Pour Decisions: Top Spots for Best Brews, Cocktails, and More

Beer enthu­si­asts want­i­ng to sam­ple a wide vari­ety of local brews should check out the area’s tap­rooms. The Chico Tap­room fea­tures 40 taps of craft beer from North­ern Cal­i­for­nia and the West Coast, while The Com­mons Social Empouri­um in Chico offers 28 rotat­ing taps of pour-your-own beers. Both are dog-friend­ly, so enjoy a glass with your best bud by your side. Of course, no brew­ery tour is com­plete with­out a stop at the icon­ic Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ery. Start there, or explore oth­er Chico craft brew­eries.

Don’t wor­ry, oenophiles, we’ve got you cov­ered! VillaVi­no serves Cal­i­for­nia (and beyond) wines plus a selec­tion of beer and local­ly sourced antipas­to plates, per­fect for a break dur­ing your Down­town Oroville explo­rations, while the near­by Live Vine Vine­yard & Win­ery offers scenic sips near the Ther­mal­i­to Afterbay. 

Cre­ative cock­tails can be found at dozens of Butte Coun­ty bars and restau­rants. In Oroville, Nori Down­town and Pro­vi­sions both fea­ture beau­ti­ful bars, per­fect for enjoy­ing a spir­it­ed drink, in addi­tion to their full-ser­vice restau­rant. In Chico, The Win­ches­ter Goose is a favorite, with a sol­id craft-beer selec­tion, deli­cious house cock­tails and mock­tails, and ele­vat­ed pub fare that one review­er called ​“aggres­sive­ly good.”

Those liv­ing the zero-proof life will find plen­ty of options across the coun­ty. Crush, a pop­u­lar Ital­ian restau­rant in Chico, is known for its bar offer­ings, includ­ing deli­cious mock­tails. In Chico’s Meri­am Park, Roselle Bar & Lounge fea­tures a swanky bar and drink menu, which includes two sig­na­ture alco­hol-free drinks made with All the Bit­ter, a Chico non­al­co­holic bit­ters mak­er. And in North Chico, the speakeasy-esque Strong Water is hap­py to mix up cus­tom mock­tails in addi­tion to their menu of sea­son­al­ly chang­ing spe­cial­ty cocktails.

If you like your drinks neat, then a vis­it to a dis­tillery is a must. Chico’s Gold­en Beaver Dis­tillery serves award-win­ning rice-based liquors from both the main dis­tillery and their Park Avenue Still House. Paradise’s Burnt Barn Dis­till­ing Co. spe­cial­izes in hand­craft­ed bour­bon as well as rye whiskey, rum, vod­ka, gin, spe­cial liqueurs, and bit­ters. And if you find your­self in our wine regions, you’ll also find a ​“field-to-flask” expe­ri­ence at Cob­ble Ridge Dis­tillery in the Ban­gor Wine & Spir­its Region and the pop­u­lar line of Mon­key Face spir­its at Almen­dra Win­ery & Dis­tillery in Durham.

Of course, one of the best ways to imbibe is alfres­co, and you’ll find no short­age of options (includ­ing most already list­ed here!). In Oroville, no oth­er patio expe­ri­ence is as pop­u­lar as the one at Union, which is expan­sive and in the heart of down­town. In North Chico, the Lost Dutch­man Tap­room and Wine Time both have such invit­ing patios that you’ll nev­er want to leave. In Down­town Chico, the ivy-cov­ered brick walls at The Allies Pub will make you feel like you’ve been trans­port­ed across the pond, while the patio at Tres Hom­bres Restau­rant & Bar is the best way to enjoy one of its best-in-the-coun­ty margaritas.

Whether you’re a beer enthu­si­ast, wine lover, cock­tail con­nois­seur, or an alco­hol-free imbiber, you’ll be able to say ​“Cheers!” any­where in Butte County.