The United Kingdom has the most balanced cocktail-and-pub scene of any country in the world. London leads (with the Connaught and the Savoy holding the global gold standard) but Edinburgh's basements, Manchester's craft beer, Glasgow's whisky pubs, and Liverpool's Victorian gin palaces all earn their place. The 10 below run from the Connaught's trolley martini service to The Philharmonic's marble urinals tour — and every one of them justifies the journey.
The 10 best bars in the United Kingdom
01 · London
London (Mayfair)
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World #1 (2020/2021) · Hotel bar
Mayfair hotel bar with the trolley martini service.
Order: Connaught Martini, the trolley pour
02 · London
London (Strand)
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Iconic 1893
Britain's oldest serious cocktail bar.
Order: Hanky Panky
03 · Edinburgh
Edinburgh (New Town)
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World #50 · Iconic basement
Iconic Edinburgh basement cocktail bar.
Order: Bramble cocktail
04 · London
London (Shoreditch)
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Iconic · Live jazz
Live jazz nightly. Drinks are Prohibition-era theatre.
Order: Old Cuban
05 · Manchester
Manchester (CBD)
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Iconic · Hidden
Iconic Manchester hidden cocktail bar.
Order: Bartender's choice
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06 · Glasgow
Glasgow (Hope Street)
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Iconic · 700 whiskies
Iconic Glasgow whisky pub with 700+ whiskies.
Order: A dram of Highland and a half-pint
07 · London
London (Hoxton)
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Iconic · Basement
Below a burger restaurant on Hoxton Square.
Order: Perfect Storm
08 · Edinburgh
Edinburgh (New Town)
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Iconic · Behind a barbershop
Behind a barbershop on Queen Street.
Order: A bartender's choice
09 · Manchester
Manchester (Rochdale Rd)
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Iconic 1888 · Tiled
Iconic 1888 tiled Manchester pub.
Order: A pint of Marble Brewery's flagship
10 · Liverpool
Liverpool (Hope Street)
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Iconic 1898 · Grand
Iconic 1898 Hope Street grand Victorian pub.
Order: A pint of bitter in the marble urinals tour
The full guide, city by city
Each entry below is a deep dive into the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
Browse the full UK bar indexBars by UK city — every featured venue has a profile.
See the full list
What makes a great UK bar
Forget the league tables. The best UK bars work because they all earn the word 'bar' (or 'pub') by being the best version of themselves. The 10 above all do that. The Connaught and American Bar Savoy represent the global gold standard. Bramble and Nightjar the modern British cocktail bar. The Pot Still and Marble Arch the regional whisky and ale tradition. Pick the room that matches the night you want.
