Best Nightlife in Santa Barbara

Visit this Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. location in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone to try locally brewed, award-winning beers. Order a pint or sample a beer tasting. Red and white wines from local vineyards are also available. If you're hungry, you can order a pizza from the Lucky Penny (just out back), or there are a number of other restaurants within easy walking distance. In addition to a spacious indoor bar, there's a great patio that's pet friendly. Figueroa Mountain gets pretty busy on weekend nights, so expect a line and bring your ID. Park on the street or in nearby city lots.

The Press Room is a small English-style pub on one of downtown Santa Barbara's side streets, just half a block away from the Paseo Nuevo Mall. The Press Room is a good place to sneak off and have a pint when you prefer to avoid the retail crowd. There's one long bar, a few side tables and window seats for attempting quiet conversation. We say "attempting" because - although usually quiet during the day - this bar gets loud and crowded quickly, especially during late weekend nights and soccer matches. Visit The Press Room for brews or strong cocktails, just don't try to order anything too fancy. This isn't that kind of place.

Looking for somewhere to wet your whistle in Goleta? Fire up your favorite map app and chart a path to The Imperial - a sophisticated bar tucked away in a nondescript parking lot. Step through the rather ordinary front door to be transported to another time, a time when bars were clean, attractive and TV-free. There's a good selection of whiskeys here, as well as a specialty cocktail menu that ranges from margaritas to sours. A large outdoor patio has a tropical lounge vibe. Plenty of parking out front, but we advise you to take a cab so you can have more than one delicious cocktail!

Do you like your bars dark, your drinks strong and your bartenders somewhat surly? You do?! Then the Sportsman is the perfect place for you. Built for comfort rather than speed, the Sportsman serves stiff drinks at down-to-earth prices to a local crowd that is not necessarily dressed to impress. This is exactly the bar you want to be at when the rest of town is going all silly for some sort of holiday. Cover charge on New Year's Eve: Never! Valentine's Day: What's that? (This has also been known to be the place celebrities go when they don't want to be recognized, so keep your eyes out, but stash your phone. What happens here, stays here.)

Where do you go late night if some members of your party want to enjoy an adult beverage while others do not? And where should you take a large group after dark? And what if you all need is to blow off a little steam? The answer, friends, is Zodo's: Bowling & Beyond. Zodo's is not only Santa Barbara's singular bowling alley (and a mighty fine one it is, at that), but also it is one of the best places to enjoy draft beer, with over 40 varieties on tap. In addition, there are many tasty snacks, like Irish Nachos... aka cheese fries. And private parties? Yeah, it can accommodate you and about 549 of your closest friends.

Don't be bummed if you have a hard time finding it! The Bobcat Room is sort of a bar within a bar. It's quiet(ish) cocktail lounge tucked inside the Wildcat, Santa Barbara's favorite dance club. To enter, you have to go into the club first, and then pass through some double doors to find the Bobcat, a much more mellow vibe, with handcrafted cocktails, comfortable seating, and a distinct lack of club music. There is a window through which you can watch the dance floor - great for voyeurs - but you will feel miles away otherwise. In summary, great cocktails, comfortable vibe, weird location? Or maybe it's the best of both worlds!

The Wildcat Lounge has been at the heart of the Santa Barbara club scene for decades now. There are probably kids clubbing there whose parents clubbed there ... and in fact still do since no one really ages in this beautiful city by the sea. The club itself never ages either. Staying forever young, wrapped in red vinyl and leopard print, with platforms for dancing and tables for bottle service. There's a large outdoor space and a more intimate cocktail bar called the Bobcat Room right next door. Really, if you haven't been to the Sh*tty Kitty, have you even been to Santa Barbara?

From the hard cider on tap to the witticisms lining the wall, everything at Old King's Road smacks of a London-style pub right smack in the middle of Santa Barbara. Of course there are more than a dozen varieties of beer on tap - and many more offered by the bottle - but there are also spirits, with a particular emphasis on scotch. Sporting opportunities include pool, darts and trivia games, including a popular quiz night. On Wednesdays, groups of friends line the bar, answering trivial questions about pop culture and munching snacks from nearby restaurants. So pull up a stool, grab a pint and settle in for a night of classic, pub-style fun!

If you're in the mood for a relaxing night spent conversing with a few close friends - or making new ones - Elsie's Tavern is the place to go. A neighborhood hangout right in the heart of downtown, this lounge-style beer and wine bar consists of a few rooms and a back patio, all with ample seating. Beers on draft range from classic and local to Belgian specialties. There's even more varieties available by the bottle. There's also wine by the glass (the kind that won't give you a headache the next morning) and snacks, like chips and cup o' noodles. And when you get tired of small talk? Why, there's an old style Pac-Man table waiting for you to take your opponent to town!

Go for dinner and stay for cocktails. This legendary Santa Barbara restaurant transforms into a lively bar as the night goes on. A State Street tradition since 1928, Joe's Cafe offers up the stiffest drinks in town. The martinis are even served with a mini carafe refill on the side. Another part of Joe's undeniable appeal is the huge mix of people that patron Joe's. On a busy night (and almost all of them are), the main floor will be standing room only, packed with coeds, frat boys, fabulous divorcees and forward older men. The kitchen is open for traditional American fare and greasy spoon snacks until 10 p.m. Lunch and breakfast are also served.