Sober Bars on Long Island: An Alcohol-Free Night Out in Suffolk County

Try to name a bar on Long Island that does not serve alcohol. Most people come up empty. There are roughly three million people across Nassau and Suffolk, and you can count the alcohol-free bars on one hand. Island Kava in Massapequa is one. We are the other one, Roots Kava Bar in Port Jefferson.

That is the whole list as far as we know. So if you are looking for a night out in Suffolk County that does not revolve around drinking, this post is for you.

What a night at Roots looks like

We are a bar and lounge at 250 East Main Street in Port Jefferson. There is a bar with stools, a lounge with couches and low tables, and a small stage. It feels like a bar because it is one. The drinks are just different.

Here is what we pour:

• Kava, the traditional root drink from the Pacific islands. Earthy, a little peppery, served in a coconut shell or a cup. Most people order a shell and settle in.

• Kanna drinks, made with a South African plant with a long history as a chewed or brewed botanical. We build it into a few different drinks at the bar.

• Handcrafted mocktails. Real ingredients, fresh citrus, house syrups, nothing out of a bottle mix.

• Matcha, coffee and herbal teas.

• Vegan snacks.

The full list is on our menu. You can order at the bar the same way you would anywhere else, and nobody is going to ask why you are not drinking.

What is going on during the week

A bar is only as good as the room, and we work hard on the room. Through the week we run live music, open mic nights and game nights. On any night you can grab a board game from the shelf or pick up a controller. People come here to play cards, to hear a friend play a set, or just to talk without shouting over a sound system.

Check the events on our lounge page before you head over. Happy Hour is 4 pm to 7 pm daily.

Designated drivers

If you are the one driving home tonight, we are probably the only bar on the island where you get the full experience instead of a club soda and a lime. Order a shell of kava, order a mocktail, order three. Nothing on our menu will put you over a limit, because there is no alcohol in the building.

A lot of groups do a split night: dinner or drinks down at the harbor, then up the hill to Roots for the second half. The driver gets a real bar and everyone else sobers up before the ride home.

Sober curious, sober for good, or just not tonight

We see all three. Some regulars have not had a drink in years. Some are trying a month off. Some just have an early morning and want somewhere to go that is not their couch.

You do not have to explain yourself here. Dry January works any month of the year at Roots, and nobody is keeping track.

Planning a group night

This is the part people do not expect. We host private groups of up to 40 with no minimum spend and no deposit. Birthdays, work outings, sober celebrations, a friend group that is tired of the same three bars in Patchogue. Details are on our private parties and events page.

A few tips from hosting a lot of these:

• Tell us the headcount a few days ahead so we can set up the lounge.

• If it is a first kava night for most of the group, order a round of shells and one round of mocktails. People find their favorite fast.

• Come for Happy Hour if you can. 4 to 7 keeps it affordable for a big table.

• Bring a game or use ours.

A note on kava and kanna

Both are traditional drinks with a long history in their home regions, and both have a taste and a social feel that is their own thing. We serve them the way they have always been served: as a drink you sit with among friends. If you want to know more about either, our kava and kanna pages cover the basics, or ask whoever is behind the bar. Our owner has been a practicing herbalist for 13 years and the staff knows the plants well.

Come by

Roots Kava Bar, 250 East Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777. Phone (934) 259-8902. Check our site for hours and see the visit page for parking and directions.

If you have been waiting for a night out on Long Island that does not end with a hangover, this is it.