Best Bartender Salary: Key Findings
- Upscale restaurants and steakhouses give Bartenders higher earning potential.
- Bartender salaries are higher in cities like New York and Miami.
- Cocktail lounges and rooftop bars usually provide bigger tips than casual spots.
The average Bartender salary in the U.S. is $17.83 per hour (excluding tips), but those in upscale bars and fine dining often exceed $25.
Tips in high-end venues can significantly boost earnings, especially for complex cocktails or event service.
Read on to discover where to find the best Bartender salary across the U.S. and learn how location and bar type affect overall pay.
Where To Find the Best Bartender Salary in the U.S.
The following brands and venues are recognized for offering some of the highest Bartender salary opportunities, thanks to strong base pay, generous tips or both.
Here’s a list of top choices:
1. Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
[Source: Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille]
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille provides substantial income for its Bartenders. Its focus on premium drinks and the restaurant's overall upscale atmosphere lead to higher tabs and significant tip earnings.
With locations in many cities across the U.S. (such as like Denver, Chicago, Miami and Nashville) Perry’s remains a top choice for diners.
2. The Capital Grille
[Source: The Capital Grille]
Known for its high-end steakhouse experience, The Capital Grille attracts patrons willing to splurge on fine dining and drinks, boosting tips for Bartenders. A large variety of premium liquors makes it a perfect opportunity to excel and create signature drinks.
3. Ruth's Chris Steak House
[Source: Ruth's Chris Steak House]
As a long-standing player in high-end steak, Ruth's Chris is also an important part of any Mixologist's arsenal. Well known and patronized, its bars tend to be consistently full, creating ample opportunity for significant tips.
4. Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
[Source: Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse]
This steakhouse brand offers a robust, high-end menu and premium bar experience. As a part of that, the Bartenders are rewarded well for the customer service that contributes to Del Frisco’s atmosphere.
Check out available careers at Del Frisco's.
5. Hillstone Restaurant Group
[Source: Hillstone Restaurant Group]
With brands like Hillstone, Houston’s and R+D Kitchen, the Hillstone Restaurant Group boasts consistent and well-patronized bar services. Their training programs emphasize speed, knowledge and personality. Their venues provide great financial potential for experienced Bartenders.
New York City Bars and Restaurants Offering the Best Bartender Salary
New York City, with its rich nightlife, presents many opportunities for Bartenders to substantially increase their income.
A constant stream of patrons, both local and tourist, are ready to splurge.
Here are the top spots to aim for:
1. The Ned NoMad
[Source: The Ned NoMad]
This popular hotel bar has multiple awards and attracts patrons seeking elevated mixology, with premium prices for drinks translating to large tips. A busy upscale location that calls for the highest level of bartending excellence.
Address: 1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001
2. Attaboy
[Source: Attaboy Bar Instagram]
A highly rated hidden bar, well known in NYC's cocktail scene, Attaboy attracts clients seeking sophisticated concoctions. Their custom cocktails increase tips due to complex ingredients, time-consuming crafting, and premium pricing.
For inquiries, reach out to them at [email protected]
Address: 134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002
3. Dear Irving
[Source: Dear Irving at Hudson]
This bar with 4 different sections and specific theming gives Bartending experts plenty of room to show their talents. It also allows for the price per cocktail to be increased according to ingredient difficulty and client requests, increasing the potential take-home.
Apply for a Bartender position.
Address: 55 Irving Place New York, NY 10003
4. Bar Centrale
[Source: Bar Centrale New York]
Located in the heart of the theater district, Bar Centrale sees lots of pre-theater and post-theater traffic. As such, Bartenders here find high volumes of generous clients during their shift hours.
For more info, visit Bar Centrale's web page.
Address: 324 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
5. Clover Club
[Source: The Clover Club Bar]
Known for a great variety of complex cocktails, Clover Club attracts patrons looking for elevated drinks, which increases the per-drink spend, creating opportunities for significant tip-generating service.
Visit Clover Club's website for more info or go to the bar itself on the address provided below.
