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    The Howlin Wolf

    4.0 (117 reviews)
    ModerateCocktail Bars
    Open 3:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    The Howlin Wolf Photos

    THE HOWLIN WOLF ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Hipster
    Casual
    Trendy

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    Recommended Reviews - The Howlin Wolf

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    Ivy N.

    This place is a NEW favorite in the old Tower District that I have a place in my retired party girl heart. All crafted drinks by the mixologists here. They're nice and sweet, the favorite would have to be Emilio, he's such a cool dude. The ladies love the curls and it's fun watching them go goo goo gah gah for him. The service is fast and the ambiance is super chill. I would come here over and over again. Highly recommend to get drinks here in town,

    Bar area
    Vincent S.

    I've been here twice and have had a great time here. It's definitely a nice venue and clean. The bar in the center is the main event in that room. It's lit well and easy to access to sit or stand and order a drink: service was very quick for how busy it was. There's another area to the left of the entrance that has a staging area and more seating. I don't know about the food scene. Music is a vibe and the price point is perfect for these libations. I'm excited to come back and hang out with some friends again.

    Mike V.

    had a great time tonight at the Yelp Badge Day Bash at the Howlin' Wolf! what a great little bar with tons of character and charm in the heart of the Tower District. the service was superb the Bar tenders were amazing mixologists! they were all very friendly. food was catered by India's oven which is located directly across the parking lot. that Butter chicken was to die for! and the samosas were great also. I'm definitely coming back with friends. you've got to check this place out if you haven't yet! what a great spot!!!

    Lemon Drop
    Lester D.

    I was here for a Yelp event and I must say it was a good experience for sure. Though there was a lot of people but nevertheless I had a good time. The only thing I could say was that I was able to get a couple of drinks and they were very inconsistent with them. I understand with how full and busy the place was could cause that. But great time nonetheless

    Chai Hard cocktail
    Sabrina W.

    I came for a birthday night cap. The bartender made me great drinks and the service was impeccable! The vibe was cute and I can't wait to go back

    interior during christmas time
    Hallie G.

    This place is so cool! As someone not very well versed in cocktail bars, I think this is a great place to start. You feel cool just walking into the place. With aesthetic decor, live music, and moody lighting, this is a great place to grab a drink! Came around Christmas time and the place felt so festive! Plenty of seating and fast service. They have a great selection of drinks and the bartenders are really good at recommending drinks. I don't think you can go wrong with any of their drinks! I'd come here again!

    Dark horse from crow and wolf
    Ella G.

    Very cool place I really liked the decor and how they decorated for Christmas with a tree and lights. It's very open and spacious as well you can definitely have a big group of people here. They also have live bands and musicians that come in which is why I went last night. I sat at the bar with a friend not knowing how cold it would be without a jacket on. The door opened so much and tipzys next door had so many bikers outside that were smoking weed and it was coming inside the place. The drinks were good, the service was ehhh 50/50 the guy that was helping us seemed frazzled and really overwhelmed by the amount of orders that were coming in. They did have Santa crawl yesterday and were not prepared for the amount of foot traffic in there. They had 3 bartenders, and a guy who I'm guessing was the bar back? Not really sure because he doesn't know how to use a 3 container sink, he's really slow at washing in general to the point they were using flutes to put an espresso martini in. There was a Hindu man I'm not sure what he doesn't there but you can tell he was just in the way and pissing off the bartender that was in front of us. He also took my friends to drinks for some odd reason without even asking. I had to tell him that was her cocktail and I need that back. I don't understand why we're taking things without asking??? He's also extremely rude there were customers that had paid and they told him to keep the change for a tip and he literally threw it on the counter and said leave it there. I was a little shocked at why he did that when they have a tip jar on the counter. The bathrooms were a wreck, no one was maintaining them throughout the night either. I really do like the place and I hope the next time I come back it's not so hectic inside. And maybe the staff will have it together.

    Holiday old fashioned (amazing) and mocktail (also amazing)
    Brian S.

    Wow, wow, wow, I still can't say enough about how much we like Howlin Wolf! This art-deco cocktail bar in the Tower District is top-notch, definitely one of the best (if not the very best) cocktail bars in Fresno. Ambiance here is amazing. Not only is the art-deco theme really cool, but they incorporate lots of old Fresno memorabilia and nostalgia. There's a whole wall of old Fresno photos that really brought back memories. Tables are comfy, as is the actual bar. The service was fast and friendly, we had our drinks within 15 minutes of sitting down. My partner ordered a mocktail of a French 75, and she said it was one of the best she's had. My holiday-themed old fashioned was absolutely perfect and probably the best holiday drink I had this December (and that includes visiting bars in Los Angeles and Minneapolis); it had just the right amount of holiday spices and the perfect amount of sweetness. All in all, top marks here. Prices are also right on par (if not a bit low) for what you get here (in that they aren't necessarily cheap for Fresno, but the ambiance and drinks are worth every penny). I can't wait to visit this place again, it's a real Fresno gem.

    Buffalo trace old fashioned, fruit salad
    Annabelle R.

