The Best Cocktail Bars in Brighton for Your Hen Weekend
Award-winning rooms, tucked-away speakeasies and rooftop terraces with space for the whole guest list to drink well.
Few cities pack their drinking into such a small patch as Brighton does. Speakeasies, rooftop terraces and award-winning cocktail rooms all sit within a square mile, most of them minutes from your front door, which means a hen group can drink well for an entire weekend and never once book a taxi. Below are the bars our hen groups rate highest, running from theatrical silliness to full dressed-up glamour, with pointers on which rooms will happily seat a big guest list and where the group can learn to shake their own.
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The Joker
Ask early about hiring The Joker's lounge, because a room of your own is a lovely thing to have on a hen weekend. This is a proper neighbourhood bar, with a counter carved by hand from rosewood and a games room up on the first floor to keep the competitive hens occupied. Marble tables and velvet seating invite you to settle in while you work through a list that runs from solid classics to a menu that rotates with the seasons. Grown-up, easy-going and a smart place to open the evening.
Twisted Lemon
Few bars in the Lanes have been mixing drinks as long as Twisted Lemon, and fewer still are this kind to a group budget. Happy hour runs every single day and it's a generous one, so a round for the whole hen party won't be the moment the kitty disappears. Out the back sits a sweet little courtyard that fills up fast on sunny weekends, and that's exactly where you want the group parked. No fuss, no pretence, just a long afternoon that slides gently into the night.
Be At One Brighton
Be At One exists for the moment the night needs a push. The bartenders throw a proper show behind the bar, happy hour runs daily to keep the rounds moving, and the whole room is designed for hen groups on a big one. Expect noise. Expect fun. Consider it the gear change before you head somewhere else later, and if you're coming on a weekend, reserve a big table in advance because half of Brighton has the same plan.
Alcotraz Brighton Cell Block One Three
Alcotraz turns the drinks into the entertainment itself. On arrival you're issued an orange jumpsuit and checked into a fictional prison, where the mission is sneaking your own bottle past the warden so the serving inmates can mix it into cocktails for you. For a hen do where some faces are new to each other there's no better ice-breaker, and the whole thing is gloriously silly. Entry works on timed slots rather than walk-ins, and it sits among the city's most requested group bookings, so reserve well in advance.
The Bootlegger
Swing, jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll set the tone at The Bootlegger, a full-blooded speakeasy where live bands and DJs keep everyone on their feet into the small hours. More than 80 cocktails fill the list, spanning trusted classics and Prohibition-era serves, which covers the cautious drinkers and the adventurous ones in one go. Very few Brighton bars pair serious cocktails with live music like this, so it can carry the hen night almost single-handed. Arrive before the band starts if you want the group sitting together.
The Ivy In The Lanes
When the weekend calls for dressing up, book The Ivy. Art deco interiors, attentive service and a genuine sense of occasion make it our first suggestion whenever the bride wants somewhere special, and the room is so photogenic it does half the work for the group album. A long cocktail list runs alongside a menu of British classics, so the drinks can stretch into a full dinner without moving an inch. Get the group booked in, and don't forget the camera.
Bohemia
Bohemia hides a surprising amount of space behind its handsome brick frontage in the Lanes, including a roof terrace under glass that suits a hen group down to the ground. Come early for relaxed drinks, or stay on at the weekend when the DJs turn the place into a proper night out. The real hen-do draw is the cocktail masterclasses, which get the whole group mixing and shaking before the evening begins in earnest. When you get in touch, ask about terrace space or a class slot.
The Plotting Parlour
Tucked just off the Old Steine in the middle of town, The Plotting Parlour trades in secrecy: dark decor, low lighting and speakeasy styling all the way through. Table service means a small group gets properly looked after, and every drink arrives beautifully made with a little theatre in the presentation. Save it for the stretch of the night when the bride wants intimacy rather than noise. Space is tight, so book in advance and bring a modest party rather than the full guest list.
