The Lake District
Famously used as a headquarters by Donald Campbell during his fateful campaign, this trad boozer is a good place for a pint, with a fell-view beer garden…
Must-see nightlife in The United Kingdom
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
This wood and brick secret basement bar is a refreshingly tongue-in-cheek alternative to a downstairs cocktail-bar scene that can take itself too…
North London
A Camden institution, the black-clad Lock Tavern rocks: it's cosy inside, and it has a rear beer garden and a great roof terrace from where you can watch…
Manchester
The strapline says 'Cook Haus and Bier Palace', and this big version of a night out in central Europe is just that. The bier is unpasteurised Pilsner…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Set atop the Grade II–listed Courthouse Hotel in the centre of Shoreditch, this rooftop bar has fantastic views of London’s skyline. During the week it’s…
Liverpool
First opening in 2016, this bar is in a converted merchant's house and has something of a Scandi feel to it – stripped-back walls, wooden bar tables –…
Manchester
Fans of real ale love this Northern Quarter boozer, with its seven hand pulls, 18 draught lines and more than 100 beers from around the world, including…
Notting Hill & West London
Tread the bare wood floorboards of this roomy bar/cafe in this erstwhile library, and grab a paperback play or two from the dense collection stuffed onto…
The Lake District
Eagle-eyed Potter fans might recognise this village pub, as it famously featured in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. Covered in climbing roses and with a…
Glasgow
One of Merchant City's most relaxed and atmospheric pubs, and far better than some of the lager palaces on the rest on this square, Blackfriars' friendly…
North London
This festive boozer is popular with London’s Spanish community and therefore feels quite authentic. Drinks, too, are representative of what you’d find in…
Oxford
Half the fun of this isolated pub – yes, it really is a farmhouse – is the half-hour walk to get there, south along the Thames footpath from Folly Bridge…
Kent
If you're looking for a pub with real atmosphere, head in the evening to this oh-so hipsterly authentic, wood-rich tavern where there's regular live jazz,…
Cardiff
A bastion for blokiness, the Eagle has a gay-men-only policy after 9pm at weekends, enabled by a membership system (£3 annually). There's no DJ, drag or…
Oxford
At this sleekly minimalist rooftop cocktail bar, spectacularly located in the town centre, you can sip fruity cocktails (£7 to £10) while soaking up…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
This no-frills Shoreditch basement venue throws together a pulsing and popular mix of gigs and club nights. It hosts a rotating selection of resident DJs…
Inverness
Decked out in timber and tweed, this bar strikes a distinctly modern chord. There's a huge selection of Scottish craft beers on tap, and even a beer 'set…
Swansea, The Gower & Carmarthenshire
The best of Newton Rd's wine bars, Jones buzzes with 40-somethings giving the chintzy fittings competition in the bling stakes. There's Ali, Bowie and…
Kensington & Hyde Park
When you've shopped your legs off in Knightsbridge, this serenely seductive zone welcomes you into a world of Chinese bird-cage lanterns, subdued lighting…
Edinburgh
A lovably eccentric pub, the Canny Man’s consists of a crowded warren of tiny rooms crammed with a bizarre collection of antiques and curiosities (a…
South Cornwall
Truro gets its own craft-beer bar. Lots of thought has gone into the selection, with local brewers like Black Rock and Padstow Brewing Company sitting…
Birmingham
Buried beneath the Burlington Arcade, this darkened drinking den has the ambience of a decadent underworld. Down a faux-marble-encased staircase,…
London
Almost too well hidden down a quiet alleyway parallel to Fleet St, Black Parrot is a surprising plant-filled, rum-obsessed bar that puts a cool London…
Leith
This good old-fashioned local boozer has been sympathetically restored – it appeared in the 2013 film Sunshine on Leith. Its nautical history is evident…
Bristol
The Bristol outlet of Britain's punk brewery draws both the just-finished work crowd and those who want to linger at the cluster of tables out front…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Whisky might not grow on trees, but at Black Rock, it sure grows in them. The centrepiece of this tiny bar is a 5m-long, 185-year-old oak tree that's been…
Edinburgh
Promoting itself as the Southside’s only ‘alternative’ pub, the Auld Hoose certainly lives up to its reputation, with unpretentious decor, gig posters on…
Windsor & Eton
In the taproom of this boutique brewery, half a mile west of the central station, you can sample hoppy delights like the award-winning Knight of the…
Liverpool
The cocktail fad is given full expression at this lovely bar, where the bartenders take an almost annoying pride in the theatrical quality of their…
Bristol
As they love to tell you at the Cori, the pub is older than the Clifton Suspension Bridge. These days it's a lively spot beloved by students, with an…
Guernsey
All leather and velvet and exposed stone walls, Laska is locally renowned for its creative cocktails – the chocolate chilli martini, the passion merengue,…
Stirling
A warm welcome is guaranteed at Stirling’s oldest pub (1733), a spot redolent with atmosphere, with its log fire, vaulted back room, low-slung ceilings…
Cambridge
If the exterior of this picturesque waterside pub, overhanging a pretty mill pond, looks strangely familiar, it could be because it is the darling of many…
Edinburgh
Housed in a converted manse (minister’s house) that once belonged to the next-door church, and furnished with well-worn, mismatched wooden tables and…
Kensington & Hyde Park
When your legs are turning to lead traipsing around Harrods, gravitate towards the shop's curvilinear deco-style bar in the Roastery and Bake Hall for…
Belfast
Kelly's is Belfast's oldest pub (1720) – as opposed to tavern – and was a meeting place for Henry Joy McCracken and the United Irishmen when they were…
Edinburgh
This bar is fairly small – half a dozen bar stools, a couple of sofas and a scattering of seats – but its ambition is huge, with a vast menu of bottled…
Glasgow
Tucked away in a laneway behind the Bath St bar strip, this club presents eclectic, honest music without dress pretensions. The sounds vary substantially…
The Midlands & the Marches
On a cobbled lane near the cathedral, sociable 18th-century pub 'The Lich' has a timber-panelled interior and opens to a decked beer garden out the back…
Manchester
Located in Tony Wilson's former Factory Records HQ, Fac251 is one of the most popular venues in town. There are three rooms, all with a broad musical…
