8 Phoenix Halloween bars to get spooky this October

During the Halloween season, trick-or-treating kids aren’t the only ones dressing up. In October, Valley bars come alive with undead decor and creative, creepy cocktails. 

These creative bar teams have thought beyond stretching fake cobwebs across their windows and setting out pumpkins. They’ve gone all out with devilish adornments and spirited sips served in ghoulish glassware. 

Take a trip in Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, toast your way through a haunted forest or embrace your love of noir crime thrillers at these Halloween pop-ups. Just be sure to visit before they disappear.

Black Lagoon at UnderTow

Through Nov. 1
3626 E. Indian School Road
3150 E. Ray Road, #184, Gilbert
Through Nov. 1, the creaky ships that serve tiki tipples in Phoenix and Gilbert are home to the award-winning Halloween pop-up Black Lagoon. Reserve your steerage, er seat, at either UnderTow, and you’ll be treated to haunting potions with theatrical presentations, created by bar veterans Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage. Take your pumpkin-loving tastebuds to the tropics with the Abyssa’s Obsession, a squash-infused riff on a classic piña colada. Other tipples include a fall-inspired margarita made with a spiced oat orgeat, tart cherry and vanilla honey, or an eerie espresso martini infused with nutmeg and banana. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made online.

Carnevil at 50 Shades of Rosé

Through Oct. 31
7419 E. Indian Plaza B, Scottsdale
A warning to coulrophobes: 50 Shades of Rosé has transformed into a dark carnival riddled with sinister clowns. Their spooky faces hang from nearly every inch of the Old Town bar, including the ceiling, and serve as the entryway to this haunted big top. Order carnival-themed bites, including corn dogs, popcorn and nachos. Taste drinks inspired by Halloween candies like Twix, Lemonheads and Reese’s Pieces. Opt for a devilish shake shot — a vanilla milkshake spiked with apple whiskey — or go on a ride with your crew by ordering the Wheel of Misfortune, a mystery assortment of Jell-O shots. Reservations are available online.

The Haunting at Little Rituals

Through Nov. 1
132 S. Central Ave., Fourth Floor
The award-winning hotel bar Little Rituals will host the debut of The Haunting, a pop-up from the team behind the holiday cocktail experience Miracle and Sippin’ Santa. This pop-up takes inspiration from childhood haunted houses and vintage Halloween nostalgia. Expect over-the-top decor alongside potent potions created by The Haunting’s Joann Spiegel. Feel the burn with the spicy tequila sipper Scream-sicle or get spellbound by the vodka tipple, Widow’s Whisper, made with chocolate, melon, lychee, matcha, yuzu, cardamom, rose and absinthe. These special drinks will be available along with a selection of the Little Rituals’ favorite cocktails. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made on Tock.

Haunted Hollow at 36 Below

Through Nov. 1
3620 E. Indian School Road
This subterranean garden bar has transformed into Haunted Hollow for spooky season. The bar’s dark forest decor includes screens showing a misty, supernatural forest. In addition to the immersive space, 36 Below’s team crafted a new menu of seasonal small bites, including an autumn salad, coq au vin and caramel apple cheesecake. Choose from the bar’s signature cocktails or its cursed creations concocted just for Haunted Hollow, including an olive oil-washed Vesper called The Root of All Evil or the smoked bourbon cocktail, Fear and Loathing. Reservations are encouraged and can be made on OpenTable.

The Hot Chick presents Spooky Island

Through Nov. 1 
4363 N. 75th St., Scottsdale
Jeepers, The Hot Chick will take diners on a trip to Spooky Island, a “Scooby-Doo”-inspired pop-up. Embrace your inner Shaggy to take down a towering ham and turkey sandwich and a shareable punch bowl from this Old Town bar. Save room for a Scooby Snack, a dessert cocktail made with coconut tequila, coconut rum, coffee liqueur, Irish cream, cold brew and simple syrup, topped with whipped cream and a cinnamon cookie. Reservations are available through OpenTable; for Halloween weekend, text 480-255-7733.

Lucca Living Room

Through Oct. 31
2475 W. Queen Creek Road, Chandler
Lucca Living Room just got a haunted makeover. Ghoulish photos, floating candles and witches’ hats, skeletons and bats now fill the relaxed Chandler restaurant and bar. Lucca’s menu has gotten spookier, too. Sips include the purple Witches Brew, made with butterfly pea flower, lemon vodka, lemon juice, strawberry puree, elderflower liqueur and club soda. Choose from spooky snacks, like Witch’s Fingers, crispy fried mozzarella sticks with marinara, and Bat Wings, chicken wings tossed in a sweet, spicy glaze.

Psycho Killer Cocktail Club at Sunny’s Lounge

Through Nov. 1
2701 E. Indian School Road
It’s a crime scene at Sunny’s Lounge, which has become the Psycho Killer Cocktail Club during this dark season. Sunny’s bar team conjured 10 themed sips for its murderous pop-up. Classic drinks get boosted with fall flavors, like a margarita warmed up with chai or a gin and tonic infused with fig, cardamom and grapefruit. Fans of the childhood dessert dirt and worms should order Buried Alive, made with Oreo-infused espresso liqueur, vodka, cinnamon-kissed Irish cream and Cynar. The one-the-nose garnish is pure nostalgia.

Porter’s Haunted Saloon

Through Nov. 1
3944 N. Brown Ave., Scottsdale
Porter’s Western Saloon, the Old Town bar in a historic post office, has reimagined its second-floor postmaster’s apartment into a haunted watering hole filled with the skeletons of past regulars. Get a special infusion when you order The John Doe, a bright-red vodka cocktail dispensed from a blood bag. This cocktail gets its hue and flavor from strawberry puree, lemonade, cranberry juice and soda water. Other themed cocktails riff on classics, including a paloma, spritz and old fashioned. Step inside this haunted saloon Thursdays through Sundays.