L’Atelier Du Vin
A spot on the UK's top 50 cocktail bars list in 2022 tells you the standard here, and the boutique 1920s-styled room confirms it from the first sip. L'Atelier translates as artist's studio, a name the hand-built bar and eclectic furniture more than live up to. Among our North Laine favourites, it's also one of the most refined stops on this page, best suited to a group that treats the drinks themselves as the main event. The scale is intimate, so bring a smaller hen gathering or call in early in the evening rather than arriving with everyone at once.
Bar Medusa
Regulars guard Bar Medusa's name quite jealously, and one visit explains why. The staff go out of their way to help, the greeting is warm and real, and every cocktail lands with a smile, all of which counts double when a dozen hens walk through the door together. Think of it as the unpretentious spot where the group finds its feet before the evening builds. It doesn't show off. It simply gets everything right, which is precisely why locals love it.
Apiary
Two beekeepers run Apiary, and their obsession runs right through the place, from the decor to what ends up in your glass. Honey from local and international hives laces the cocktails, the signature Honeygroni included, and a serious wine and mead list sits alongside. Seasonal small plates of locally sourced food keep the table grazing between rounds. The room is small and intimate, so it suits a special celebration with your closest few rather than the entire guest list, ideal for the more refined end of a hen weekend.
Blossoms Bar
Blossoms took the number one spot for cocktails at the 2026 BRAVO Awards, and the Tokyo izakaya inspiration shows in every detail of its flower-filled room on Brighton Square in the Lanes. The list takes real creative swings, The Cherry Blossom among them, a mix of vodka, umeshu, yuzu and sour cherry. Hen groups should look hard at the Blossoms Afternoon Tea, £25 a head for gyoza, maki, sandos and sweet mochi, which turns a round of drinks into a proper sit-down occasion. Few recent openings have added as much to the city's cocktail scene, so book the group in early.
Burnt Orange
Best Restaurant at the BRAVO Awards went to Burnt Orange, yet the cocktail bar is every bit as strong as the kitchen. Small plates come off open flame, wood-fired flatbreads and chargrilled prawns among them, and the margarita list is superb, with the Flor de Limón and the Yuzu Spicy both around the £13 mark. At weekends the DJs bring the room up a notch and give it a sociable hum that suits a hen group settling in for a while. If the sun is out, ask for a table in the Middle Street courtyard, which is glorious on a summer evening.
Dishoom Permit Room
Brighton has talked about little else since the Permit Room landed in the Lanes with its slice of old Bombay. The richly styled room serves spice-infused highballs, reworked classics and frozen tipsters while resident DJs spin funk, hip-hop and disco. The hen-party prize sits upstairs: the Aunty Bar, a near-secret rooftop fitted with heaters, blankets and a retractable roof, and one of the loveliest open-air drinking spots in the city. Order a Feni Martini or a Thums Up Sazerac and share a bowl of Peanut Masala. It won Best Cocktails at the 2025 BRAVOs, and deservedly so.
Bonsai Plant Kitchen
Everything at Bonsai comes off a bincho grill burning premium Japanese coal, which gives the plant-based cooking a smoky, umami depth you won't see coming. The drinks keep pace, with the Choco Raspberry Espresso Martini and the Kaffir Rum Punch leading the way and flavoured soju shots on standby when the group wants to lift the tempo. Find it on Baker Street in the North Laine, where the sharing plates make a brilliant hen dinner and quietly settle the question of the vegans and veggies in the party. It holds the BRAVO Plant Champions award and a vote among the best cocktails in town.
The Grand & Cyan Restaurant
At Cyan, inside Brighton's grand old seafront hotel, the setting carries real weight before a single drink is poured. Take the inky conservatory with the sea beyond the glass, or sit in the sleek bar room and watch the mixologists work, a show in its own right. The cocktail list moves with the seasons and the kitchen matches it with high-end plates built from local produce. This is the bride's glamour moment on King's Road, so tell the group to dress for it.
