Esquire lists Cleveland's Happy Dog and The Spotted Owl recognized the two bars on the Best Bars in America list!
The rubric is pretty vague, but the bars that made the list are "places you just can't wait to experience again".
Out of the 27 bars, 4 are in Ohio, including the Law Bird from Columbus and Wodka Bar from Cincinatti.
Esquire staff members wrote the Jeff Gordinier had plenty of good things to say:
The Spotted Owl: “I was instructed to select my desired mood (I went with relax) and a range of flavors (I went with umami and ginger) from the wheel. The bartender would then conjure something for me to drink. I figured this was all some sort of gimmick until I tasted my cocktail, which had been made with gin, lime and pho syrup — yes, the Vietnamese soup. It was absurdly delicious, and it was then I decided this is a next-wave mystic temple of cocktailing.”
Happy Dog: “Happy Dog is a rock ‘n’ roll bar to its bones, with Christmas lights and no-bull**** beer list. You can order hot dogs topped with SpaghettiOs and Froot Loops. We’d steer you toward the ‘alien’ relish, which glows green.”
The list isn't on Esquire's website, but will be soon.
