Belfast wears its drinking history on its sleeve, from Victorian gin palaces to the Cathedral Quarter rooms that turned the city into a proper night out. We built this list to span both, since the heritage pubs are as much a part of the story as the new cocktail bars, and a visitor deserves both. Most of these sit within a short walk of one another, which makes Belfast one of the easiest cities anywhere for a cocktail crawl on foot.
The cocktail rooms leading the city
The Cathedral Quarter and the centre hold Belfast's serious cocktail bars, the rooms doing genuine work behind the stick. Start here.
01
Cathedral Quarter$$Rum and records
The Spaniard is the Cathedral Quarter's cult favourite, a cramped, characterful room on Skipper Street with a serious rum list and walls crowded with art and bric a brac. Visit Belfast names it among the city's best, and locals on r/northernireland flag the upstairs as the seat to ask for. The cocktails punch well above the size of the room, and the music keeps the energy up without drowning conversation. We rate it first because nowhere else in the city packs this much personality into so few square metres. Go early on a weekend, since it fills fast and stays full.
Order: A daiquiri from the rum list
02
Cathedral Quarter$$Bordello chic
Muriel's sits above a former hat shop and leans into a louche, bordello inspired look, all draped fabric and vintage clutter, with a gin list as long as the decor is busy. The cocktails are well made and the room is warm and a little theatrical, which makes it a favourite for a date or a catch up. Maps reviewers consistently praise the gin selection and the friendly bar. We rate it for anyone who wants atmosphere with their drink. Best on a weeknight, when you can actually get one of the prized window seats.
Order: A gin and tonic from the long list
03
City Centre$$$Art deco and jazz
Bert's, inside The Merchant Hotel, is the city's most glamorous bar, a red and gold art deco room with live jazz every night and classic cocktails served with proper ceremony. It costs more than the Cathedral Quarter rooms, but the polish and the music earn it. Reviewers single out the band and the room as a Belfast highlight. We rate it for a special evening or a nightcap with a sense of occasion. Reserve a table near the stage, dress the part, and settle in for at least two sets.
Order: A classic martini, stirred
04
City Centre$$All day into late
The National turned a listed Victorian building into a sprawling all day bar that runs from coffee into late night cocktails, with an upstairs club open until the small hours at weekends. The cocktail menu is pared back but well executed, and the courtyard is one of the city centre's best warm weather seats. Locals treat it as a dependable anchor for a night that has not decided how late it will go. We rate it for groups and flexible plans. Arrive in the early evening for the courtyard before the weekend crowd builds.
Order: A spritz in the courtyard
The full Belfast guideEvery occasion, every neighbourhood. Our complete Belfast bar guide pulls the whole city together.
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The heritage bars worth the detour
No honest Belfast list skips the historic rooms. These pour character alongside the drinks, and the city would not be the same without them.
05
Linen Quarter$$$Rooftop
The Perch hides on the fifth floor of a Linen Quarter building, a rooftop room serving premium cocktails alongside stone baked pizzas with a view over the city. It is the city centre's go to for a drink with a skyline, and the covered terrace keeps it usable in Belfast's unreliable weather. Maps reviewers praise the setting and the cocktails in equal measure. We rate it for a sunset start or a date that wants a view. Book ahead in summer, since the rooftop tables are the first to go.
Order: A spicy margarita at sunset
06
City Centre$Victorian landmark
The Crown is a Belfast monument, a Victorian gin palace from 1849 with carved wooden snugs, gas lamps and tiled walls now in the care of the National Trust. The drink here is a pint or a whiskey rather than a shaken cocktail, but no list of where to drink in Belfast can leave it out. Every guide names it, and the snugs remain the most atmospheric seats in the city. We include it as essential rather than optional. Get there early to claim a snug, and order a Bushmills to suit the surroundings.
Order: A Bushmills whiskey in a snug
07
Cathedral Quarter$Whiskey and history
The Duke of York anchors a cobbled Cathedral Quarter alley lined with umbrellas and string lights, a heritage pub stacked with whiskey and Irish memorabilia. It is a pub at heart rather than a cocktail bar, but the whiskey range is among the city's deepest and the alley outside is one of Belfast's most photographed corners. Locals treat it as a rite of passage. We rate it for the start of a Cathedral Quarter night. Arrive before the live music sets begin, and take your drink out to the alley if the rain holds off.
Order: An Irish whiskey, neat
08
Cathedral Quarter$Belfast character
The Sunflower keeps its old security cage on the front door, a relic of the Troubles, and behind it sits one of the most genuine bars in the city, all mismatched furniture and a beer garden that hosts music and pizza. It is a pub rather than a cocktail den, but it captures the real Belfast better than any polished room. Reviewers love it for exactly that honesty. We include it as the soul of the list. Go for the garden on a rare dry evening, and stay for whatever band turns up.
Order: A local craft pint in the garden
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Our verdict
For the best built drink in the city, we send people to The Spaniard first, since its tiny upstairs room and serious rum list reward anyone who came to drink properly. Muriel's and Bert's prove the Cathedral Quarter can do glamour as well as grit. But miss The Crown and you miss Belfast itself, so book a snug and order a pint with your cocktail chaser. Everything here sits within ten minutes on foot, so plan a crawl rather than a single stop.
More cocktail citiesOur Edinburgh guide ranks the rooms across the water worth the trip.
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