montereycountynow.com/bestof BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2024 29 Arts & Entertainment Best Late-Night Hangout Best Bartender Pearl Hour Katie Blandin 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey pearlhour.com Since Pearl Hour opened in 2019, it has been Monterey County’s cocktail destination. And for those looking to keep the party going after other saloons shut down, the place stays open until 1am on weekends. Yet there are no gunfights, no crooked card games or tinny pianos—just great drinks, smooth jazz and cool shows for entertainment. And behind the bar is owner Katie Blandin. Where saloon keepers of the Wild West would doctor whiskey, the point was to stretch their stock. Blandin crafts cocktails with bergamot, black sage, sunflower seed butter washes and other ingredients with the purpose of layering flavors. The results cannot be experienced elsewhere. Best Bar For Baby Boomers Mission Ranch 26270 Dolores St., Carmel (831) 624-6436, missionranchcarmel.com Any good Old Western watering hole needs a piano, and the bar at Mission Ranch, well, sets the bar locally. It’s a place to sing along to your favorite classics, and more importantly to gather and see familiar faces (and maybe some celebrity faces; see “Around Town” section). There is nothing pretentious about this place—it’s a classic piano bar as old-school as they come. Even when the pianoman isn’t playing, it’s an inviting and laid-back atmosphere for all ages, perhaps a little more mellow now than the reputation this historic venue had back in the 1930s-’40s as a rowdy bar scene. Best Bar For Gen X Best Bar For Millennials Alvarado Street Brewery 426 Alvarado St., Monterey (831) 655-2337 Carmel Plaza, Suite. 112, Ocean and Mission, Carmel (831) 293-8621 301 Main St., Salinas (831) 356-0219, asb.beer Clearly, the appeal of Alvarado Street Brewery spans generations, and for good reason. For one, its beer is superb, with its flagship Mai Tai PA garnering three gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, most recently in 2023. The cocktails are likewise top-notch, and the food is excellent and affordable, whether it’s a burger, pizza or whatever else grabs your fancy. Add to that, the interior at every location is sleek and lovely, and when you add it all up, Alvarado has everything one could want for a great drink and bite. Juan Bautista Alvarado, the governor of Alta California from 1837 to 1842 and who Alvarado Street is named after, would be honored by both the original location and its more recent additions. Best Bar For Gen Z Best Singles Bar Barmel San Carlos between Ocean and 7th, Carmel (831) 626-3400, barmel.com Generations growing up in the Old West didn’t have names—or letters, for that matter. But they did have saloons, bands to hoot and holler to, as well as square dancing. And you better believe young men could come a courting. So really, Barmel is a saloon for the modern age, with local bands, classy cocktails (or a stiff whiskey, if you so choose) and young people who call each other “partner.” They probably don’t say “howdy,” though, unless it’s a TikTok thing. It’s a place to be chill or active, to see and be seen. That’s what makes Barmel the best. Best Drink With A View Schooners 400 Cannery Row, Monterey (831) 372-2628, schoonersmonterey.com It’s unlikely folks in Wild West times had a watering hole like Schooners. The bar has long featured a curated drink menu of local (to California) beers and mostly local wines. Think Coronado Salty Brew, Alvarado Street’s Mai Tai or Bernardus Pinot Noir. A pint or a glass is best enjoyed seated near one of Schooners’ giant windows or from the outdoor patio overlooking the panoramic views of the Monterey Bay. The raw bar and seafood tower offerings are just a bonus while taking in the scenery. Best Neighborhood Bar Other Brother Beer Co. 877 Broadway Ave., Seaside (831) 747-1106, otherbrotherbeer.com Other Brother has become the go-to hang in Seaside. A bustling anchor in downtown, Other Brother has a welcoming, industrial-chic vibe, and attracts both blue-collar types and PhD’s alike. The extensive beer selection is a main attraction, but Other Brother slings tasty food too. And like any good watering hole in the Old West, games can take center stage, and it’s not just the weekly trivia or bingo nights—there are a couple of pinball machines, an extensive board game collection and even a deck of cards for dealing faro. Best Martini | C Restaurant + Bar
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