The people at SD26 in New York must love their customers, because each night they offer them homemade bomboloni with vanilla ice cream and pasta in the wine bar, beginning at 10 p.m. For the four hours before that, they offer tasty little squares of homemade focaccia with Italian Mortadella.

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Bomboloni (SD26, New York)

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Leave the contaminated nut dish alone, these are the bar freebies you want
• Free truffle arancini, anyone? New York's Dovetail serves this dainty snack on a wooden cheese board
• Milwaukee's AJ Bomber's "P-nut delivery system" shoots legumes around the bar via overhead zip line

(CNN) -- Stale, contaminated nuts and pretzels served in a culture dish are standard fare in most bars.

But some establishments across the country aren't only taking their countertop cuisine to new levels -- bomboloni, gougères, croque monsieur! -- they've decided to give it to patrons on the house.

Gratis bar food may be a dying tradition in some quarters, but we found a number of joints that don't care about cost or mess, opting to dry your whistle before they wet it. Here are ten of the finest, for starters. Serve us up your own favorites.

1. Crunch-fried hominy

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Miami

While fried chicken is the star at this James Beard-recognized Southern indulgery, the crunch-fried hominy is the snack that keeps drinkers sated, free of charge.

Chef Jeff McInnis provides a menu packed with other cuisine beloved by ladies and gents who are more than picky when it comes to Southern food.

1600 Lenox Ave.; 305-538-5220; www.runchickenrun.com

2. Gougères

Gougeres at No. 9 Park in Boston

No. 9 Park, Boston

If you haven't tried a gougère, yet -- a baked savory choux pastry of dough and cheese -- it's time you started.

You can test your taste buds for free at No. 9 Park in Boston They're so good you'd gladly pay for them -- except you don't have to.

9 Park St.; 617-742-9991; www.no9park.com

3. Mussels

Cucina di Pesce, New York

Free nuts and popcorn tell you you're in a dive bar, but free mussels? That's classy.

Cucina di Pesce has been serving them up with the purchase of a beverage for more than 20 years, and with restaurants suspending their free-food deals left and right, those mussels taste all the sweeter. (Well, saltier. You know what we mean.)

87 E. Fourth St.; 212-260-6800; www.cucinadipesce.com

4. Truffle arancini

Dovetail, New York

Guests at Dovetail's bar are served a complimentary snack trio consisting of a truffle arancini, a whole wheat rosemary cracker and house-made white cheddar cornbread. Dainty and delicious, it's served on a wooden cheese board from chef John Fraser.

103 West 77th St.; 212-362-3800; www.dovetailnyc.com

5. Bomboloni with vanilla ice cream, pasta, mortadella focaccia

SD26, New York

The people at SD26 must love their customers, because each night they offer them homemade bomboloni with vanilla ice cream and pasta in the wine bar, beginning at 10 p.m. For the four hours before that, they offer tasty little squares of homemade focaccia with Italian Mortadella.

19 E. 26th St.; 212-265-5959; www.sd26ny.com

6. Peanut Bomb

AJ Bomber's, Milwaukee

Any bar can serve free peanuts, but only one has set up a "P-nut delivery system," which shoots legumes to various sections of the bar via overhead zip line. It's possible to situate your open mouth under the P-nut Bomb bay doors, though it's not recommended.

And the shells? Just throw 'em on the floor -- it's what everyone else does.

See the P-nut delivery system in action here.

1247 N. Water St.; 414-221-9999; www.ajbombers.com

7. Hot pretzels

OAK at Fourteenth, Boulder, Colorado

Copious amounts of butter and fried goodness are promised at this New American spot, where bursting flavors are the culinary norm.

Starting at 10:45 p.m., patrons can sample hot, fresh-baked pretzels made in its wood-fired oven. Chef Steve Redzikowski bakes only 12 each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, however, so you have to arrive early to be among the lucky ones.

1400 Pearl St.; 303-444-3622; www.oakatfourteenth.com

Rosemary popcorn from Hatfield's in Los Angeles

8. Rosemary popcorn

Hatfield's, Los Angeles

One of the top restaurants in L.A., according to Zagat, this super-romantic spot is known for its imaginative dishes, and its rosemary-hinted popcorn is no exception. It's an unexpected (free) treat for patrons at the bar.

6703 Melrose Ave.; 323-935-2977; www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com

9. Gourmet nut mixes

Lucy Restaurant & Bar, Yountville, Calif.

At Lucy's, chef Victor Scargle serves snacks you've never tasted before, like cayenne/chili flake and kaffir lime popcorn, sweet energy trail mix made with butter toffee nuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, chocolate and raisins, and the Guadalajara trail mix made of rice crackers, peanuts, sesame sticks, almonds, sunflower seeds, toasted corn and spices.

6526 Yount St.; 707-204-6030; www.bardessono.com

10. Pasta e fagioli

Capo's, San Francisco

Most bar snacks are considered finger foods, but this delicacy from Capo's is served up with a spoon, in a stainless steel bowl. The traditional Italian soup is full of garlic, macaroni, beans, carrots, cabbage and flavorful chicken broth.