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There is nothing quite like a high-tech bar.
While many bars are beginning to deploy technological innovations like iBars and apps that can help customers order and pay, we are still enthralled by the ones pushing the envelope on how technology can create an experience of both convenience and style.
It’s not simply about being connected, but connecting in new ways, which is really what DrinkAdvisor is all about—finding the best place for whatever experience you’re looking for.
So what other tech-driven bars should be on our list?
1) EyeCandy Sound Lounge
Las Vegas, Nev.
Photo via Facebook
Naturally you’d expect Las Vegas to have the most outlandish technology bar experience available, and the EyeCandy Sound Lounge is that and more. Not only is the club’s backbone an advanced soundsystem and dancefloor, but it also offers interactive touch tables that guests can use to create and project images and messages onto surrounding screens.
2) Graffiti Bar
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo’s Graffiti Bar boasts the largest, multitouch display installation. It’s for much more than simply flipping through the menu. Visitors cannot only order and communicate with their waiters, but they can also play games and create amazing visuals and virtual graffiti on the interactive screens.
3) The Park 112
New York City, N.Y.
Photo via Facebook
The Park 112 just opened in Harlem and is rightfully already garnering attention. The wine bar allows patrons to select and pour their own vintage selections through its self-serve Enomatic machine. There is, of course, a sommelier on hand to help with the decisions, but feel free to test as much as you like. Classy and convenient!
4) Amo Eno
Hong Kong, China
Photo via Bruce Mau Design
Not only does Amo Eno boast a superior collection of wines, but it aims to bring the wine-tasting experience into the 21st century. The bar’s interactive touch screen tables are intended to easily allow visitors to tweet and share their wine discoveries, while the high-tech wine dispensers provide simple selections and pours. The space’s design streams brilliantly modern.
5) GuestHouse
San Diego, Calif.
Photo via Facebook
GuestHouse is so hip it’s a club located entirely inside another club – San Diego’s legendary celebrity buzz hot spot, Stingaree. But GuestHouse is something special, with DJ thumping sound system designed by John Lyons and custom lighting that includes projection surfaces with texture mapping that can transform the walls into massive digital screens.
6) RedMR
Hong Kong, China
This Hong Kong karaoke chain has upped the tech ante on singalongs with full-function, Microsoft-designed touchscreen tables that users can use to select songs, play games, and order. As if that weren’t enough, though, RedMR also offers a bevy of digital games, from interactive dancefloors to Xbox rooms.
7) Inamo
London, U.K.
This oriental fusion restaurant and bar in London serves up amazing dishes and cocktails but with an impressive technological twist. With projectors overhead each table, customers can order from the menu while also setting the mood for their table or exploring the surrounding SoHo area.
8) Temple
San Francisco, Calif.
Temple’s technology may be a bit more minimalistic or retro than other clubs, but the San Francisco hot spot has made a reputation for its eco-conscious commitment to sustainability. While the club’s rooms remain stylish and impressive, the club also hosts projects like the sustainable dance club, where the dancefloor creates energy based on the crowd’s movement.
9) Brew Exchange
Austin, Texas
Photo via Facebook
The Brew Exchange in Austin, Texas, merged the free market system of supply and demand into its real-time beer pricing, making for a trendy, if sometimes uncertain bar tab. The prices for the bar’s brews change with each order, going up or down in relation to their popularity at the moment, and patrons can watch the real-time ticker at the bar for when to buy.
10) PopUp Bars
Some of the most innovative bars over the past few years have also been the most ephemeral, such the Heineken Club or HWKN BMW-sponsored Mini-Rooftop. The former was unveiled during Milan’s Design Week in 2012 and realized 19 designers’ visions for the club of the future. The latter transformed an NYC rooftop into high-tech club and light-show experience. These places won’t last long, but they provide an amazing experience while they are around.
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