Ask a Belfast local where to go for a pint, and you'll get ten different answers, all of them said with complete conviction. That's because Belfast takes its pubs seriously. Not in a pretentious way but in a way that says: 'this is my local pub/bar and I will defend it to the last'.

Get the best Belfast bars, events, and new openings every Thursday.

Lavery's  —  Bradbury Place

[pool]  [live music]  [late nights]  [Belfast institution] 

Belfast's oldest family-owned pub, with over a century of service and still the one everyone ends up in. Behind the unassuming Bradbury Place exterior lies four bars, two roof gardens, a street-level beer garden, and Northern Ireland's largest pool room with 22 tables. It was one of the few genuinely neutral venues during the Troubles, which tells you everything about its place in this city. Live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. If you've never been, you've never really been to Belfast.

📍 12–18 Bradbury Place, Belfast BT7 1RS   🕐 Mon–Thu 12pm–12:30am  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1:30am  |  Sun 1pm–12:30am   🌐 laverys.com   📸 @laverysbelfast

The Botanic Inn (The Bot)  —  Malone Road

[sport]  [student local]  [big screens]  [South Belfast stalwart]  

Every city has a pub that's been a rite of passage for generations of students, and in Belfast that pub is The Bot. A Queen's Quarter institution since before anyone can remember — the place you went when you first moved to Belfast and the place you keep going back to long after you've left. Big screens for sport, reliably good pints, and the kind of atmosphere that doesn't require you to dress up or perform.

📍 23–27 Malone Road, Belfast BT9 6RU   🕐 Mon–Thu 4pm–1am  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–1am   🌐 thebotanicinn.com   📸 @botanicinn

The Errigle Inn  —  Ormeau Road

[food]  [sport]  [trad sessions]  [groups]  [rooftop]  

Five bars, a rooftop, a beer garden, and a multi-room layout that means there's always somewhere to find your people. Family-run since 1935. The pints will cost you — Reddit never lets it forget the £7 price point — but the quality is consistently there. The Real Music Club runs folk, country, rock, and blues. Official sponsor of Ulster Rugby Women's XV. A proper grown-up pub that knows exactly what it is.

📍 312–320 Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 2GE   🕐 Mon–Sun 10:30am–12am   🌐 errigle.com   📸 @errigleinn

The Pavilion  —  Ormeau Road

[sport]  [comedy nights]  [pool]  [community pub]  

Three storeys, 16 HD screens, a pool room upstairs, and a comedy and live events space called The Loft. An Ormeau Road institution since 1899, tied to the Ulster Cricket Club, and still the community heart of the road. Locals call it 'The Big House' — which tells you everything about the scale and the affection. If you want to watch a match with a crowd that's genuinely into it, this is where South Belfast goes.

📍 296–298 Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 2GB   🕐 Mon–Thu 1pm–12am  |  Fri 1pm–1am  |  Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 1pm–11pm   🌐 pavilionbelfast.com

Duke of York  —  Commercial Court

[atmosphere]  [whiskey]  [live music]  [Belfast history]  

Down the narrow cobbled alleyway off Donegall Street, under the famous coloured umbrellas, into a pub that's a living museum of Belfast's commercial and social history. Rebuilt after being bombed during the Troubles, owner Willie Jack filled every wall with mirrors, antique signs, and Belfast memorabilia. The whiskey collection is one of the largest in Ireland. Snow Patrol played their first gig here in 1998. On a Thursday evening, there is no better pub in the city.

📍 7–11 Commercial Court, Belfast BT1 2NB   🕐 Mon–Wed 11:30am–11pm  |  Thu–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–9pm   🌐 dukeofyorkbelfast.com   📸 @dukeofyorkbarbelfast

The Sunflower  —  Union Street

[craft beer]  [beer garden]  [wood-fired pizza]  [dog friendly]  

The green security cage at the front door is a genuine relic from the Troubles — the last of its kind on any city centre pub in Belfast, kept deliberately as a reminder of what the city came through. No TVs, no piped music — just local craft beer on tap (Boundary, Heaney, Hilden), a beer garden with a wood-fired pizza oven, and a crowd there for the right reasons. One note worth knowing: the door policy can be strict even when you're not visibly drunk. Worth being aware of before you go.

