Best free bar food in the United States and where to get it

Lauren Passell, Special to CNN
3 minute read
Updated 2:58 AM EDT, Fri May 1, 2015
At Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami, crunch-fried hominy is the snack that keeps drinkers sated, free of charge.
Crunch-fried hominy (Yardbird Southern, Miami) —
At Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami, crunch-fried hominy is the snack that keeps drinkers sated, free of charge.
courtesy Yardbird Southern Table & Bar
If you haven't tried gougères, yet -- baked savory choux pastries of dough andcheese -- it's time you started. At No. 9 Park, they're so good you'd gladly pay for them -- except you don't have to.
Gougères (No. 9 Park, Boston) —
If you haven't tried gougères, yet -- baked savory choux pastries of dough andcheese -- it's time you started. At No. 9 Park, they're so good you'd gladly pay for them -- except you don't have to.
courtesy No. 9 Park
Free nuts and popcorn tell you you're in a dive bar, but free mussels? That's classy.Cucina di Pesce has been serving them up with the purchase of a beverage for more than 20 years.
Mussels (Cucina di Pesce, New York) —
Free nuts and popcorn tell you you're in a dive bar, but free mussels? That's classy.Cucina di Pesce has been serving them up with the purchase of a beverage for more than 20 years.
courtesy Cucina di Pesce
Guests at Dovetail's bar are served a complimentary snack trio consisting of a truffle arancini, a whole wheat rosemary cracker and house-made white cheddar cornbread. Dainty and delicious, it's served on a wooden cheese board.
Truffle arcancini (Dovetail, New York) —
Guests at Dovetail's bar are served a complimentary snack trio consisting of a truffle arancini, a whole wheat rosemary cracker and house-made white cheddar cornbread. Dainty and delicious, it's served on a wooden cheese board.
courtesy Dovetail, New York
Any bar can serve free peanuts, but only one has set up a "P-nut delivery system," which shoots legumes to various sections of the bar via overhead zip line. It's possible to situate your open mouth under the P-nut Bomb bay doors, though it's not recommended.
Peanut Bomb (AJ Bombers, Milwaukee) —
Any bar can serve free peanuts, but only one has set up a "P-nut delivery system," which shoots legumes to various sections of the bar via overhead zip line. It's possible to situate your open mouth under the P-nut Bomb bay doors, though it's not recommended.
courtesy AJ Bomber's
Starting at 10:45 p.m., patrons at OAK at Fourteenth in Boulder, Colorado, can sample fresh-baked pretzels made in a wood-fired oven. They bake only 12 each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, however, so arrive early to be among the lucky ones.
Hot pretzels (OAK at Fourteenth, Boulder) —
Starting at 10:45 p.m., patrons at OAK at Fourteenth in Boulder, Colorado, can sample fresh-baked pretzels made in a wood-fired oven. They bake only 12 each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, however, so arrive early to be among the lucky ones.
courtesy OAK at Fourteenth
At Lucy Restaurant & Bar in Yountville, California, chef Victor Scargle serves snacks you've never tasted before, like cayenne/chili flake and kaffir lime popcorn and sweet energy trail mix made with butter toffee nuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, chocolate and raisins.
Gourmet nuts (Lucy Restaurant & Bar, Yountville) —
At Lucy Restaurant & Bar in Yountville, California, chef Victor Scargle serves snacks you've never tasted before, like cayenne/chili flake and kaffir lime popcorn and sweet energy trail mix made with butter toffee nuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, chocolate and raisins.
Served in a stainless steel bowl, this traditional Italian soup is full of garlic, macaroni, beans, carrots, cabbage and flavorful chicken broth.
Pasta e fagioli (Capo's, San Francisco) —
Served in a stainless steel bowl, this traditional Italian soup is full of garlic, macaroni, beans, carrots, cabbage and flavorful chicken broth.
courtesy Capo's
The best free bar snacks in America

Story highlights

Leave the contaminated nut dish alone, these are the bar freebies you want

Free truffle arancini, anyone? New York's Dovetail serves this dainty snack on a wooden cheese board

Milwaukee's AJ Bomber's "P-nut delivery system" shoots legumes around the bar via overhead zip line

CNN  — 

Stale nuts and pretzels are standard fare in most bars.

But some establishments across the USA aren’t only taking their countertop cuisine to new levels – bomboloni, gougères, croque monsieur – they’ve decided to give it to patrons on the house.

Gratis bar food may be a dying tradition in some quarters, but we found a number of joints that don’t care about cost or mess, opting to dry your whistle before they wet it.

Be sure to check these destinations out:

1. Crunch-fried hominy

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Miami

While fried chicken is the star at this James Beard-recognized Southern indulgery, the crunch-fried hominy is the snack that keeps drinkers sated, free of charge.

Chef Jeff McInnis provides a menu packed with other cuisine beloved by ladies and gents who are more than picky when it comes to Southern food.

1600 Lenox Ave.; 305-538-5220; www.runchickenrun.com

2. Gougères

Gougeres at No. 9 Park in Boston
Gougeres at No. 9 Park in Boston
No. 9 Park

No. 9 Park, Boston

If you haven’t tried a gougère, yet – a baked savory choux pastry of dough and cheese – it’s time you started.

You can test your taste buds for free at No. 9 Park in Boston They’re so good you’d gladly pay for them – except you don’t have to.

9 Park St.; 617-742-9991; www.no9park.com

3. Mussels

Cucina di Pesce, New York

Free nuts and popcorn tell you you’re in a dive bar, but free mussels? That’s classy.

Cucina di Pesce has been serving them up with the purchase of a beverage for more than 20 years, and with restaurants suspending their free-food deals left and right, those mussels taste all the sweeter. (Well, saltier. You know what we mean.)

87 E. Fourth St.; 212-260-6800; www.cucinadipesce.com

4. Truffle arancini

Dovetail, New York

Guests at Dovetail’s bar are served a complimentary snack trio consisting of a truffle arancini, a whole wheat rosemary cracker and house-made white cheddar cornbread. Dainty and delicious, it’s served on a wooden cheese board from chef John Fraser.

103 West 77th St.; 212-362-3800; www.dovetailnyc.com

5. Peanut Bomb

AJ Bombers, Milwaukee

Any bar can serve free peanuts, but only one has set up a “P-nut delivery system,” which shoots legumes to various sections of the bar via overhead zip line. It’s possible to situate your open mouth under the P-nut Bomb bay doors, though it’s not recommended.

And the shells? Just throw ‘em on the floor – it’s what everyone else does.

1247 N. Water St.; 414-221-9999; www.ajbombers.com

6. Hot pretzels

OAK at Fourteenth, Boulder, Colorado

Copious amounts of butter and fried goodness are promised at this New American spot, where bursting flavors are the culinary norm.