11 Fast Casual Restaurant Chains That Offer Alcohol

Fast casual restaurants have greatly grown in popularity all over the United States in the past decade. They are typically counter service only, but are certainly elevated experiences compared to the typical fast food joint. Most fast casual spots will invest in healthier ingredients and a slightly more pleasant atmosphere for customers. Think Five Guys burgers versus the classic American McDonald's Big Mac. Further, most fast casual restaurants will have a heftier menu, with some places even featuring alcohol on the menu. 

Sometimes, you just want a quick bite to eat and a place to enjoy a nice cold drink. No matter what your food or alcohol preferences are, there are plenty of fast casual restaurants around the United States to satiate both of your desires. From beer to wine to more of the hard stuff, we've compiled a list of 11 fast casual restaurants that serve alcohol alongside a quick meal. 

Chipotle was one of the first fast casual chains around. They revolutionized the concept of fast casual restaurants way back in 1993, paving the way for countless other businesses on this list and forever altering the setting of teenagers' awkward first dates. Chipotle's best-kept secret, though, is that the brand has also been selling alcohol since the very beginning.

You can buy a drink to pair with your burrito bowl at Chipotles around the country — some of which offer a selection of beer, wine, and even margaritas. In 2013 Chipotle unveiled its "premium margarita," made with Patrón and fresh juice and mixed right in front of you alongside your meal. While the number of locations that sell tequila has diminished over the past few years, a little less than half of Chipotle's stores still serve bottled or canned beer. 

Chipotle margaritas are harder to come by nowadays. While still served at select restaurants in markets like Los Angeles, many locations stopped serving them due to low sales. While this fast casual spot is a household name, it has continuously struggled to successfully sell its drinks. 

Wahlburgers is a Massachusetts-based burger spot owned by Mark Wahlberg and his brothers, Paul and Donnie. While their roots are famously buried in the greater Boston area, Wahlburgers has expanded from Cape Cod to California across 21 states. The chain has also gone international in places like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. 

What sets Wahlburgers apart from other fast casual restaurants is that most locations have a full service bar. The Wahlburger menu also features an impressive selection of mixed drinks that they dutifully call "wahlcoctions." The name might not roll off the tongue, but the drinks are the best you will find readily available at any counter service restaurant around. Fittingly, one of the wahlcoctions featured on the Wahlburger menu is a Bacon Bloody Mary, garnished with the same pepper bacon you'll find on Donnie's Choice BBQ Bacon Burger. 

Besides hard alcohol, Wahlburgers also serves homemade sangria, wine, and beer both draft and bottled. If you're not full by the time you've finished one of Wahlburgers's "famous" burgers, treat yourself with an adult shake starring ice cream and Pinnacle vodka. 

Dave's Hot Chicken is proof that the American Dream is still possible — and that the American Dream includes lots of beer. Known for the titular spicy chicken, crinkle cut fries, and killer mac and cheese, Dave's has expanded explosively since first starting out in a parking lot in Los Angeles in 2017. 

Only eight years later, Dave's Hot Chicken operates multiple branches in 40 states and sells beer in pretty much all of them. The chain has become so synonymous with beer that it inspired its own Pale Ale homebrew, confusingly called "Dave's Hot Chicken."

Drink selection at restaurants will vary from state to state — like in Wisconsin where most of its nine locations only serve beer. Other restaurants, like in Dave's home state of California where it has 40 restaurants, serve the gambit of beers, wine, and hard seltzers. Some locations even sell "boozy shakes, for those of us who need some ice cream to help soothe our mouths after an extra hot chicken sandwich or two. 

There's not much that's more American than a quality beef burger and a beer, and that's exactly what brings people to Shake Shacks around the country. Starting off as a simple hot dog cart in New York City, Shake Shack has evolved into a common fast casual chain that now serves its famous burgers and crinkle cut fries all across the globe. 

Most of Shake Shack's locations — at least stateside — offer a small variety of beers and wines featured on its menus. Typically, wines found at Shake Shack are made exclusively for the brand, meaning you won't find them at liquor stores or any other restaurants on this list. Most stores will offer a small selection of white, rosé, and red wines while others may have a wider variety including orange or sparkling wines. 

The beer selection at Shake Shack is only slightly different than the wine list, but usually much larger. Shake Shack also brews its own draft of beer, called ShackMeister, brewed by Brooklyn Brewery in New York City. The fast casual chain does, though, offer more than just its own supply. You can find beers like Coors, Miller Lite, or High Noon seltzers. Some, though not many, Shake Shacks also have a full bar where you can order cocktails like the Exit Row Refresher with black tea vodka and Shake Shack's in-house lemonade. 

Taco Bell is one of the most popular fast food restaurants in America, but the brand's elevated chain of Taco Bell Cantinas gives customers a totally different experience than the one they might already be used to. Taco Bell Cantinas are growing in number — mostly in major cities across the country like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, and Nashville. Some cities, like Boston, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles already have multiple locations that serve a wide selection of alcohol alongside the specialty food menu. 

One blatant difference you will notice between Taco Bell and Taco Bell Cantina is that the latter has beer on draft as well as cans of both beer and hard seltzers. What really draws people in, though, is the restaurant's menu of "Twisted Freeze" drinks. Namely the famous Mountain Dew Baja Blast Twisted Freeze, which uses the chain's exclusive flavor of soda as a base for a delicious and sugary frozen cocktail. Other varieties of Taco Bell Cantina's Twisted Freeze drinks are Berry Frośe, Margarita, and Piña Colada. 

