Pour Decisions: Top Spots for Local Brews, Cocktails, and Zero-Proof Drinks

From icon­ic craft brew­ing pio­neers to pour-your-own tap­rooms and scenic vine­yards, beer and wine enthu­si­asts have plen­ty of local options to explore.

• The Com­mons Social Empouri­um (Chico): A dog-friend­ly tap­room fea­tur­ing 28 rotat­ing self-serve taps for sam­pling a wide vari­ety of beers.
• Live Vine Vine­yard & Win­ery (Oroville): Offers scenic sips and wine tast­ings near the Ther­mal­i­to Afterbay.
• VillaVi­no (Oroville): Locat­ed in Down­town Oroville, serv­ing Cal­i­for­nia and inter­na­tion­al wines, craft beer, and local­ly sourced antipas­to plates.
• Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ing Co. (Chico): A must-vis­it des­ti­na­tion for craft beer lovers, offer­ing tours, a tap­room, and a full restau­rant. The best place to start any craft beer tour.

Butte County’s bar scene ranges from relaxed, neigh­bor­hood dive favorites to ele­vat­ed din­ing rooms serv­ing expert­ly craft­ed drinks.

• Argus Bar + Patio (Chico): A local favorite for casu­al out­door drink­ing and craft cocktails.
• The Grill at Hotel Dia­mond (Chico): Deliv­ers clas­sic, high-end cock­tails in a his­toric down­town hotel setting.
• Pro­vi­sions (Oroville): A pop­u­lar down­town Oroville choice for spir­it­ed drinks along­side a full restau­rant menu.
• Rancher’s Daugh­ter at Hotel Kate­ri­na (Chico): Offers sophis­ti­cat­ed, upscale drink options in a mod­ern hotel.
• Union (Oroville): Fea­tures a beau­ti­ful full-ser­vice bar and an expan­sive down­town out­door patio.

Trav­el­ers seek­ing zero-proof options will find ded­i­cat­ed non-alco­holic drink menus, cus­tom craft mock­tails, and local botan­i­cal bit­ters mak­ers across the county.

• All the Bit­ter (Chico): A renowned non-alco­holic bit­ters mak­er that fla­vors drinks across the coun­ty. For a ded­i­cat­ed zero-proof expe­ri­ence, vis­it their Zero Proof Mar­ket & Lounge, where you can enjoy zero-proof cock­tails, flights, non-alco­holic beer and wine, and local snacks.
• Crush (Chico): A pop­u­lar Ital­ian restau­rant known for its inven­tive zero-proof cock­tail creations.
• Roselle Bar & Lounge (Chico): A swanky spot in Meri­am Park fea­tur­ing sig­na­ture alco­hol-free drinks made with local All the Bit­ter products.
• Strong Water (North Chico): A speakeasy-style lounge serv­ing cus­tom mock­tails along­side a sea­son­al­ly chang­ing menu of spe­cial­ty cocktails.

If you pre­fer spir­its neat or on the rocks, Butte Coun­ty is home to sev­er­al award-win­ning craft dis­til­leries pro­duc­ing whiskey, bour­bon, and rice-based liquors.

• Almen­dra Win­ery & Dis­tillery (Durham): Fea­tures the pop­u­lar line of Mon­key Face craft spir­its along­side local wine tastings.
• Burnt Barn Dis­till­ing Co. (Par­adise): Spe­cial­izes in hand­craft­ed bour­bon, rye whiskey, rum, vod­ka, gin, liqueurs, and bitters.
• Cob­ble Ridge Dis­tillery (Ban­gor): Deliv­ers an authen­tic ​“field-to-flask” expe­ri­ence in the Ban­gor Wine & Spir­its Region.
• Gold­en Beaver Dis­tillery (Chico): Serves award-win­ning, rice-based craft liquors at both their main dis­tillery and the Park Avenue Still House.

One of the best ways to imbibe is al fres­co, and while most tap­rooms, bars, and winer­ies in Butte Coun­ty offer out­door seat­ing or dog-friend­ly spaces, a few local spots stand out for their dis­tinct patio environments: 

• The Allies Pub (Chico): Tucked away among ivy-cov­ered brick walls, this cozy patio set­ting trans­ports you straight to a clas­sic British pub garden.
• Lost Dutch­man Tap­room & Wine Time (North Chico): Neigh­bors in North Chico offer­ing wel­com­ing out­door spaces built for lin­ger­ing over local pours.
• Rancher’s Daugh­ter (Chico): Head upstairs to Butte County’s only rooftop bar for craft cock­tails served with a side of sun­set views.
• Tres Hom­bres Restau­rant & Bar (Chico): A live­ly Down­town Chico patio per­fect for pair­ing fresh Mex­i­can dish­es with top-rat­ed local margaritas.
• Union (Oroville): Known for its pop­u­lar and expan­sive out­door patio in the heart of Down­town Oroville.

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.