Five unmissable Belfast whiskey bars
Belfast is one of the most exciting whiskey pub destinations in Ireland, North and South. Like everything in Belfast, the whiskey scene has emerged from the city’s past with an energy and an independence that is emblematic of this popular, personality-laden city. Five-star hotels and elegant restaurants flaunt their extensive whiskey menus with pride but it’s the traditional bars that are the beating heart of the whiskey scene here-and you will rarely be far from one in the city centre.
The Duke of York
Cathedral Quarter
7-11 Commercial Court, Belfast BT1 2NB
credits: Christopher Burke
It would be remiss of any whiskey fan to visit Belfast and not take a seat in the Duke of York. This wonderful establishment has been voted the Best Whiskey Bar in Ulster on multiple occasions and holds the imagination like few bars in Ireland, north or south. It’s an incredibly attractive pub, stuffed with tradition and the personality of this ever-changing city. The walls are thronged with the story of Irish and, in particular, Northern Irish whiskey. Long silent distilleries still receive a hero’s welcome here and all the paraphernalia of the island’s distilling past is laid out for you to treat as your own.
Victorian mirrors and heavy wooden furniture hold your gaze as the rooms bend and shape to the constant roll of customers and friends that move through the place day and night. Visit by day to find the time and space to see every curiosity assembled, then return at night to squeeze into a seat in the main room and watch the lights and laughter of the city bring every corner to life. Night and day are two very different experiences here, but neither can be said to outdo the other. It’s a case of finding time for both.
The whiskey menu is exemplary. You’ll struggle to find better anywhere in Ireland. Arrive early if you hope to get a seat at weekends, as crowds flow out onto the laneway and its celebrated murals, artwork and architecture hold court outside.
Bittles Bar
Victoria Square
70 Upper Church Lane, Belfast, BT1 4QL
It’s more than 30 years since John Bittles took over a derelict bar in Belfast’s Church Street in the city centre and made it his own. Bittles Bar today is a landmark destination that is housed in a Victorian redbrick building that US visitors will immediately recognise as flatiron in style, although a lot smaller than those they might be used to at home.
Indeed, size really does matter in this tiny triangular bar that is stuffed to the rafters with artworks and curios and has very limited seating. A local artist, Joe O’Kane, painted all the artwork inside, capturing the many stories of Belfast’s past and present and celebrating sporting and artistic heroes alike. If you’re lucky enough to get the window seat at the back of the bar you’ll be sitting under the huge painting of literary heroes Yeats, Joyce, Behan, Beckett and Wilde that dominates the room, alongside cabinets stuffed with some of John Bittles’ 1,500 bottles of whiskey.
If the colour red doesn’t agree with you then you may have to go elsewhere because it is the signature colour in this great whiskey bar with its red leather upholstery, red curtains, red tiled floor and red carpet.
The Harp Bar
Cathedral Quarter
35 Hill St, Belfast BT1 2NB
The Harp Bar is a large and plush pub and music venue that carries as extensive a whiskey menu as its neighbour the Duke of York. Why? Because they are members of the same family of venues with the same owners driving their success. This is an opulent, luxurious and modern place with polished wood and velvet curtains. The toilets alone are a testament to the management’s ambitions, with their gold-coloured sinks and richly-tiled floors.
Despite all this you can expect a traditionally run bar with live music at weekends across two stories. It serves great national, international and local craft beers as well as every type of whiskey you could imagine. And if they don’t have it on the premises they can probably get it for you. Arrive early if you hope to get a seat at weekends as this is the kind of place people are happy to queue to get into. Better yet, arrive by day and enjoy listening to the sounds of the city outside as you sample the whiskey menu.
The Empire Music Hall
University Area
42 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1JQ
This elegant converted church is a late night music venue but there’s nothing better than slowly sipping a whiskey as the sun streams through its windows during the day. The stage might be empty until night falls but the large inviting room is full of atmosphere, its walls covered in music and historical memorabilia. Designed as a Victorian music hall, it’s a wonderful daytime haunt while visiting Queen’s University and the Botanic Gardens. Its whiskey menu is relatively small but growing all the time and has everything a daytime believer might need when seeking out a quiet place to recharge.
Everyone feels at home in the Empire – whether you’re an aging rock star, a young student, a literary hopeful or indeed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, who made a daytime stop here on one of their recent royal tours. It’s an elegant and traditional bar with space to be yourself. Return at night for a more raucous affair.
Kelly’s Cellars
30-32 Bank Street, Belfast, BT1 1HL
Kelly’s cellars, or using its lesser-heard Irish language name, Teach Uí Cheallaigh, is one of the oldest pubs in Belfast and is a destination of choice for whiskey fans who love traditional Irish music too. It was once located down an alleyway, but the constant improvement and renovations of Belfast city centre saw its landscape widen and the pub now faces onto a new large public space, just a short stroll from Belfast City Hall.
Monday is the only night you won’t find live music inside the walls of this building which has stood here since 1720. It’s an intimate and relaxed place with Irish stew being the only food you’ll find on offer. Its whiskey menu is traditionally Irish and growing all the time as the management of this historic venue continues to meet the demands of a whiskey-hungry clientele.
You’ll travel back in time when you take a seat here and find fast friends at the bar or dotted around the room. If you stay for the music you’ll become a local in no time.