Esquire Names St. Paul Bar One of the Best in the Country

There are A LOT of bars in the country, so to be named one of the best is quite the honor.

A St. Paul bar was recently named one of the 14 best bars in the entire country for 2026 by Esquire. In their writeup about it they said, "[it's] not trying to impress you or me." So how did it end up among the 14 best in the US?

To create this list, Esquire wanted to find the 14 bars "where that deep sense of American comradeship is alive and well." You can find that at Half Time Rec in St. Paul, near the Como Zoo.

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Best Bars in America - Half Time Rec in St. Paul

If you look at pictures of Half Time Rec it looks like, well, honestly, kind of a generic bar. But sometimes, those are the best spots, and that's absolutely the case here!

Now, they didn't mention anything about how the drinks tasted at that place but I would have to image they were pretty good. They wouldn't have been featured if the drinks were bad.

In this case, though, finding the best of the best drinks wasn't the goal. They were looking for the places that felt welcoming, like a place you could meet a new friend any time you went, and a place where everyone knows your name ('Cheers', anyone?).

To put it simply, "Half Time Rec is a neighborhood bar."

They've got their neighbors backs, they're a community place to gather, and people feel at home. Those qualities really are what make a bar a great place to be.

Any time my husband and I travel we try to find a cool bar. Our favorites are always the ones where the comradery and community is palpable, like at Half Time Rec.