• James Buck
• Mule Bar

Mule Bar — There’s a reason Mule Bar deems itself “Winooski’s craft beer hitchin’ post.” Mounted behind the wraparound bar, 16 tap handles allow access to one of the best-curated draft lists around. The ever-changing roster of coveted brews ranges from gold-hued German pilsners to revered Vermont favorites such as Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Patrons thirsty for something besides beer can turn to award-winning cocktails featuring housemade sodas, tonics and shrubs: Mule Bar’s Matt Farkas was named 2016’s Bartender of the Year in a Vermont Tourism Summit competition last spring. Food with that drink? The bar menu — featuring charcuterie, banh mi, burgers, hand-cut fries, an all-day breakfast “sammich” and the house-cured pork-belly Cuban — will satisfy any comfort-food craving. No wonder Mule Bar is the favored hitchin’ post of Seven Days readers.

Other Finalists

• The Archives
• Manhattan Pizza & Pub
• Nectar's
• Three Needs Brewery & Taproom
• Vermont Comedy Club