Best bar foods.....what are they, what could they be?

last night just walked around and ate apps and drank at a few bars rather than having a regular meal.

tried:
bacon wrapped dates - simple. decent, but nothing too new. Easy finger food points.

Albacore carppaccio - decent dish, but not much a bar food feel, imo. Get that shite off your bar menu.

Caprese salad - cheese made in house, yellow heirloom and arugula/microgreen salad. Really nice take on the classic. The glob of runny olive oil drizzled cheese made it bar food worthy.

lardon,fresh mutz, red pepper grilled cheese/panini thing. More of a grilled texture, which is a good thing. More bars really should look into doing interesting, simple, well executed little crispy sandwiches. Cash cow, and a crowd pleaser.

Finally....the best bar food i have come across in a while:

salt cod (baccala) brandade - served with buttery/garlicy big croutons for dipping/spreading. It's a cheap dish, and the richness and strong flavor is GREAT with beer...also, the potatoes will help you survive the night. I've never seen this served as a bar food, but damn i hope it catches on. Most pleasant surprise of the night.


I love wings and burgers as much as the next guy, but if there are other affordable, delicious options out there why limit bar food to the same old shite?

With the growing trend of more and more bars serving good food, what are some dishes you have noticed that really seem to work well?