10 Best Bars in The Southeast, England

This cozy little micropub, set within a 17th-century pump house, offers eight (mostly local) beers on tap. The bar staff is friendly and chatty, and there's a real communal vibe to the place, with most drinkers sharing tables. If you get peckish, there are tasty pub snacks available; try the pork pie with mustard and chutney. If you like the pub furnishings, you can pick some up for yourself at the Waterworks Curios antique shop next door.

With late-night jazz and hip-hop and a trendy crowd, Alberry's Wine Bar is one of Canterbury's coolest nightspots. At lunchtime they serve a fine burger, too.

Open throughout the day as an upscale café-bar, Bohemia Brighton really comes to life after dark. Its Champagne Late Lounge has great cocktails and live DJs every Saturday night, while the roof terrace is ideal for warm seaside evenings. The venue also offers one-hour cocktail masterclasses on request; it's £35 per person for a group of up to eight, with a welcome drink and three cocktails included.

Built in 1370 on Roman foundations, the Parrot is an atmospheric old pub known for its ever-changing selection of real ales. They also do good food; Sunday lunch here is particularly popular.

One of Brighton's foremost venues, in an art deco building east of Brighton Pier, Patterns is the latest incarnation of a string of popular nightclubs that have occupied this spot. Expect to hear live acts during the week, including a regular local slot (this being Brighton, the quality is generally quite high) and techno and house on the weekend. You can also come during the day on Saturday for a bottomless brunch.

A mixture of vintage and avant-garde cabaret and burlesque is on offer at this stylish nightclub, which has a distinctly 1920s flavor. It's open Thursday through Sunday and can get very busy, so booking ahead is advisable.

This popular High Street pub offers well-kept beers, good "pub grub," and a friendly crowd. While the half-timbered building only dates from 1906, a pub has stood on this spot since the 16th century.

On the outskirts of the city, this pretty clapboard gastro-pub has an intriguing setup: instead of a bar, the drinks are piled up on a table in the middle of the room and served from there. Along with a good selection of local ales and craft beers, there's also a choice of ciders straight from the barrel and an extensive menu of artisanal gins. The food—from stacked burgers to bonfire pizzas—is great, too. There's live music every Thursday evening starting at 7:30 pm.

This ultrahip bar on Stein Street feels like a glamorous speakeasy. Cocktails are a specialty, and the bar staff certainly know what they're doing (try the salted caramel espresso martini). It's extremely popular with the cooler brand of local partygoer, and it's fabulously good fun to boot.

A traditional English pub, with bunches of hops hanging from the ceiling and a fire crackling in the hearth on a cold winter's day, the Thomas Becket is a convivial kind of place. There is food available, but most people just come for the ale and the atmosphere.