies like VRBO and Airbnb redefining the way people travel, it has never been more critical for hotels to beef up the basics—and we’re not talking about thread counts and free Wi-Fi.

These days, eating and drinking well is as important to travel as where we lay our heads. Like the grand hotels of yore, where the bar or restaurant attracted guests and locals alike, the drinking and dining options offered at your accommodation can make or break the entire establishment. At these eight hotels, you can do it all––that is, eat, drink and sleep––in style.

  • Conrad (Chicago)

    Tableside cocktail cart at Baptiste & Bottle at the Conrad
    Virginia Miller

    From the moment you hit the lobby near the top of the Conrad Chicago, you’re enveloped by the city’s views. Rooms marry 1970s opulence with modern understatement, including velvet rust-colored couches, brass and wood accents and floor-to-ceiling windows. The 20th-floor bar and restaurant, Baptiste & Bottle, offers crudo, bison and tableside cocktail service with a focus on American whiskey. The seasonal Noyane on the rooftop serves sushi, wagyu beef, Japanese whisky and cocktails set to more of those skyline panoramas.

  • The Dewberry (Charleston, South Carolina)

    Living Room bar at The Dewberry

     Dewberry Hotels

    Retrophiles and romantics will swoon at the midcentury furniture and vintage signage of this 1965 hotel. The rooms are luxurious with a modern flair, many stocked with spirits and local gourmet snacks. Lowcountry meets French brasserie at Henrietta’s, the bistro downstairs, while Ryan Casey’s elegant cocktails flow in all of the hotel’s bars, including the Living Room lobby bar. Citrus Club, the rooftop bar, is blessed with jaw-dropping views of Charleston.

  • Fairmont Pacific Rim (Vancouver, B.C.)

    Two Champagne flutes with macarons at Botanist bar at Fairmont Pacific Rim

    Fairmont Hotels

     

    This hotel scores major points for its Willow Stream Spa, green initiatives and suites featuring private patios and outdoor fireplaces. It’s also home to Botanist, a restaurant with an edible-plant-filled garden, a wine list that skews organic and a molecular cocktail lab under the direction of bar star Grant Sceney. Drinks reflect local natural elements and might be served in bird glasses or perched on driftwood. Downstairs, The Lobby Lounge boasts live music, cocktails and the city’s first 100% Ocean Wise-approved menu of sustainable sushi.

  • Freehand (Los Angeles)

    Broken Shaker bar exterior with wraparound balcony at Freehand Hotel
    Virginia Miller

    Freehand Los Angeles’ shared bunk rooms start at $55 (and private rooms at $229), in keeping with the hipster hostel inspiration of the mini chain. Set in a historic 1920s building, the LA lobby may be Freehand’s most striking yet, with its 1970s-meets-Yosemite vibe and lofty ceilings. The Exchange serves modern Middle Eastern cuisine, while Café Integral offers excellent coffee. Rudolph’s, in the lobby, and Broken Shaker, on the rooftop, both mix ambitious cocktails, while the rooftop pool offers views of downtown’s skyscrapers.

    Continue to 5 of 8 below.

  • The Kahala (Oahu, Hawaii)

    Hoku’s interior at The Kahala

    Kahala Hotel & Resort

     

    On the east side of Diamond Head, the legendary Kahala Hotel & Resort is a luxury respite from tourist-packed Waikiki. Home to Kahala Spa and a natural ocean-water lagoon with resident dolphins, the hotel’s dining game shines at the five restaurants overseen by executive chef Wayne Hirabayashi. At Hoku, chef de cuisine Eric Oto is a fisherman who catches, smokes and pickles his fresh bounty. The Veranda is the spot for afternoon tea and cocktails on the lanai with evening jazz.

  • The Pottinger (Hong Kong)

    Cocktails at The Envoy at The Pottinger Hotel

    Sino Hotels

    Hong Kong is blessed with some of the world’s best hotels, including the original Mandarin Oriental. Tucked away in the heart of the city, The Pottinger delivers the rare H.K. boutique experience, with just 68 rooms. The hotel boasts one of H.K.’s most playfully elegant restaurants, The Envoy. Hungie Fong, Antonio Lai and Amanda Wan’s whimsical cocktails might be served in an owl or dinosaur egg, including tea cocktails and Hot Toddy riffs. In keeping with The Envoy's British colonial theme, it also offers afternoon tea. Dining options include refined Italian at Gradini Ristorante e Bar Italiano and modern Chinese at two-Michelin-starred Ta Vie.

  • The Venetian (Las Vegas)

    The Dorsey interior at The Venetian
    Virginia Miller

    Amid the faux Italian canals and endless shopping of Las Vegas’ sprawling Venetian hotel, you’ll find some of the best cocktails on the Strip. Case in point: The Dorsey, helmed by lead bartender Juyoung Kang, who makes vibrant drinks like the Mosquito, made with Campari, mezcal, lemon and spicy-fresh ginger juice. Chica serves Latin cuisine from Mexico to Peru alongside Spanish-style Gin & Tonics and Tiki-inspired cocktails. Rosina, which brings an Art Deco aesthetic, classic cocktails and a Champagne call button to an intimate setting of barely 65 seats, is tiny by Vegas standards.

  • The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell (London)

    The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell interior with cozy brick-red decor

    The Zetter Group

    Located on historic St. John’s Square, this boutique hotel has been a hit with cocktail geeks for years. The 13 eclectic rooms put you in mind of old-school London with a modern attitude. Ditto the quirky, comfy Cocktail Lounge serving afternoon tea with scotch quail eggs and tea sandwiches. Molecular drink pioneer Tony Conigliaro’s cocktails were created just for The Zetter. In 2015, it added a second location, in Marylebone, in a 24-bedroom Georgian townhouse with a similar eccentric design. Seymour’s Parlour also serves Conigliaro’s cocktails.