Must-see nightlife in England

  • Auld Shillelagh

    North London

    We're going out on a limb and calling this London's best Irish pub. The staff are sharp, the Guinness is good, and the live entertainment is frequent and…

  • Golden Eagle

    The West End

    If you are seriously into singalongs, head for this attractive free house in Marylebone, where the keys of the old 'goanna' (piano) get tickled by Tony …

  • Café Tarifa

    Oxford

    Inspired by the eponymous Spanish kitesurfing centre, this low-key lounge spot is big on neo-Moorish style, with cushioned booths, low-slung tables, tile…

  • Albion

    Chester

    No children, no music and no machines or big screens (but plenty of Union Jacks). This 'family hostile' Edwardian classic pub is a throwback to a time…

  • Old Firehouse

    Exeter

    Step into the snug, candlelit interior of this Exeter institution and instantly feel at home. Dried hops hang from rafters above flagstone floors and…

  • Ship Inn

    Newcastle-upon-Tyne

    Spilling onto a small green out front, this red-brick charmer in the Ouseburn Valley has been pouring pints since the early 1800s. Its current owners have…

  • Tapping the Admiral

    North London

    Enjoy a fine selection of real ale in this cosy, eclectic, nautical-themed award-winning boozer. Regulars keep the bar propped up and the dimly lit…

  • BrewDog Camden

    North London

    The hair of this particular dog is craft beer, with around 20 different brews on tap. BrewDog's own brewery is up in Scotland, but more than half of the…

  • Grain Barge

    Bristol

    This lovingly converted 1930s cargo vessel used to transport barley and wheat. Fittingly it's now used by the Bristol Beer Factory to showcase its craft…

  • Hidden Rooms

    Cambridge

    A cocktail bar for aficionados of the craft. At Hidden Rooms (if you can find it), booths and table service add an edge of exclusivity, while twice…

  • Golden Heart

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    It’s a distinctly bohemian crowd that mixes in the cosy, traditional interior of this brilliant Spitalfields pub, famous as the watering hole for the…

  • Black Dog Ballroom

    Manchester

    A basement bar with a speakeasy vibe, but there's nothing illicit about drinking here: the cocktails are terrific (it runs occasional mixology sessions),…

  • Molly House

    Manchester

    The decor at this old-style pub is half brothel, half tearoom, but the vibe is low-key: no loud music, no hen parties and no 'all drinks a pound' specials…

  • Old Nags Head

    Peak District

    An ideal stop for walkers descending from Kinder Scout, the Old Nags Head is a packhorse inn (and former smithy) with tankards hanging from the beams and…

  • Whippet Inn

    The Midlands & the Marches

    Ales and craft keg beers from independent British breweries are the hallmark of this adorable little one-room micropub, along with a wonderful selection…

  • Minerva

    Yorkshire

    If you're more into pubbing than clubbing, try a pint of Black Sheep at this lovely 200-year-old pub down by the waterfront. On a sunny day you can sit…

  • HiFi Club

    Leeds

    If it's Tamla Motown or the percussive beats of dancefloor jazz that shake your booty, this is the spot for you. Also has stand-up comedy sessions (£14)…

  • Old Grammar School

    South Cornwall

    As its name suggests, this one-storey building was once occupied by Truro's grammar-school boys, but it's now a popular open-plan drinking den, with big…

  • DreamBags JaguarShoes

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    The bar is named after the pre-existing signs on the two shops whose space it now occupies, a nonchalance that typifies Shoreditch chic. The street-level…

  • Happiness Forgets

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    This low-lit, basement bar with good-value cocktails is relaxed and intimate, overseen by dapper-looking staff in white shirts and colourful suspenders…

  • Foundry Brewpub

    Canterbury

    Canterbury’s brewpub pumps out award-winning craft beers in the industrial setting of a former foundry where New York's first streetlights were made. It…

  • Hell Below

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    This brick-walled bar is a popular haunt for Carlisle's hipster drinkers, with craft beers and a bargain cocktail menu (with fun concoctions to try such…

  • Bounce

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    This 1950s-themed basement cocktail bar in Holborn is the self-declared home of ping pong, reputedly located in the exact spot the sport was invented. At…

  • Fat Cat

    Sheffield

    This old-fashioned independent boozer is in a handy spot around the corner from Kelham Island Museum and serves Kelham Island Brewery beers and ales made…

  • Union Tavern

    Notting Hill & West London

    With just the right mix of shiny gastropub, rough-and-ready local appeal, good Grand Union Canal location (with waterside terrace) and a really strong…

  • Ye Olde Starre

    York

    Licensed since 1644, this is York's oldest pub – a warren of small rooms and a small beer garden, with a half-dozen real ales on tap. It was used as a…

  • Yard

    The West End

    This Soho favourite attracts a cross-section of the good, the bad and the beautiful. Fairly attitude-free, it's perfect for pre-club drinks or just an…

  • Castle Barge

    The Midlands & the Marches

    Moored on the River Trent overlooking Newark Castle, this former grain barge, which once plied the waters between Hull and Gainsborough, is an idyllic…

  • Micro Roastery

    Canterbury

    Owned by an Anglo-Peruvian couple, this highly aromatic cafe imports, roasts, grinds and sells its unsurpassed beans and blends. There’s local art on the…

  • Malt Cross

    Nottingham

    A fine place for a pint, the Malt Cross occupies a stately old Victorian music hall, where past performers included Charlie Chaplin. It's now a community…

  • Thomas Becket

    Canterbury

    A classic English pub with a garden’s worth of hops hanging from its timber frame, Thomas Becket attracts many a modern-day pilgrim to its ales…

  • Alchemist

    Manchester

    One of Spinningfields' most popular bars is this elegant spot, with a gorgeous back bar of weathered cabinets lined with test tubes, that serves…

  • Bar Kick

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    With its lively vibe, Kick is a fab place to watch big football games. The flag-adorned ground floor features four foosball tables, downstairs has leather…

  • Hand in Glove

    The Midlands & the Marches

    The muted charcoal facade doesn't give much away but inside this low-key, independent bar has knock-out cocktails, including a Spicy Malvern (aka a green…

  • Black Bull

    The Lake District

    Coniston's main meeting spot, the old Black Bull offers a warren of rooms and a popular outside terrace. The pub grub's good (mains £8 to £18), but it's…

  • Corkage

    Bath

    There's a distinct air of a French bistro in this intimate, friendly wine bar where the aromas of flavour-packed dishes fill the air and regiments of…

  • Black Dove

    Brighton & Hove

    Eclectic hang-out with shabby-chic furnishings, huge antique ceiling fans, a bar stocked with unusual tipples and a quirky basement snug. Live acoustic…

  • Chintz Symposium

    South Cornwall

    Wine, charcuterie, cheese and cocktails take centre stage at this uber-trendy hang-out on the 1st floor above Hand Bar. Junk shop furniture and patches of…

  • Wire

    Leeds

    This small, atmospheric basement club, set in a forest of Victorian cast-iron pillars with brick-vaulted ceilings, throbs to a different beat every night,…

  • Concorde 2

    Brighton & Hove

    Brighton’s best-known and best-loved club is a disarmingly unpretentious den, where DJ Fatboy Slim pioneered the Big Beat Boutique and still occasionally…

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