Best Brighton Cocktail Bars
Shake Up Your Night: The Best Brighton Cocktail Bars Revealed.
Welcome to the ultimate guide to Brighton’s cocktail bars! Brighton is a city renowned for its vibrant nightlife, and there’s no shortage of fantastic cocktail bars to choose from. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic cocktail or something more adventurous, Brighton has it all.
In this guide, we’ll take you on a tour of some of the best cocktail bars in the city, from speakeasies to beachside bars. You’ll discover a range of venues, each with its own unique vibe and selection of expertly crafted cocktails. So why not grab your friends, put on your dancing shoes, and let’s explore Brighton’s cocktail scene!
The Golden Pineapple of Ship Street
Cocktail bars in The Lanes are a welcomed pitstop and good place to while away the hours. There is a diverse range and regularly changing Brighton drinks cocktail menu that are homemade with fresh ingredients. There is also a Spanish nod with a pintxos – small plates menu to go alongside.
The Joker
The Joker prides itself as a neighbourhood cocktail bar with an elegant hand carved rosewood Brighton cocktail bar and games room on the first floor above the pub. The lounge is available for hire, or you can mingle like your mixologist amongst the velvet seating and marble tables. Classics and seasonally rotating cocktail menus keep things fresh.
Black Dove
An independent free house with an eclectic playlist and live acoustic performances. Cosy up in the downstairs snug or with the locals at the bar and enjoy one of their professionally made cocktails.The Black Dove is perfectly formed with nooks, candlelight, mystery and charm. Always brimming full of happy locals and people fortunate to pass by.
Twisted Lemon
One of the much loved long standing cocktail bars in Brighton Lanes. A truly relaxed atmosphere with a casual vibe and generously extended happy hour daily sessions. Tucked away in The Lanes with a cute courtyard that buzzes at weekends. Twisted Lemon wants everyone to have fun.
Be At One Brighton
Full of spirits in every sense of the word, Be At One Brighton can be relied upon to get the party started. Bartenders put on a show and the daily happy hours ensure to shake it up, welcoming everyone from locals to day tippers. Be At One Brighton gives you permission to let your hair down and have fun.
Alcotraz Brighton Cell Block One Three
A Brighton cocktail bar behind bars! Soak up your prison surroundings in your orange jumpsuit with your fellow inmates. Brighton beach bars aren’t normally located in cells, but you may still be able to hear the crashing waves whilst trying to smuggle your liquor past the warden. If successful, serving inmates will combine your contraband to create a range of cocktails.
The Bootlegger
Speakeasy music style of swing, jazz, blues, and rock n roll will have you dancing into the early hours. One of the bars in Brighton to mix their cocktails with live music and DJs offering a bebop groove. The Bootlegger has over 80 cocktails for you to enjoy, from the classics to creations inspired by the Prohibition era.
The Rossi Bar
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The Ivy In The Lanes
If you’re looking for restaurants with great cocktails, The Ivy In The Lanes will hit the spot along with making it a great source of Instagram shots. The art deco styling, detailed service, and air of elegance makes this a pleasurable find for fine dining cocktails with its extensive menu of British classics. Our top choice for fancy bars in Brighton.
Bohemia
A beautiful brick façade houses another of the cocktail bars in Brighton Lanes. It’s surprisingly big inside and has a glass covered roof terrace. On the weekends DJs can turn this Brighton cocktail bar into your night out. If you want to get behind the scenes you can learn the tricks of the trade at one of their cocktail master classes.
The Plotting Parlour
A Brighton cocktail bar that feels like a secret tucked away off of the Old Steine in the heart of Brighton. A speakeasy styling with an intimate atmosphere thanks to the low lighting, dark decor and table service makes this a sought after option. Your Brighton drinks are beautifully crafted presented in style.
L’Atelier Du Vin
Another Brighton cocktail bar to make the UK’s 2022 top 50. Speakeasy 1920s prohibition style in a boutique environment paying homage to the French meaning of atelier – artist’s studio or craft workshop, which is demonstrated with the hand built bar and eclectic pieces of furniture. It’s a delight to enjoy your Brighton drinks in such surroundings. A favourite cocktail bar in the Brighton Lanes and one of our top fancy Brighton bars.
Bar Medusa
A warm welcome awaits and your Brighton drinks come with a smile at Bar Medusa. Customers love it and hold it in warm regard, saying it’s one of their best bars in Brighton. Good service, friendly and helpful staff, and a great atmosphere makes this a must for your Brighton cocktail bar list.
