Bristol Bar Guide
30+ bars across Bristol's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Bristol's bar scene is the UK's quirkiest. The Stokes Croft graffiti-and-cocktail district sits next to the heritage Harbourside cider rooms. The Milk Thistle has held a UK 50 Best Bars position multiple years. The Bristol-cider sour is the local cocktail badge. The drinks lean West-Country apple, Somerset gin, and Bristol-blue.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. Stokes Croft is the alt-cocktail and graffiti spine. The Harbourside holds the cider rooms and waterfront bars. Clifton runs the polished Georgian-quarter bars. The Old City covers the heritage hotel-bar district. Bedminster is the new creative-class quarter.
Cocktails run £9 to £13. Pints £4 to £5. Tipping is rounding up. Most bars run to 1am, weekend bars to 3am. Reserve The Milk Thistle on weekends.
Browse by occasion
Cocktail Bars in Bristol
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Bristol
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Bristol
Romantic spots
After Work in Bristol
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Bristol
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Bristol
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Bristol
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Bristol
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
The Milk Thistle
Bristol's most awarded cocktail bar. UK 50 Best regular. Speakeasy reached through an unmarked door. Three floors. Twenty-eight seats per floor. Reserve.
Hyde & Co
Speakeasy hidden behind an unmarked door. Twenty seats. Cash-friendly. The Bristol cocktail crowd's regular spot.
The Beer Emporium
Belgian-and-craft-beer cellar bar. Forty-five taps, six hundred bottles, and a serious kitchen. The most reliable Old City evening.
The Apple
Cider boat moored in the harbour. Forty West Country ciders. Outdoor seating on the harbour itself. The most photogenic Bristol cider experience.
No Man's Grace
Restaurant-bar with a tight cocktail menu and one of Bristol's longest natural-wine lists. Best for a long Friday-evening dinner.
The Llandoger Trow
Heritage Bristol pub from 1664. Reportedly the inspiration for Treasure Island's Spy-Glass Inn. Wood-beamed interior, real ales, and the most authentic old-Bristol drinking.
Neighbourhood Guide
Stokes Croft
The alt-cocktail and graffiti district north of the centre. Banksy murals, indie cocktail rooms, and the most adventurous food in Bristol.
Harbourside
The waterfront cider-and-cocktail spine. Cider boats, waterfront pubs, and the most photogenic Bristol drinking. Walk the cobblestones.
Clifton
The polished Georgian-quarter district west of the centre. Wine bars, hotel cocktail rooms, and a dressed-up evening crowd.
Old City
The heritage warehouse district. Heritage cocktail rooms inside Tudor buildings, polished hotel bars, and the most photogenic Old-Bristol drinking.
Bedminster
The new creative-class quarter south of the centre. Indie cocktail rooms, breweries, and a younger crowd.
The bars worth going to, weekly.
One email every week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 72 cities worldwide.
Editorial on Bristol
Reach bar-goers in every major city.
Sponsored listings, newsletter placements, and city guide partnerships across 72 cities. Contact us to get your bar in front of the right audience.