Everson Royce Bar anchors the Arts District with solid cocktails

Everson Royce Bar has been holding down E 7th Street long enough to collect over a thousand Google reviews and keep a 4.5-star average, which in a neighborhood full of rotating concepts means something. It is a cocktail bar that takes itself seriously without making you feel underdressed for showing up on a Tuesday.

The room has a backlit bar and banquette seating, so it works whether you want to plant yourself at the bar alone or settle in with a group. The food menu runs from burgers to bao buns, enough range to keep people happy through a long night without trying to be a restaurant. Cocktails are the main event, and wine and beer are both available if that is what you are after.

There is a patio for when the weather cooperates, and the place takes reservations, which is worth knowing if you are coming with more than a few people. Takeout is an option too. Polished but not precious is about the right description, and the regulars seem to agree.