These hidden bars in Tucson are waiting to be found

When it comes to Tucson bars, out of sight doesn’t necessarily mean out of mind.

Some of the city’s most interesting and most frequented watering holes are not readily visible from the street, tucked away in the backrooms of restaurants, retail shops and on hotel rooftops.

Try some of these hidden spots the next time you are out on the town.

Portal Cocktails

220 N. Fourth Ave., portalcocktails.com

Located in what looks like a cocoon right out of a science fiction movie, toward the back of Ermanos Craft Beer and Wine Bar on North Fourth Avenue, Portal offers signature cocktails in comfortable surroundings. Seriously. They have some of the cushiest seats in town.

With bar manager and cocktail guru Ryne Hoffman leading the charge, Portal knows its way around a drink.

Enjoy a “quickie,” a mini-cocktail that serves as an appetizer for the main course, or take on a full-sized adult beverage, libations with clever names, like its Monsoon Mule or Naked and Famous.

Portal is a feather in the cap for Ermanos, a restaurant that excels in the kitchen and with its beer and wine offerings.

The Castalian Spring

942 E. University Blvd.,

espressoartcafe.com

With all of the activity along East University Boulevard, it’s easy to miss the neon cocktail sign that sits in the window of Espresso Art Cafe.

But if you make your way through the throngs of students typing up papers toward the front of the coffee shop/hookah bar, you’ll find a separate area of Espresso Art dedicated to the joys of alcohol, and Greek design.

Manager Isaiah Bruno said the former employee who built the bar studied classic literature at the University of Arizona, hence the Greek lettering found along its frame — you can see the same inscriptions at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi.

Come early and you may still find a grad student or two hanging in Castalian Spring, puffing on a hookah and working away on their papers and projects.

Short Rest Tavern

4500 N. Oracle Road, facebook.com/ShortRestTavern

Perhaps the most inconspicuous of all of Tucson’s hidden bars, Short Rest Tavern can be found in the back of Tucson Games and Gadgets on the northwest end of the Tucson Mall.

Mark Kadow, owner of Games and Gadgets, opened the fantasy themed craft beer bar as a way to keep gamers happy and hydrated during round after round of in-store tabletop gaming.

Catan not your thing? Bring your besties down on a Friday evening for themed trivia nights, with geeky topics like “Lord of the Rings” and “Studio Gibley.”

The Still

2920 N. Swan Road, facebook.com/the

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Designed with the classic speakeasy in mind, The Still can be found hidden behind the scenes at Vero Amore, a high-end Italian restaurant on North Swan Road.

The Still posts regular new and rotating cocktail specials to its Facebook page, and they always look delicious. The Tropic Psychosis, a recent addition, mixes brown butter-infused rum with pineapple juice, pomegranate molasses, and amaro montenegro, among other ingredients.

Make your reservations at thestilltucson.com. Instructions on gaining access are given from there.

The Moonstone

930 E. Second St., facebook.com/moonstonetucson

Located on the roof and right next to the pool at the Graduate Tucson hotel, The Moonstone is just as much an experience as it is a place to get a tasty craft cocktail.

Large windows surround the bar, offering sky-high views of everything north and east of the UA. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Picacho Peak, northwest of the city.

When the weather cools down, take your cocktails outside and drink on the patio that wraps around the Moonstone.

“The outdoor seating is extremely popular, especially when the sun goes down,” said Jody Hall, general manager of the hotel.

Drink offerings include beer, wine and cocktails, They even have Arizona Jell-O shots if you want to feel like a college student again

“They are vodka-based,” Hall said of the shots. “We change the flavors up all the time, cherry, strawberry. We adjust with the seasons.”

SideCar

139 S. Eastbourne Ave., barsidecar.com

Nestled in a tiny spot just south of the pizza restaurant Falora, at Broadway Village Shopping Center, SideCar has been producing yummy craft cocktails since 2013.

The bar describes itself as a neighborhood craft cocktail bar — that hood being Broadmoor-Broadway, just south of Broadway and west of South Country Club Road — and has both indoor and outdoor seating depending on the weather.

Leah Schwersinske, director of operations at SideCar, said management took time during the pandemic to build-out additional patio space.

“Some days everyone wants to hang out outside,” she said. “The larger patio is so wonderful now, especially if you have a special occasion like a birthday.”

Our hot Tucson summer recommendation: The Thyme and Tonic, made with Texas vodka, Genepy des Alps liqueur, thyme, basil and lemon.

Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink

101 E. Pennington St., reillypizza.com

Beyond the bar area located inside its main dining room, Reilly makes this roundup for two reasons: Its beer garden area toward the rear of the property and its Tough Luck Club, located in the downtown spot’s basement. Neither area is visible or accessible without going through the restaurant first.

The beer garden offers a communal atmosphere with long tables, a large projector screen for watching the game of the day and a giant wall with column after column of craft beer options, about 28 in all. Roughly 60 percent of the beer offered comes from Arizona breweries. The beer garden also offers the restaurant’s full food menu.

The Tough Luck Club, located in what was once the morgue of the Reilly Funeral Home, comes with a decidedly chiller vibe and a healthy selection of recently revamped cocktail options.