    We stopped by for a couple drinks in the late afternoon, and loved the ambience of the place, everything from the artwork and decor with animals, music events, icons, and instruments on display, to the helmets on the wall under dim purplish lighting, and even a couple shuffleboard tables near the bar. We enjoyed some live music around 5pm, Sunday Jam led by Bobby Griffin. The sound system was a bit loud and not the best, but the musicians were good, and performed hits like Fly Me to the Moon. For drinks, we had the buffalo trace old fashioned, fruit salad (a tasty strawberry and lemon flavored cocktail), and pear-adice lemon drop, all of which were pretty good. The service was great, many staff members and bartenders available to ensure minimal wait times, and they were friendly as well, checking on us frequently to make sure we had everything we needed. There's a small parking lot outside shared with neighboring businesses, though it was a bit full when we visited, so I'm not sure how busy it gets here since I'm not from the area.

    Nathalie M.

    My date brought me here & I thought it was a really nice place!! The person helping us was nice! The drinks were all so good, loved the atmosphere, the music that was playing. All in all it created a great place to grab a couple drinks with someone & I will definitely be going back :) Thank you

    Inside
    Kevin L.

    Decided to check this place out before heading to a comedy show at the Tower Theatre. The inside decor is pretty cool and the craft drink selections are pretty good. Wish we had time to stay for more than one drink as the guy behind the bar suggested a few things while the lady making our drinks must have been new because we saw her reading the recipes. Will check it out again.

    Shake it for me. My fave drink has prickly pear and tequila blanco.

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    2 days ago

    An eternity to get a drink at this place at this establishment. The bartenders are clueless. No sense of urgency.

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    11 months ago

    Great drinks and service. Also love that they can make most of their menu non-alc!! Love the art deco vibes and live music.

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    7 months ago

    Great little place in the Tower, better than most of the Libations spots and great staff. Love the Entertainment from tint to time.

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    10 months ago

    The ambiance was cozy but the crowd and the great band playing made it a fun place. The drinks were delicious.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - The Howlin Wolf

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    Neat & Noir

    Neat & Noir

    4.1
    (67 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    This is a great spot for cocktails! A group of 8 of us went in for their 1st year anniversary and…read moresat in the vault room. Service was excellent and they checked on us often. The cocktails never disappoint. We love the Crime of Passion. Highly recommend checking out this Fresno gem!

    It's a vibe, for sure…read more Very aesthetic, very spacious. Plenty of seats, and it filled up nicely. We were there a little earlier than the night crowd so we had a bit of space and "quiet" time to ourselves in the back for quite some time, took our pics and whatnot. They have a lot of areas that would make for great photo ops for sure. We all ordered different drinks. White Lotus, Havana Mule, & Matchatini. I think we all unanimously agreed that the Matchatini was the best out of the bunch but they were all pretty good... the White Lotus being the strongest out of the bunch. Our waitress was very nice as well and suggested the Matchatini to the birthday girl, which she was already eyeing so that sealed the deal. I don't remember any food options on the menu, for those wondering... we had just came from dinner so that didn't matter to us but it's good to know for next time. The music... was interesting lol. Not something I'd want to listen to all the time but the DJ enjoyed himself. I hope that was just that night and not the music choice every night... Overall, we enjoyed our time here. Very cute spot for a girls night (and date night).

    Photos
    Mango mami
    Mango mami
    Neat & Noir
    Seating area

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    Seating area
    Modernist

    Modernist

    4.4
    (290 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    The Modernist is a great craft cocktail spot in downtown Fresno in the brewery district, right next…read moreto Tioga-Sequoia Brewing. Parking is exactly what you'd expect for downtown, so just make sure you lock your car and don't leave anything visible. We went around 5 PM on a Thursday. It started fairly quiet and gradually got busier throughout the evening, but it never felt overcrowded. They do have a rule that if there's a waitlist, your time may be limited to about two hours so they can seat other guests, which is reasonable for a place like this. The drinks were fantastic. I honestly didn't have a bad drink all night. They offer cold drinks, room temperature drinks, hot drinks, and just about every type of spirit you can think of. The cocktails are very creative, and the bartenders will actually warn you ahead of time if a drink has flavors they think you might not like, which I appreciated. The bartenders were excellent and really knew what they were doing. We had a spicy margarita, mojito, whiskey smash, an ube cocktail, and a few others, and all of them were great. Prices were fair for the quality, creativity, and overall experience. Not cheap, but definitely not overpriced either. One thing I really respected was that they had Narcan and fentanyl test strips available on-site. You don't see that often, and it shows they actually care about people's safety. If you're looking for craft cocktails in Fresno, this place is definitely worth visiting. I'll definitely be coming back.

    Had been wanting to try this place and the vibe there was so chill and vibrant…read more My bartender name was Kennedy. She can create just about any drink you have in mind! She can do any spirit or flavor I'm craving and she mixes it all together and exceeds every flavor and spirit on every level!! By far best drinks I've had in Fresno in a long time and I will keep coming back just to see her and have more of her delicious drinks! Thank you for making my first time there such a great time.Request Kennedy yall!!

    Photos
    Back lounge area.
    Back lounge area.
    Modernist
    Interior July 2023 (theme changes currently tiki)

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    Interior July 2023 (theme changes currently tiki)

    The Howlin Wolf - cocktailbars - Updated August 2026

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