📍 65 Union Street, Belfast BT1 2JG   🕐 Mon–Thu 12pm–12am  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–12am   🌐 sunflowerbelfast.com

Kelly's Cellars  —  Bank Street

[trad sessions]  [Guinness]  [1720]  [oldest Belfast pub]  

Built in 1720, one of the oldest pubs in Belfast and one of the most genuinely unchanged. The United Irishmen planned the 1798 Rebellion here — legend has it Henry Joy McCracken hid behind the bar when British soldiers came looking for him. Whitewashed walls, low arches, open fires, trad sessions four nights a week, and a Guinness that locals consistently rate among the best in the city. Come on a winter evening and you'll lose several hours happily.

📍 30–32 Bank Street, Belfast BT1 1HL   🕐 Mon–Wed 11:30am–12am  |  Thu–Sat 11:30am–1am  |  Sun 12pm–12:30am   📸 @kellys_cellars

Madden's —  Berry Street

[trad music]  [authentic atmosphere]  [no frills]  

The purist's choice. 'Strictly no frills. Totally not fancy. Strictly perfect.' Tucked away on Berry Street near CastleCourt, it's survived decades of redevelopment by refusing to change. World-class trad musicians regularly pull up a chair in the corner without ceremony. No theme, no concept, no Instagram aesthetic — just one of the most authentic traditional music pubs in the city.

📍 74 Berry Street, Belfast BT1 1FJ   🕐 Mon–Sat 11:30am–1am  |  Sun 1pm–12am

Tipsy Bird —  Ann Street

[cocktails]  [bottomless brunch]  [groups]  [celebrations] 

Vibrant, cocktail-led, and unapologetically energetic — the Tipsy Bird is the Cathedral Quarter answer to a big celebration night out. Bottomless brunch on weekends, a properly put-together cocktail list, and the kind of energy that works brilliantly for birthdays and hen nights. Not the spot for a quiet pint, but for a lively special occasion it's the most reliable option in the quarter.

📍 90–100 Ann Street, Belfast BT1 3HH   🌐 thetipsybird-belfast.co.uk

Thirsty Goat  —  Hill Street

[outdoor drinking]  [live music]  [after-work pints]  [Cathedral Quarter all-rounder] 

A reliable all-rounder that's become a Cathedral Quarter fixture. The outdoor area is the main draw — on a Friday evening it buzzes in a way few spots in the quarter can match. Live music, good food, open seven days from noon. One of the most consistently good options in the area.

📍 1 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LA   🕐 Mon–Sun 12pm–1am   📸 @the_thirstygoat

The National  —  High Street

[late nights]  [large groups]  [summer beer garden]  [grand interiors]  

A Victorian bank turned into one of the most architecturally impressive bars in Belfast. Grand high ceilings, imposing interiors, and one of the largest beer gardens in the city centre. Runs until 3am on Friday and Saturday — its own category for a late session. More exclusive in feel than the average Cathedral Quarter pub, and prices reflect that, but for a special occasion or a long summer evening in the garden, hard to beat.

📍 62 High Street, Belfast BT1 2BE   🕐 Mon–Thu & Sun 10am–1am  |  Fri–Sat 10am–3am   🌐 thenationalbelfast.com   📸 @nationalbelfast

The Spaniard  —  Skipper Street

[date night]  [cocktails]  [intimate atmosphere]  [Cathedral Quarter hidden gem]  

Tiny, cramped, and completely brilliant. Fits maybe twenty people comfortably and doesn't apologise for it. The decor is controlled chaos — religious iconography, kitsch, vintage odds and ends — and the Rum & Raisin cocktail has its own cult following. The name reportedly comes from Spanish sailors who drank in the area when Belfast was a working port. Belfast Telegraph Pub of the Year. Get there early on weekends or stand.

📍 3 Skipper Street, Belfast BT1 2DZ   🕐 Mon–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–12am   📸 @thespaniardbelfast

John Hewitt  —  Donegall Street

[craft beer]  [live music]  [Sunday jazz]  [social enterprise]

The city's first social enterprise pub — owned by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, profits directed back into community work. No televisions. The rule fosters exactly the atmosphere you'd hope for: journalists, artists, trade unionists, and people who want a conversation rather than background noise. Sixteen taps of Boundary Brewing craft beer, Franky's Lasagneria in the kitchen, and Sunday jazz from 1pm. Every pint does double duty.

