30 bars worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Kingdom guides.
The Connaught Bar ★ 4.8 · London
mayfair · The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
Agostino Perrone's hotel cocktail bar inside The Connaught in Mayfair London, opened 2008, runs the trolley-poured Connaught Martini and has topped.
Tip: The trolley-Martini is the marquee order; £24 a glass. Book a fortnight ahead through the hotel; jacket required after 19:00.
Panda and Sons ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
new-town · 79 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 4NF
Iain McPherson's Panda and Sons on Queen Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2013, a speakeasy cocktail bar in a basement disguised as a barber-shop.
Tip: Enter through the barber-shop door at street level. Bookings open 30 days ahead; cocktail menu changes seasonally.
Bramble Bar and Lounge ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
new-town · 16a Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JE
Bramble on Queen Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2006 by Mike Aikman and Jas Scott, a basement cocktail bar credited with launching the city's modern.
Tip: Walk-ins only and the room fills fast after 9pm; ask the bartender for a dealer's-choice rather than the menu.
Lyaness ★ 4.7 · London
covent-garden · Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD
Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan)'s cocktail bar inside the Sea Containers hotel on the South Bank in London, opened 2019, runs an ingredient-driven menu.
Tip: Walk-up at the bar most weeknights; weekend tables book a week ahead. Six house ingredients drive the menu each season.
Swift Soho ★ 4.7 · London
soho · 12 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4TQ
Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston's two-floor cocktail bar on Old Compton Street in Soho London, opened 2016, runs an upstairs Irish-coffee bar.
Tip: Upstairs takes walk-ins from 17:30. The basement runs to 02:00 with a deeper whiskey list. The Borough sibling has the same kitchen.
Schofield's Bar ★ 4.7 · Manchester
deansgate · Sunlight House, 3 Little Quay Street, Manchester M3 3JZ
Joe and Daniel Schofield's Art Deco cocktail bar on the corner of Sunlight House, Manchester. Top 50 Cocktail Bars list since opening. Walk-ins welcome.
The Bow Bar ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
old-town · 80 West Bow, Edinburgh EH1 2HH
The Bow Bar on West Bow in Edinburgh Old Town, opened in the 1860s and refurbished in the 1990s as a classic Scottish pub, with 250 single malt whiskies.
Tip: No cocktails, no music, no kids. Cask ale list rotates daily; ask the bar what is on tonight.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
leith · The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BZ
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in The Vaults on Giles Street in Leith, opened 1983, the world reference for single-cask whisky with a members bar and tasting.
Tip: Non-members can buy a day pass for £15 and bring a guest; ask at the door. The Queen Street branch is the New Town sibling.
Never Really Here ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
new-town · 89 Rose Street North Lane, Edinburgh EH2 3DX
Never Really Here on Rose Street North Lane in Edinburgh New Town, a tucked-away speakeasy behind a graffiti-covered black door with seven tables.
Tip: Cash-only, walk-ins only by knock on the door; arrive before 9pm for a chance of a table on Fridays.
The Pot Still ★ 4.6 · Glasgow
city-centre · 154 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 2TH
The Pot Still is a fourth-generation whisky bar on Hope Street in Glasgow, pouring from more than 1,000 bottles under the eye of the Murphy family.
Tip: Ask the staff for a recommendation by flavour rather than name; they will find you a dram to suit and a pie to match.
Dukes Bar ★ 4.6 · London
mayfair · 35 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NY
Salvatore Calabrese's hotel cocktail bar inside Dukes London in St James's, trading since 1908, claims to have inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond Vesper.
Tip: The trolley-Vesper is the marquee order; £28 a glass. The bar remains open during the hotel's 2026 refurbishment.
The American Bar at The Savoy ★ 4.6 · London
covent-garden · Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
The Savoy hotel's American Bar on the Strand in central London, trading since 1893 and the world's oldest surviving cocktail bar of name, codified the modern.
Tip: Walk-up only between 11:30 and 19:00; book a week ahead for evenings. The Beaufort Bar across the lobby has the more modern programme.
Port Street Beer House ★ 4.6 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 39-41 Port Street, Manchester M1 2EQ
Northern Quarter craft beer pub in Manchester since 2011. Eighteen keg, seven cask lines, hundreds of bottles, RateBeer's top Manchester bar most years.
The Devil's Advocate ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
old-town · 9 Advocate's Close, Edinburgh EH1 1ND
The Devil's Advocate in Advocate's Close off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened 2013 in a former Victorian pump house, a stone-walled whisky and cocktail.
Tip: Find the bar by going down the steep close from the High Street; the street-level entrance is unmarked.
Hawksmoor Bar ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
new-town · 23 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA
Hawksmoor's bar on West Register Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2019 inside the former National Bank of Scotland Hall, a 30-seat cocktail bar.
Tip: Express menu before 18:30 runs three courses at £28 from the bar; the cocktails are the same as the restaurant.
