2300 E. Broad St.
644-4242
thephpub.com

Second Place: Dots Back Inn

Third Place: Mekong

East Broad Street is far removed from the bustle of Shockoe Slip, West Main and suburban drink land. But for those who want to venture east of Belvidere and beyond the typical, that works out just fine. Patrick Henry Pub and Grille is an institution. It's also the living room of gentrified Church Hill, where the regulars don't mind trading barbs and nearly everyone parked around the bar is a neighbor. In the basement, where much of the drinking takes place, there are aging interiors of dark wood, and after a certain hour, enough cigarette smoke to choke a smaller mammal. But that's what makes it special. In Virginia, where very nearly every bar also is a restaurant, and most conduct their business to an eardrum-crushing soundtrack of techno or '80s cheese, Patrick Henry remains one of the few places where a party of friends can enjoy a conversation with their booze, and a smoke if they like.