Address: 210 Smith Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Miami Bars and Restaurants with the Best Bartender Salary
Miami’s cocktail culture and lively nightlife create huge opportunities for Bartenders to earn a strong salary.
With steady tourist revenue and no state income tax, Bartenders here are well positioned to maximize their take-home pay at top venues.
Here are five Miami picks where bartenders do especially well:
1. Sexy Fish Miami
[Source: Sexy Fish Miami]
Sexy Fish is great for its high-end bar and the mixology required from the Bartender, where patrons spending heavily means generous tips and high earning potential.
Address: 1001 S Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33130
2. The Broken Shaker
[Source: The Broken Shaker]
A popular bar known for its craft cocktails. Patrons looking to get the true South Florida bar experience are happy to reward creativity with a larger tip.
To learn more, visit their website or their location listed below.
Address: 2727 Indian Creek Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33140
3. Sweet Liberty
[Source: Sweet Liberty]
Known for its "World Class Cocktails" the prices can also be high, creating ample opportunity for top mixologists and those aiming for larger compensation at their shifts.
Learn more by visiting their website or their location listed below.
Address: 237 20th Street suite b, Miami Beach, FL 33139
4. Sugar at East Hotel Miami
[Source: East Hotels Miami]
This elevated lounge on top of the EAST Hotel has spectacular city views and cocktails for high-end clients, ensuring higher-ticket sales and generous gratuities.
Address: 788 Brickell Plaza #40, Miami, FL 33131
5. Cafe La Trova
[Source: Cafe La Trova]
Known for its Cuban-themed experience, complete with cigars and mojitos, it brings in a loyal crowd with an appetite for high end drinks, which is lucrative for skilled Bartenders.
For job opportunities, visit the Cafe La Trova website.
Address: 971 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33130
Role of Bar and Restaurant Type in Achieving the Best Bartender Salary
The type of establishment greatly impacts a Bartender’s income.
Upscale and fine-dining venues bring higher wages and tips thanks to affluent clientele and premium cocktails, while casual bars pay less but make up for it with volume during peak hours.
Tourist hot spots also drive higher overall customer spending.
How Location Affects Bartender Salaries
Bartender pay is shaped not only by the city you work in but also by the type of venue. High-end cocktail lounges and famous bars often mean higher salaries and bigger tips compared to smaller local spots.
To see what it’s like behind the bar in a well-known venue, check out this short video:
Practical Steps for Securing the Best Bartender Salary
Here are a few suggestions for pursuing higher-paying Bartending opportunities:
- Research Your Local Scene: Target upscale cocktail bars, hotels and fine-dining venues in high-end areas, and use local networking to hear about jobs before they are posted.
- Polish Your Resume: Highlight bartending skills like mixology, luxury cocktail experience, and advanced training or awards, and be ready to discuss them in an interview.
- Apply Strategically and Early: Watch job boards closely and apply in person during slow hours to stand out.
- Ace the Interview: Show enthusiasm for cocktails and service while emphasizing communication, teamwork and detailed product knowledge.
- Negotiate Compensation: Research pay in your area and confidently present your skills and value when discussing salary and benefits.
For more on this, here’s a TikTok by Richie Monis where he shares tips on negotiating better pay as a Bartender.
Our Criteria for Selecting Venues Offering the Best Bartender Salary
Our selection process includes information sourced across Bartender job boards, forums dedicated to bartending in high-end locations and discussions on websites such as Reddit and online platforms popular with the bartending community.
We are looking to emphasize places that make full use of their mixologists' talent to justify their compensation.
Where Do Bartenders Make the Most Money: Conclusion
The best Bartender salary opportunities in the U.S. come from a mix of upscale venues, prime locations and customer demographics that value premium cocktails and service.
Whether in a luxury steakhouse, a New York rooftop bar or a Miami cocktail lounge, bartenders with strong skills and polished resumes can secure lucrative positions.
To maximize earnings, aspiring Bartenders should research their market, apply strategically, and be ready to negotiate compensation confidently.
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