Blaze Pizza spans across 40 states and parts of Canada serving hot, fresh pizza and cold drinks. While not available everywhere, you will be able to find at least a few beers on draft at most Blaze Pizza restaurants across the country from Rhode Island to Nevada. 

The customizable pizza spot co-owned by Lebron James usually has a small selection of beer on tap that vary depending on the location. The same goes for the chain's selection of bottled and canned beer as well. In New Mexico, you may find Corona, Dos Equis, or beer from the local Santa Fe Brewing Company. That same grab-and-go refrigerator at a Blaze Pizza in North Carolina, though, will have a different selection like Asheville's Highland Brewery's Pale Ale or Pilsner. 

You'll also find a small selection of red or white wines at Blaze Pizza, perfect for the classic Italian-American experience of stuffing down a cheap pizza and glass of wine. Like the highly customizable pizza, there's a drink for everyone at Blaze Pizzas around the country. 

Boloco, or Boston Local Company, is a small burrito shop that serves Massachusetts and New Hampshire some of the most delicious and least Mexican-inspired burritos you have ever seen. The chain started serving beers alongside its "globally inspired" burritos in 2010 and hasn't looked back since. Alongside its burritos and bowls, the New England joint serves multiple varieties of beer like Kona Big Wave and some locally brewed choices. In the past, Boloco has partnered with local breweries like Vermont's Magic Hat Brewery to host beer and burrito-tasting charity events. 

The small chain also serves non-alcoholic beer, perfect for the hefty portion of its clientele that are underage college students around the greater Boston area. Grab a crisp can of beer to go with your adventurous grilled steak burrito with farro, mango salsa, buffalo sauce, and extra roasted corn. Just don't tell traditional Californian burrito enthusiasts about Boloco's teriyaki burrito.

Nando's is huge in Europe. While the counter service chain only operates in five states and Washington D.C., it can be found widely across the UK and in 20 countries around the world. Part of its popularity — besides the delicious Piri-piri chicken — is the readily available menu of beers and cocktails to pair with your Portuguese-inspired cuisine. 

The drinks menu at Nando's is almost as large as its food menu. From salads to sides to sharing platters, Nando's has something to eat — and drink — for everyone in your group. Nando's serves Portuguese wine like Vinho Verde as well as Portuguese beer brands like the popular Sagres and Super Bock. The fast casual chain also sells beers that Americans might be more familiar with, such as Corona, Modelo, and Sam Adams. The cocktail menu at Nando's is impressive, including creative concoctions like the Peach Lemonade Poncha and Passion Fruit Frose. Stop in with a few friends and opt for a pitcher of Nando's Spiked House-Made Lemonade or the famous red sangria. 

Newk's Eatery is a beloved fast casual chain that serves deluxe soups, salads, and sandwiches to much of the Southeastern United States. Originally starting out in Oxford, Mississippi, Newk's has expanded to 12 states, serving a selection of drinks from Colorado to Florida. 

While Newk's is known for its famous southern sweet tea, it also serves a selection of beer, wine, and sangria in most locations. Canned and bottled beers include Coors, Michelob Ultra, and Budweiser. Newk's also hosts a selection of locally crafted beer that varies from state to state. Like in Alabama, where you will find canned ale from Good People Brewing based out of Birmingham.  

The perfect order at Newk's Eatery includes a cup of house red sangria, a cup of classic sweet tea, and a cup of the loaded potato salad. You can't miss out on the Newk's Q sandwich, too, topped with chicken, bacon, cheese, and the chain's signature smoky white BBQ sauce. 

Tacos 1986 is a fast casual chain that serves some of the cheapest and most delicious Mexican-style street food around southern California. Order at the counter and grab a beer to-go at one of Taco 1986's seven SoCal locations in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, or Burbank. 

The menu at Tacos 1986 is simple — and that goes for both the food and drink menus. Order a couple of tacos, quesadillas, mulitas, or vampiros with your choice of carne asada, adobada, chicken, or mushroom filling. Besides non-alcoholic drink options like Topo Chico, horchata, or the classic Mexican Coca-Cola, Tacos 1986 also offers a small selection of beers at numerous locations. The beer selection at Tacos 1986 includes Mexican favorites like Modelo or Carta Blanca for around $5 per bottle. Two tacos and a beer for around $10 is a deal that is hard to beat, especially in the excessively expensive SoCal sun.

Smashburger is another popular fast casual burger spot that serves alcohol along with a hearty meal. Many locations around the country have beer, wine, and cocktail options to purchase with your burger or chicken sandwich. The chain even has at least one location with a full bar, which opened in 2022 inside the Denver Airport. This "elevated" Smashburger establishment features ten beers on tap, including brews from local Colorado breweries. 

Pairing burgers and beer is nothing new for the national chain, which started offering complementary beer and burger pairings on its menus in 2012. Most menus around the country now feature a few options for draft beer like Blue Moon, Stella Artois, or Bud Light as well as White Claw seltzers. Some markets, like Smashburger locations in Los Angeles, also offer a specialty Silver Margarita on the menu. While selection will vary from location to location, you are likely to enjoy a good burger and beer at any Smashburger location. Regardless of what you're craving, these fast casual restaurants are sure to have the perfect pairing of delicious food and tasty alcohol to satisfy you.