24 Best Nightlife in Northern Ireland

Inside a deconsecrated church, the Music Hall has been one of the city's leading music venues for more than 30 years. Most nights are devoted to concerts from local groups and tribute acts, while stand-up comedy shows are usually on Tuesday—TV personality Patrick Kielty was a regular until he hit the big time in London.

Named after its former bank occupant, the National underwent an eco-friendly face-lift in 2019 to enhance the overall experience at this café as well as food and drink offerings. The £425,000 renovation included a new retractable roof, energy-efficient natural-gas heating in the popular beer garden, and the introduction of a closed-loop system enabling all parts of the fruit to be used in cocktails without waste. Ingredients in the food are sourced within 64 km (40 miles) of Belfast and, to cut down the amount of glass or plastic, the bar filters and carbonates its own tap water. Quality deluxe sandwiches with beef brisket, chicken, or pulled pork, along with tapas, croques, and salads span the menu throughout the day; to wash your food down choose from hangover cures, low-alcohol gin, or bracing cocktails such as the National Spritz, Nitro Espresso martini, or Irish coffee made with Powers whiskey (all £10). The upstairs nightclub has also been rebranded as Sixty-6. In the beer garden, look for the quirky art installation "Living Barrels." It was created by French artist Sylvain Ristori, who collaborated with Jameson whiskey brand to produce a sculpture using recycled materials from the barrel staves of Midleton Distillery.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Alibi comes alive upstairs for clubbers and local nighthawks. Downstairs, from 5 to 10 pm, the bar serves pizzas or chips while the prosecco flows on Friday.

Belfast's only dedicated jazz bar offers live music seven nights a week and excellent cocktails in surroundings calculated to evoke New York at the height of the golden age of jazz.

Colorful drawings of political, cultural, and social life hang on the walls of this triangular Victorian pub on the fringes of the Cathedral Quarter which claims to sell more pints of Guinness per square foot of floor space than any other pub in Ireland. The drawings are by talented local artist Joe O'Kane, a pub patron. From a selection of rotating taps, Bittles serves local craft brews such as Farmageddon cider, Hilden ales, and Beavertown IPA (a company founded by Logan Plant, the son of Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant). As well as premium Irish whiskeys, the bar also stocks a large range of craft gins, including Gunpowder from Drumshanbo in Leitrim, and two local ones, Shortcross, distilled at Crossgar in County Down and Echlinville Pot Still from the Ards Peninsula.

Known as "the Bot" to its student clientele, the Botanic is a big, popular disco-pub which also serves bar food from 12--8.

A noisy, modern pub, this bar jams on up-to-the-minute music. It can get a bit boisterous, so some may prefer a quiet snug (booth) across the road in the more serene Crown Liquor Saloon. Food is served from noon daily (Monday through Thursday until 8:30, weekends until 7).

Packed with affluent professionals determined to prove that life begins at 30, the Chelsea serves reasonably priced contemporary gastropub cuisine and has 100-plus wines on its list. There's live music on Friday and Saturday evening in the downstairs bar.

Down by the river south of the university, this bar and upstairs restaurant is at its best on summer evenings and during live music performances featuring acoustic guitar and classic rock on Friday or Saturday after 6 pm. Food is served until 9 pm. Spacious and light inside, it rarely gets too packed; if seating is limited, try the picnic tables and chairs on the wooden deck outside.

This first-floor New York--inspired bar beside City Hall is named after a formidable character who was born in Ireland and raised hell with the Dead Rabbit street gang, one of the infamous Gangs of New York in the 1800s. Drinks, such as Mulberry Street, Paradise Square, and Gentleman Jasper reflect the connection. The food, served from noon, includes mussels with Guinness and garlic, falafel burgers, chicken stack, waffle fries, or shrimp cocktail.

A massive statue of Lenin above the front door greets patrons of the undisputed center of the Belfast gay scene. The over-the-top Soviet theme continues inside. Superstar DJs regularly fly in to perform.

A popular locals' favorite near the Castle Court mall, Madden's has live music nightly and traditional tune fests with set dancing on Wednesday night.

