Nightlife in Harrogate

A wonderfully evocative place, Harrogate has grown into a mature town full of lively bars and late-night drinking dens. Check out our favourite bars in Harrogate.

Start your Harrogate pub crawl at the Little Ale House. A 10-minute walk from our Harrogate Town Centre hotel, it’s the town’s first micropub, serving up real ale, cider and beers from around the world. A dog- and family-friendly pub, they hold up to 15 different casks at any one time, with the main emphasis on locally brewed beers. Spread over the main bar and the downstairs cellar, it can get incredibly busy, so get down early to bag the best seats in the house and take a tour of the taps. And don’t forget to order the pork pies.

Part of the Harrogate train station, the Harrogate Tap has been renovated over the decades and was officially reopened in 2013. With a stunning 1960s exterior and interior architecture dating back to the 1860s, it’s a wonderfully evocative drinking establishment brought to life with a bar full of beer taps, including 12 hand pulls and 15 swing taps, as well as over 130 bottled world beers. The perfect spot for a pre-train pint – it’s handily located on Platform 1 of the station – they rotate the beers on a regular basis, with a strong bias towards Yorkshire brews.

Another venerable institution, Hales Bar is reputedly one of the oldest pubs in town, dating back to the mid-18th century and the town’s spa heyday. A lot of the Victorian fittings are maintained, including the real log fire, wooden beams and the pub’s distinctive gas lighting and cigar lighters. A gorgeously decadent pub, just round the corner from the Royal Pump Room, they take great pride in their food and drink with an extensive food menu and dozens of beers, ales, ciders and lagers. And, should the gleaming wooden interiors not do it for you, there’s a hidden garden at the back. Walk through the fake library to the door with a garden setting on it to reveal a plush area full of flowerbeds and a stage for acoustic bands to perform on.

Rounding out our selection is The Fat Badger in Cold Bath Road, a traditional English pub as well known for its drinks range as it is for its outstanding pub grub. Just half a mile from our Harrogate Town Centre hotel, the Fat Badger is the proud owner of two AA rosettes, given to restaurants for outstanding food. Open daily, they offer a range of small sharing plates, as well as fish, meat and vegetarian options, along with a popular roast on Sundays.