📍 51 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2FH   🕐 Tue–Thu 12pm–12am  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 1pm–7pm  |  Mon closed   🌐 thejohnhewitt.com   📸 @thejohnhewitt

City Centre Bars & Pubs

Granny Annie's  —  Chichester Street

[cocktails]  [live music]  [all-day drinks]  [Sunday lunch]  

Quirky, eclectic, and reliably lively — Granny Annie's has built a loyal following for its consistent live music and the kind of shabby-chic interior that somehow works every time. Open seven days a week from noon, it's one of the most flexible spots in the city for an afternoon drink that turns into an evening. Good cocktail list, food throughout the day, and a crowd that's welcoming rather than sceney.

📍 81 Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 4JE   🕐 Mon–Sun 12pm–12am   🌐 grannyannies.co.uk   📸 @grannyannieskitchen

3C's Social Club   —  Rosemary Street

[Guinness]  [hidden gem]  [proper local]  [city centre] 

A genuine insider secret — a social club on Rosemary Street that keeps appearing in every underrated Belfast bars thread because it genuinely is underrated. The Guinness is considered among the best in the city by regulars who know. The smoking area in the sun has its own fan base. Prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is local and welcoming in a way that most city centre pubs have long since abandoned.

"Literally such a good spot. Tunes are unreal, cheap, great atmosphere"  — r/Belfast

📍 43A Rosemary Street, Belfast BT1 1QB   🕐 Mon–Thu & Sat 11:30am–11pm  |  Fri 11:30am–12am  |  Sun 12pm–11pm   📸 facebook.com/3Cs-social-club

Deer's Head  —  Lower Garfield Street

[craft beer]  [best pub-pub in city centre]  [no fuss] 

The most consistent answer on r/Belfast when locals are asked for the best pub-pub in the city centre. Good beer range, live music, and a place that doesn't try too hard because it doesn't need to.

"Deer's Head is hands down the best pub-pub in the city centre" — r/Belfast

📍 1–3 Lower Garfield Street, Belfast BT1 1FP   🕐 Mon–Sat from 11am  |  Sun from 12pm

Duke of York  —  Commercial Court

[atmosphere]  [whiskey]  [live music]  [Belfast history] 

Down the narrow cobbled alleyway off Donegall Street, under the famous coloured umbrellas, into a pub that's a living museum of Belfast's commercial and social history. Rebuilt after being bombed during the Troubles, owner Willie Jack filled every wall with mirrors, antique signs, and Belfast memorabilia. The whiskey collection is one of the largest in Ireland. Snow Patrol played their first gig here in 1998. On a Thursday evening, there is no better pub in the city.

📍 7–11 Commercial Court, Belfast BT1 2NB   🕐 Mon–Wed 11:30am–11pm  |  Thu–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–9pm   🌐 dukeofyorkbelfast.com   📸 @dukeofyorkbarbelfast

The Sunflower —  Union Street

[craft beer]  [beer garden]  [wood-fired pizza]  [dog friendly] 

The green security cage at the front door is a genuine relic from the Troubles — the last of its kind on any city centre pub in Belfast, kept deliberately as a reminder of what the city came through. No TVs, no piped music — just local craft beer on tap (Boundary, Heaney, Hilden), a beer garden with a wood-fired pizza oven, and a crowd there for the right reasons. One note worth knowing: the door policy can be strict even when you're not visibly drunk. Worth being aware of before you go.

📍 65 Union Street, Belfast BT1 2JG   🕐 Mon–Thu 12pm–12am  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–12am   🌐 sunflowerbelfast.com

Cassidy's  —  Antrim Road

[Guinness at £4.40]  [neighbourhood local]  [fry upstairs]  [best value pint]  

Guinness at £4.40 when the city centre charges £6+. A great fry served upstairs. 'Joe is the best barman in Belfast' — not our description, that's what the regulars say on Reddit. Cassidy's is exactly what a neighbourhood pub should be: consistent, welcoming, and properly local. The kind of place where the staff know the regulars and the pints are always right.

"Great Guinness £4.40"  — r/Belfast

📍 347–349 Antrim Road, Belfast BT15 2HG   🕐 Mon–Thu 9am–11pm  |  Fri–Sat 9am–12am  |  Sun 9:30am–11pm

The Criterion  —  Antrim Road

[cheap pints]  [hidden gem]  [Guinness and Beamish]  [North Belfast] 

Guinness at £4.40 when the city centre charges £6+. A great fry served upstairs. 'Joe is the best barman in Belfast' — not our description, that's what the regulars say on Reddit. Cassidy's is exactly what a neighbourhood pub should be: consistent, welcoming, and properly local. The kind of place where the staff know the regulars and the pints are always right.

