A sleek Cape May cocktail lounge hidden inside of a Victorian-era hotel was just named the No. 1 hotel bar in America in USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
The Brown Room at Congress Hall beat out nine other nationally recognized hotel bars, spanning cities like Chicago, Honolulu, Washington D.C., and West Hollywood.
Hotels were nominated by a panel of experts, then voted on by USA Today readers—where The Brown Room reigned supreme.
The Brown Room at Congress Hall
The Cape May lounge comes with a lot of history—like the hotel it lives inside of.
Congress Hall opened over 200 years ago in the early 1800s. Several presidents from the era visited the beachside resort on vacation, including Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, and Benjamin Harrison, who made Congress Hall his official Summer White House.
Following the end of Prohibition in 1933, Congress Hall opened its first legal cocktail bar in the same spot that The Brown Room lives in today, giving the chic space its tagline: “Prohibition-era cocktails without the secret knock.”
The Brown Room mixes up plenty of craft drinks, including signature options like The West Wing (mezcal, lime, pineapple, pinot noir) and the Congressional Cosmo (vodka, orange liqueur, lime, white cranberry).
For food, guests enjoy a variety of light bites, including local oysters, truffle fries, crab dip, pigs in a blanket, and a locally loved burger.
The Brown Room hosts live music each weekend. They do not take reservations.
The Top 10 Hotel Bars in America
The Brown Room proves that the Jersey Shore’s hospitality can hang with the big dogs, beating out options in major markets across the country. Here is the full list of the top 10 hotel bars, voted on by USA Today readers.
- The Brown Room at Congress Hall – Cape May, NJ
- The Aviator at The Hotel Polaris – Colorado Springs, CO
- Magnum Speakeasy at Hotel Vin – Grapevine, TX
- Andys Beeline Rooftop Bar – Healdsburg, CA
- Off the Record at The Hay-Adams – Washington, D.C.
- Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian – Honolulu, HI
- The Lounge at Four Seasons Hotel LA at Beverly Hills – Los Angeles, CA
- Juniper Lounge and Garden at 1Hotel West Hollywood – West Hollywood, CA
- The Maker Lounge – Hudson, NY
- Travelle Lounge at The Langham – Chicago, IL
The Brown Room at Congress Hall is located at 200 Congress Place in Cape May, New Jersey. The beloved cocktail bar stands out by leaning into its historical roots, rather than reinventing itself for the modern era.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
