# What counts as an alcohol-free venue

Lesson 1 of [Alcohol-free venue foundations](https://soberbars.fyi/academy/alcohol-free-venue-foundations.md), 10 minutes.

An alcohol-free venue serves no alcohol at all. Sober Bars lists only venues where the whole menu is alcohol-free. On every listing, the field Serves alcohol is No.

## A mocktail is not enough

Many bars sell one or two mocktails next to a full cocktail menu. That does not make them alcohol-free venues, and this site does not list them. If you want a room with no alcohol in it, start with the listings here, not with a bar's mocktail menu.

## The four categories

- **Alcohol-free bars**: zero-proof cocktail bars, kava bars, kombucha bars and dry pubs.
- **Non-alcoholic bottle shops**: shops that sell only non-alcoholic drinks to take away.
- **Zero-proof restaurants**: restaurants with a dedicated zero-proof drink program, where the drinks list is alcohol-free.
- **Sober event series**: pop-up bars, dry parties and ticketed sober nights that run on a schedule, not at a fixed venue.

The site guides dated 2026-10-20 say the site lists bars and bottle shops now. It listed no zero-proof restaurant or sober event series yet.

## Where the site looks

The site covers six countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and France. Most cities have one listing. A city with no listing may still have an alcohol-free venue that the site has not found.

## What the site is not

Sober Bars is a venue directory. It is for anyone who is not drinking, for any reason. It is not a recovery resource. A listing is a record, not an endorsement.

## Sources

- Sober Bars guide: How to choose an alcohol-free venue, updated 2026-10-20
- Sober Bars guide: Common mistakes and questions to ask, updated 2026-10-20
- Sober Bars home page FAQ

This course is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.

Also on the [web page](https://soberbars.fyi/academy/alcohol-free-venue-foundations/what-counts-as-alcohol-free).