Satan's Whiskers ★ 4.5 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 343 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9RA
Daniel Bovey's east-London cocktail bar on Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green London, opened 2014, runs a daily-changing menu of classic and modern.
Tip: Walk-up only. Tuesday-Thursday from 17:00 is the easy slot. The daily menu turns over fully; favourites change weekly.
Happiness Forgets ★ 4.5 · London
shoreditch · 8-9 Hoxton Square, Hoxton, London N1 6NU
Alastair Burgess's basement cocktail bar on Hoxton Square in Shoreditch London, opened in 2010, runs a small handwritten menu of cocktails consistently.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the room takes 35 covers and burns through. No music, low light, conversation-first design.
Speak in Code ★ 4.5 · Manchester
deansgate · 7 Jackson's Row, Manchester M2 5WD
Brick-lined Manchester speakeasy on Jackson's Row off Albert Square. Hip-hop soundtrack, vegan-friendly cocktails, sustainable in-house ingredients.
The Last Word Saloon ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
stockbridge · 44 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh EH3 5AL
The Last Word Saloon on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge Edinburgh, opened 2014, a wood-panelled cocktail bar named after the Prohibition-era drink.
Tip: Sister bars on the same street include The Bon Vivant's Companion; the basement seats fill from 21:00 on Friday.
Fishers Bar at The Shore ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
leith · 1 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6QW
Fishers Bistro on The Shore in Leith Edinburgh, opened 1991 in a former 1700s signal tower, a seafood bar serving native oysters and Edinburgh Gin.
Tip: Bar counter takes walk-ins; the upstairs dining room books out at weekends but the bar is the better seat anyway.
The Ben Nevis ★ 4.4 · Glasgow
finnieston · 1147 Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8ND
The Ben Nevis is a snug whisky and folk-music bar on Argyle Street in Glasgow's Finnieston, with over 100 malts and traditional sessions most weeks.
Tip: Turn up for a midweek folk session; the bar works first-come-first-served rather than taking bookings.
The Absent Ear ★ 4.4 · Glasgow
merchant-city · Brunswick Street, Glasgow G1 1TF
The Absent Ear is an award-winning hidden cocktail bar on Brunswick Street in Glasgow's Merchant City, a Van Gogh-themed speakeasy that takes bookings only.
Tip: Entry is by reservation through a hidden door, so book ahead via their website rather than turning up.
Three Sheets ★ 4.4 · London
hackney · 510B Kingsland Road, London E8 4AE
Max and Noel Venning's neighbourhood cocktail bar on Kingsland Road in Dalston London, opened 2016, runs a daily-mixed-on-site cocktail menu and a small wine.
Tip: Walk-up only Tue-Thu. Friday-Saturday books a week ahead. The brothers source ingredients to make every house spirit from scratch.
The Temple ★ 4.4 · Manchester
deansgate · 100 Great Bridgewater Street, Manchester M1 5JW
Tiny converted public toilet on Great Bridgewater Street in Manchester, now one of the city's most loved dive bars. Steps lead down to a one-room basement.
The Washhouse ★ 4.4 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 19 Shudehill, Manchester M4 2AF
Speakeasy hidden behind a laundrette front on Shudehill in Manchester. You pick up a phone, ask the operator for a slot, and a door opens to a bar inside.
Mr Thomas's Chop House ★ 4.4 · Manchester
deansgate · 52 Cross Street, Manchester M2 7AR
1867 Victorian Manchester chop house and pub on Cross Street. Cask ales, steak and kidney pudding, original tilework and the city's oldest dining room.
Amber Restaurant and Whisky Bar ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
old-town · 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE
Amber whisky bar and restaurant inside The Scotch Whisky Experience on Castlehill in Edinburgh, opened in 1988, a tasting bar pouring 470-plus single malts.
Tip: Book the Region Flight; five drams from five Scottish whisky regions with tutored tasting from a brand ambassador.
Civerinos Cocktail Counter ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
old-town · 5 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1 1QW
Civerinos pizza counter and bar on Hunter Square in Edinburgh Old Town, opened 2016, an all-Italian cocktail and amaro programme beside the slice counter.
Tip: Slice plus a negroni at the counter is the local move after midnight; the cocktail menu changes monthly.
The Witchery Bar ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
old-town · Boswell's Court, 352 Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NF
The Witchery bar in Boswell's Court at the top of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened 1979, a heritage candlelit room pouring cocktails and an extensive wine.
Tip: Ask for The Secret Garden, the second dining room down the stairs; the candle-lit version of the experience.
The Kelbourne Saint ★ 4.3 · Glasgow
west-end · 182 Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow G20 8NX
The Kelbourne Saint is a neighbourhood bar on Queen Margaret Drive in Glasgow's West End, mixing craft beer, cocktails and a well-regarded pizza kitchen.
Tip: The pizza kitchen is a genuine draw, not an afterthought, so come hungry as well as thirsty.