• Scott Elmquist
• The Jasper in Carytown advertises "full pours and honest prices."

Best overall bar

The Jasper

3113 W. Cary St.

Best gay bar

Babes of Carytown

3166 W. Cary St.

804-355-9330

• Scott Elmquist
• Persnickety students of dive bars will cry foul (again) that The Bamboo Cafe is too high quality, but our readers chose the 'Boo as best dive bar, maybe because of its cozy, neighborhood vibe. Drunken poet "Chalms" Bukowski would've found the debate as tedious as a TP stampede at Publix before a light snow flurry.

Best dive bar

Bamboo Café

1 S. Mulberry St.

804-353-1609

• The rooftop bar at Quirk Hotel Richmond offers lovely views.

Best rooftop bar

Quirk Hotel Richmond

201 W. Broad St.

804-340-6040

Best happy hour

The Camel

1621 W. Broad St.

804-353-4901

• Scott Elmquist
• Drag performer Chicki Parm by the back sandlot of Babes of Carytown, which cruised to wins for best gay bar and best place to dance. To quote the Material Girl herself: "Music can be such a revelation/dancing around you feel the sweet sensation/We might be lovers if the rhythm's right/I hope this feeling never ends tonight." ("Into the Groove").

Best place to dance

Babes of Carytown

3166 W. Cary St.

804-355-9330

• Scott Elmquist
• Our readers chose Reveler Experiences in Carytown, which offers "curiously curated experiences ... [with] theatrical, immersive adventures," as best place to take a date. Don't ask us if that's a corpse on the table.

Best place to take a date

Reveler Experiences

3108 W. Cary St.

804-918-5681