Helm Gallery
Helm Gallery offers a truly unique hybrid experience that blends a world-class art collection with a fantastic café and cocktail bar. By day, it’s a creative haven where you can sip coffee while browsing the latest exhibitions or getting lost in a rare art and design book from their library. By night, the space transforms into a vibrant cocktail bar boasting an inventive menu - from a Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Espresso Martini to their house favourite Chilli Peach Margarita. With regular events, including their weekly ‘Take the Streets’ Friday nights featuring live DJs and even an in-house tattooist, it delivers an unforgettable atmosphere where culture and nightlife collide.
Apiary
Apiary is a wonderfully unique restaurant and cocktail bar inspired by bees, honey, and everything from the hive. Run by two passionate beekeepers, their love for their craft shines through every aspect of the venue’s décor, ambiance, and menu. The bar boasts an exciting and curated cocktail menu laced with local and international honey varieties, like their signature Honeygroni, alongside an excellent wine selection and an extensive mead list. With a tempting menu of small plates crafted from locally sourced, seasonal produce that highlights diverse honey profiles, this small and intimate venue is the perfect cosy spot for a catch-up or a special celebration.
Clementine & Co.
Clementine & Co. is a stylish cocktail bar that perfectly blends a relaxed setting with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Crafting exceptional cocktails, their menu boasts a selection of refined flavours, including an impressive range of elevated non-alcoholic creations made with high-quality 0% spirits. With a generous Happy Hour running almost every day of the week and a changing ‘Cocktail of the Week’ that supports local charities, it’s a brilliant spot to sip on top-notch drinks while soaking in the vibrant Brighton energy.
Blossoms Bar
Voted number one for cocktails at the 2026 BRAVO Awards, Blossoms draws inspiration from Tokyo's izakayas and it shows in every detail. The cocktail menu is strikingly creative, with drinks like The Cherry Blossom blending vodka, umeshu, yuzu, and sour cherry. Tucked away on Brighton Square in The Lanes, the space is stylish and festooned with flowers and contemporary Japanese art. You can pair your drinks with tempting sharing plates, or treat yourself to the Blossoms Afternoon Tea at £25 per person, a mix of gyoza, maki, sandos, and sweet mochi. One of our favourite newer additions to Brighton's cocktail scene.
Burnt Orange
Burnt Orange earned the number one spot at the BRAVO Awards for Best Restaurant, and its cocktail bar is just as impressive. The focus here is on small plates cooked over open flame, with standout dishes like wood-fired flatbreads and chargrilled prawns, alongside a seriously good margarita list. Try the Flor de Limón or the Yuzu Spicy, both around £13. At weekends, DJs bring the energy up a notch, giving the space a buzzy, social feel that bridges restaurant and bar perfectly. There is also a stylish courtyard on Middle Street that comes alive on summer evenings.
Dishoom Permit Room
The Permit Room brought a slice of old Bombay to The Lanes, and locals have not stopped talking about it since. You can expect spice-infused highballs, twisted classics, and frozen tipsters, all served in a luxuriously exotic setting with a soundtrack of funk, hip-hop, and disco from resident DJs. The almost-secret roof terrace, known as the Aunty Bar, is one of Brighton's coolest alfresco spots, fitted with heaters, a retractable roof, and blankets for cooler days. Try the Feni Martini or the Thums Up Sazerac with a bowl of Peanut Masala on the side. Winner of the 2025 BRAVO Best Cocktails award and easy to see why.
Bonsai Plant Kitchen
Bonsai proves that plant-based dining can be bold, exciting, and properly delicious. Everything is cooked over a traditional bincho grill using premium Japanese coal, giving each dish a smoky, umami-rich depth. The cocktail list is equally inventive, with the Choco Raspberry Espresso Martini and the Kaffir Rum Punch standing out as firm favourites. Located on Baker Street in the North Laine, this is a brilliant choice for a group dinner where everyone can dig into the sharing plates and flavoured soju shots. Winner of the BRAVO Plant Champions award and voted among the best cocktails in town.
The Grand & Cyan Restaurant
Cyan, the restaurant and bar inside Brighton's iconic Grand Hotel, is one of those places where the setting does half the work for you. You can choose between the inky conservatory looking out over the sea or the sleek, modern bar room, where the mixologists put on a proper show. The cocktail menu changes with the seasons, showcasing the best of what is available, and the kitchen matches that ambition with high-end seasonal dishes from locally sourced produce. If you are looking for cocktails with a side of sea views and a touch of grandeur on King's Road, Cyan delivers.