"Great Guinness £4.40" — r/Belfast

📍 347–349 Antrim Road, Belfast BT15 2HG   🕐 Mon–Thu 9am–11pm  |  Fri–Sat 9am–12am  |  Sun 9:30am–11pm

The Criterion  —  Antrim Road

[cheap pints]  [hidden gem]  [Guinness and Beamish]  [North Belfast] 

Consistently appears in r/Belfast's underrated pubs threads and equally consistently gets the reply 'that's because no one knows about it.' Cheaper than the city centre, good Guinness, good Beamish, and a bar-and-coffee-house setup that works from morning through to late. The kind of place that rewards being local and baffles people who only drink in the Cathedral Quarter.

"Great wee spot, cheaper pints than the city centre. Nice Guinness, nice Beamish. Highly underrated pub"  — r/Belfast

📍 2 Antrim Road, Belfast BT15 2AA

Horatio Todd's  —  Upper Newtownards Road

[East Belfast local]  [food]  [relaxed evening] 

Named after a well-known local pharmacist, Horatio Todd's sets the standard for a neighbourhood bar in East Belfast — refined without being stuffy, welcoming without being generic. Food-led and comfortable, works equally well for a family dinner or a relaxed Saturday evening. East Belfast regulars are quietly proud of it. Note: recent Reddit comments flag a couple of disappointing food experiences, so worth checking the kitchen is on form before making a special trip for dinner.

📍 406 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 3EZ   🌐 horatiotodds.com   📸 @horatiotodds

American Bar  —  Dock Street

[late night]  [live music]  [proper pub atmosphere]  [open until 2 am]

Ask r/Belfast for underrated pubs and someone will say the American Bar. Ask again the following week and someone else will say it. At some point you accept it's not underrated — it's just genuinely one of the best pubs in Belfast and everyone knows it. Live music Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Open until 2am every night. The kind of atmosphere that's impossible to manufacture.

"American Bar. Hands down"  — r/Belfast

📍 65 Dock Street, Belfast BT15 1LF   🕐 Mon–Fri 12pm–2am  |  Sat–Sun 12:30pm–2am   🌐 americanbarbelfast.com

An Teach Beag (The Hawthorn)  —  Hawthorn Street

[Thursday trad sessions]  [authentic West Belfast local]  [traditional music] 

Known locally as 'The Wee House', 'Hanrattys', or simply 'The Hawthorn' — An Teach Beag on Hawthorn Street is a West Belfast institution that survives by not changing. The Thursday night trad sessions have been running for years and draw musicians and listeners who are there purely for the music and the craic. It's tiny, authentic, and exactly the kind of place that doesn't appear on tourist lists.

"An teach beag, hawthorne st, west belfast, session on thurs nights. One of those places that doesn't change"  — r/Belfast

📍 1–3 Hawthorn Street, Belfast BT12 7AP   🕐 Opening hours unconfirmed — check Facebook before visiting

Alternative Nights Out In Belfast

Not every good night out in Belfast involves standing in a traditional pub. Here are the spots for when you want something different.

Three Sheets  —  Bankmore Square

[free darts]  [pool]  [arcade]  [90s hip hop]  [pizza] 

Pool tables, darts, arcade machines, really good pizza, and a soundtrack of 90s and 2000s hip hop. Three Sheets is the answer to 'I want a proper night out that isn't just standing in a crowded bar.' The darts are free — which in a city where venues are starting to charge a tenner to throw arrows is genuinely appreciated.

"Darts are free too when there's places out there trying to charge you a tenner to play"  — r/Belfast

📍 1 Bankmore Square, Belfast BT7 1DH   🕐 Wed–Thu 4pm–12am  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 1pm–8pm   🌐 threesheetsbelfast.com

Haymarket  —  Royal Avenue

[groups]  [interactive]  [Stock Exchange bar]  [karaoke]  [shooting range]

Six venues under one roof after a £5 million expansion in 2025. The Stock Exchange bar runs on a fluctuating price model — drink prices move with demand. Mic Drop is private karaoke by the room. The Armoury is a simulated shooting range with food to your booth. Bottomless brunch, interactive darts, shuffleboard, and a cocktail lounge. Genuinely unlike anything else in Belfast for a city its size.

📍 84 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DJ   🕐 Mon–Thu 12pm–11pm  |  Fri–Sat 12pm–1am  |  Sun 12pm–11pm   🌐 haymarketbelfast.com

Want to track the best pints and best prices across Belfast? Read our guide to Pint Tracker.