In Belfast's oldest building (1711), McHugh's has three floors of bars and restaurants, and live music Thursday to Sunday. Food is served from lunchtime in the downstairs bar, while dinner—including special "on the hot rock" steaks, cooked to your liking—is available 6 pm--9 pm in the upstairs restaurant. McHugh's retains the character of an early-18th-century dockside inn and exudes a homey feel with open fires.

Spectacular sunsets and nighttime views over the city are the key selling points of the Grand Central Hotel's posh penthouse lounge. It's the highest bar in Ireland, with an imaginative cocktail list and a swank clientele. Dress to impress.

Traditional Irish and folk music sessions are held most nights in the main downstairs bar. There's a different musical personality in the nightclub Gweedore Upstairs, where you're likely to hear everything from indie and house music to rock and chart disco.

A popular pub encompassing five venues under one roof, Robinsons draws a young crowd with folk music in its Fibber Magees bar on Sunday; pop in the redesigned Robinson's Lounge on weekends. Food is served daily from 12:30 to 4 pm and from 6 to 9 pm.

A must for every traveler, this bar named after one of Ulster's most famous poets (who ironically wasn't a big drinker) is traditional in style with a marble counter, waist-high wooden paneling, high ceilings, and open fire. It channels Hewitt's socialist sensibility, as it's owned by the Belfast Unemployed Centre (which it helps fund with its profits)—top pub grub is served from noon to 4 pm and live music is featured most nights. Irish artisanal cider and bottled craft beers are the most popular.

Moody black-and-white framed portraits of famous Irish novelists, poets, and playwrights such as Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw adorn the walls of this liquor lounge and taphouse, popular with students and visitors. Sip a glass of wine or beer and reflect on the words of Wilde, who said, "Alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, may produce all the effects of drunkenness." Live bar entertainment features acoustic acts from Thursday to Sunday, while the huge Time nightclub on the first and second floors is open Friday and Saturday nights with music from local DJs.

A quintessential slice of city life, Tinney's is one of Derry's oldest bars and a family-owned business which can trace its pedigree back to 1847. Drop in to hear some Derry-speak (the "barrs" is a local term for gossip) where conviviality is the theme. Warm yourself at the glowing open fire with a pint of stout, sometimes humorously referred to as "soup of the day." An upstairs room focuses on the city's shirt factory heritage with a display of mounted photographs and Singer sewing machines repurposed as pub tables. Each Tuesday the venue hosts Irish traditional musicians, including gigs by the renowned Foyle Folk Club and popular storytelling sessions.

Gin is top of the bill at Town Square, which offers a sparkling collection of cocktails. The local Jawbox gin is paired with ginger ale, lime, and coriander, while the Aviation cocktail comes with star anise, berries, and tonic—all alongside a range of rotating taps of beer and cider. Try the Irish Noir cocktail, made up of Black Bush, vermouth, toffee tincture, and Peychaud's bitters. As part of the restyle, a gin bar was added, as well as a connecting café and newly created space for concerts and wine tastings.

Derry's newest nightspot is over-the-top decadent, with thronelike gilt mock Louis Quinze chairs, ornate stucco ceilings, chandeliers, and a lengthy cocktail list. It's favored by a young and flashily dressed clientele on Friday and Saturday nights; "jazz, booze and blues" on Saturday afternoons appeals to a slightly more mature audience.

A gay-friendly bar near the Cathedral Quarter, Union Street is housed in a converted 19th-century shoe factory. The three-story redbrick Victorian is one of the city's few gastropubs, with a more formal upstairs evening restaurant that's popular with local foodies.

White's Tavern rather trades on its reputation as "Belfast's oldest public house." It serves decent pub grub and there's live music in the downstairs bar on weekends, but for young locals the big attraction is the new alfresco White's Garden, a covered alley where patrons can drink, socialize, smoke, and vape while kept warm by patio heaters even in winter.

A roaring fire greets you as soon as you enter White's Tavern. Friendly staff serve pub grub until 8 pm, although a better bet is to head upstairs, which has been redesigned as the elegant Oyster Rooms restaurant. Its bare, thick-walled brick and high ceiling remain the same, but the culinary options step up a gear and include fresh and firm Carlingford Lough oysters, served on the half shell and dressed in vinaigrette (six for £12), steak tartare, beef and Guinness stew, pork belly, or sole. Live-music sessions are held in the downstairs bar on weekend evenings.