The Salt Room
The Salt Room is one of Brighton's most acclaimed seafood restaurants, sitting right on King's Road with uninterrupted views of the West Pier ruins. Their signature Surf Board, a sharing platter of grilled and steamed shellfish with fries and aioli, is worth the visit alone. The cocktail menu brings the same seasonal thinking as the kitchen, with earthy herbs and sea spices running through the drinks list. The heated terrace is a lovely spot for al fresco cocktails as the sun goes down. Please note: The Salt Room is currently closed for a refresh and expected to reopen in Spring 2026.
The Coal Shed
If you like your cocktails alongside premium steak cooked over hot coals, The Coal Shed on North Street is where you want to be. The 28-day Irish steaks are the star of the show, but the seafood and sharing plates hold their own too. The standalone cocktail bar is open to walk-ins from noon until late, so you do not need a dinner reservation to enjoy a well-made drink. With DJs on Thursday through Saturday and a chic NYC brasserie aesthetic, it moves effortlessly from relaxed lunch spot to lively evening destination. Recommended by The Guardian and The Telegraph, and rightly so.
Tutto
Set inside a beautifully restored former bank on Marlborough Place, Tutto brings regional Italian cooking to Brighton with real style. The dedicated cocktail bar is rooted in Italian drinking tradition, with excellent Negronis, Americanos, and house signatures like the Pistachio Espresso Martini. Every weekday from 4 to 6pm, they do Aperitivo the Italian way, with a menu of off-the-record serves and traditional cicchetti, no booking needed. The Beef Carpaccio and Carbonara are regularly called “10 out of 10 must-tries” by regulars, and the Pistachio Tiramisu is dreamy. A great spot for sharing plates with friends in a lively, welcoming atmosphere.
Fourth and Church
Fourth and Church is a neighbourhood gem on Church Road in Hove, blending wine shop, restaurant, and cocktail bar into one relaxed, inviting space. The cocktails are spirit-led with creative twists on the classics, letting the quality of their craft spirits, vermouths, and sherries take centre stage. They hold the city's largest range of quality Sherry, and the wine list is equally impressive with natural and biodynamic options. Grab a seat at the bar and let the team guide you through something new, whether that is an inventive cocktail or a glass of something unusual from the wine list. A Hove favourite with a fiercely loyal following.
Bar Valentino
Ring the buzzer on New Road to enter, and you will step into a world of red velvet, low lighting, and Art Deco glamour. Bar Valentino is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar next to the Theatre Royal, and the atmosphere genuinely feels like stepping into a scene from Moulin Rouge. The cocktails are made from carefully sourced spirits with house-made infusions, and the menu changes weekly to keep things fresh. It is a small space with no reservations, so you may need to wait for a seat, but that is part of the charm. While you sip, you can order tapas from Tinto Taperia downstairs, including excellent Jamon Serrano and Manchego Croquettes.
Brighton Rocks
Tucked down a quiet street in Kemptown, Brighton Rocks has a New Orleans-inspired feel with proper cocktails and a genuinely warm welcome. The bar carries over 160 whiskeys from 25 different countries, so if bourbon or single malt is your thing, you are in very good hands. Signature cocktails like the Naked & Famous and Thai Swizzle show off the team's skill, while the classics are made with real care and quality spirits. They also run cocktail masterclasses at £30 per person if you fancy learning the craft yourself. A friendly, unpretentious spot just a stone's throw from the sea.
Kemptown Klub
Behind an unassuming door on St George's Road in Kemptown Village, the Kemptown Klub is a private members' club for over 25s that is always welcoming new members. Hosts Rachel and Peter set the tone: fun, charming, and chatty. The cocktail list includes the famous frozen Daiquiri alongside hand-crafted house specials, and on Wine Day Wednesday you can buy two glasses and get the rest of the bottle free. There is something on every night of the week, from Bridge Club and Bingo to musical singalongs and quiz nights. One of the city's best-kept secrets for cocktails.
Plateau
Plateau holds the proud distinction of being the first natural wine bar outside of London, and after more than 15 years it remains one of our favourite spots in Brighton. The cocktail list is defined by quality ingredients and small-batch spirits, and if you fancy something that is not on the menu, the bartenders will happily make it for you. The seasonal small plates draw on French-inspired European cooking with outstanding Sussex produce. Candlelit and laid-back in the South Laines, it is the kind of place where an early evening drink easily becomes a full night out. A top pick for date night.
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