The Salt Room
The Salt Room's reputation for seafood is about as strong as they come in Brighton, and its King's Road position looks straight out over the ruins of the West Pier. Order the Surf Board, the signature sharing platter of grilled and steamed shellfish with fries and aioli, and you'll understand the fuss; the cocktails follow the same seasonal instinct, threaded with earthy herbs and sea spices. As the light fades, the heated terrace becomes a gorgeous place for the group to raise a glass to the bride. One note: it closed recently for a refresh, so ring ahead to check it has reopened before you build the evening around it.
The Coal Shed
The Coal Shed on North Street pairs serious cocktails with premium steak cooked over hot coals. Its 28-day Irish steaks lead the menu, though the seafood and sharing plates keep a mixed group perfectly happy too. Usefully, the standalone cocktail bar takes walk-ins from noon until late, meaning the hens can get a properly made drink without needing a dinner reservation. DJs play Thursday through Saturday, and the chic New York brasserie styling carries the room from lazy afternoon into lively night. Both The Guardian and The Telegraph have recommended it, with good reason.
Tutto
Tutto occupies a gorgeously restored old bank on Marlborough Place and serves regional Italian cooking with real flair. Its dedicated cocktail bar leans on Italian tradition, pouring first-rate Negronis and Americanos next to house creations like the Pistachio Espresso Martini. For a group, time your visit for Aperitivo, weekdays from 4 to 6pm, when off-the-record serves and traditional cicchetti appear and no booking is needed, a perfect hen-evening warm-up. If appetites allow, stay for dinner: regulars swear by the Beef Carpaccio and the Carbonara, and the Pistachio Tiramisu is a dream.
Fourth and Church
Part wine shop, part restaurant, part cocktail bar, Fourth and Church rolls all three into one relaxed room on Church Road in Hove. The cocktails are spirit-led twists on the classics, built to show off the craft spirits, vermouths and sherries behind the bar, and no one in the city stocks a bigger range of quality Sherry. Sit the group up at the counter and let the team steer you towards something new, an inventive drink one round, an unusual glass from the natural and biodynamic wine list the next. Locals adore it, and it's especially handy if your hen house sits on the Hove side of town.
Bar Valentino
Press the buzzer on New Road and the door opens onto red velvet, low lighting and unapologetic Art Deco glamour, an entrance that puts a hen group in the mood all on its own. Sitting beside the Theatre Royal, this speakeasy-style room could be a scene from Moulin Rouge, and its weekly changing menu builds cocktails on carefully sourced spirits and house infusions. There are no reservations and not many seats, so send a smaller party or arrive early rather than descending with everyone at once. Hungry? Tapas comes up from Tinto Taperia below; the Jamon Serrano and the Manchego Croquettes are the orders.
Brighton Rocks
On a quiet Kemptown backstreet you'll find Brighton Rocks, all New Orleans warmth and easy hospitality. Whiskey is the calling card here, over 160 bottles from 25 countries, so any bourbon or single-malt devotees in the group are in excellent hands, while signatures like the Naked & Famous and the Thai Swizzle prove the bartenders' range. Hen groups should note the cocktail masterclasses at £30 per person, a cracking daytime activity that has everyone shaking their own before the night out. Friendly, unpretentious, and only a short stroll from the sea.
Plateau
Plateau opened as the first natural wine bar outside London, and more than fifteen years later it remains one of the Brighton rooms we recommend most often. The cocktails are built on quality ingredients and small-batch spirits, and if nothing on the menu grabs you, the bartenders will happily mix something off-book, a trick that always delights a group. Candlelight, a laid-back mood and seasonal French-leaning small plates from Sussex produce complete the picture in the South Laines. Order one early drink here and don't be surprised when the group never leaves. A top choice for a more grown-up hen evening.
