Petite Boheme’s cocktail program 

Petite Boheme, the backyard sibling to James Trees’ fabulous French bistro Bar Boheme, is one of my favorite cocktail bars in a neighborhood that’s brimming with them. The drinks they serve are booze-forward, ambitiously conceived, boldly made and generally yummo. Drinking here is making me smarter and better-looking. Come down here and I’ll prove it to your face. –Geoff Carter

Vic’s jazz nights

It’s rare to find good music, good drinks and good food all in one place, but Vic’s succeeds on all of those fronts. Stop at the Symphony Park bar for gaming, cocktails or bites (you must try the meatballs and crab cakes) before or after a Smith Center show. Or claim a spot in the dining room and enjoy live music nightly while feasting on Italian-American classics like chicken parmesan. –Shannon Miller

Fat Sal’s Fat Banh Mi-ki

Adjacent to the Fremont Street Experience, Fat Sal’s $20 Fat Banh Mi-Ki won’t help you binge on a budget, but it is an obsession worthy sandwich. An over-the-top take on a Vietnamese bánh mì, it checks all the boxes of a great, hangover hero. It’s spicy from the Szechuan slaw, crunchy from the pickled veggies, and that sweet, soy-marinated ribeye steak makes the hit to your cholesterol worth it. –Amber Sampson

Cornish Pasty’s renovated lounge

At the edge of the Arts District, Cornish Pasty serves up beer, Irish car bombs, pasties, and a no-bull atmosphere. The bar and restaurant’s revamped lounge—with pool tables, leather booths, couches and weekend DJs—blurs the line between dive and den. It’s where the Downtown drifters drink, settle in and stay too long. No pretense, just a reliably good time. –Gabriela Rodriguez