Nightlife in Watford

Head to the top end of the Watford High Street and The Parade, and you’ll find dozens of bars and pubs, ready-made for a Watford bar crawl, just a 10-minute walk from our Watford Central hotel. Stylish, sophisticated and with a jazzy soundtrack – there’s a lot to love about Bodega, a 1920s style speakeasy at the top end of High Street. With pull-you-in sofas, sharing menus and cocktails with a kick, it’s one of the classier joints in town and pulls in a stylish over-25 crowd most nights.

Right next door is 143 Bar Watford, where you’ll find some of the best music in town – from 70s funk, 80s disco and rare groove right up to modern day house and even a bit of UK garage. Grab a cocktail, a pint of real ale or a glass of wine and relax in the bar or grab your drink and head towards the DJ booth where the action happens later in the night.

A short stumble from there is The Columbia Press. Named after Watford’s history of printing which employed thousands during the 60s, this Wetherspoons bar is great value for money, with a wide range of food and drink options and great attention to detail throughout the bar.

From there, head to the Faborje Bar & Grill. The food is a mix of Italian and Mediterranean flavours, while the lounge with its white leather sofas, VIP booths and back-lit bar, is sophisticated. The shisha lounge is a must for those that like to relax with a double apple, or even, their signature Champagne shisha.

Rounding out our selection is Platform, a multi-hyphenate venue that’s a wine bar-bistro-café, and excels at all three. Their drink menu spanning wine, bespoke cocktails, craft beers and boutique spirits is one of the best in town, while the atmosphere and industrial design make it one of the most welcoming venues in Watford. Handily, it’s right next to the Watford Junction train station, so the perfect place to relax before or after your journey.

Head up towards Watford Junction, and you’ll find some of the town’s best pubs. First though, stop off at the Estcourt Tavern, a short walk from the Palace Theatre. A traditional pub with a large beer garden, all-day pub grub and a pool table, the family-friendly pub serves food as late as 10pm at the weekend, with all the live sporting action, plenty of cask ales and a decent range of G&Ts.

Next door to Platform, one of our recommended bars, and just around the corner from the Watford Junction train station is The Flag, a lively Victorian-era pub with a range of outdoor seating, guest bands at the weekend and pool and table football tables. The food is excellent including breakfast options, snacks, Sunday lunch and dinner while the drinks span craft ales, cocktails, beer pitchers and even their own gin parlour.

Nearby on Stamford Road you’ll find the Nascot Arms, a traditional English pub with live sports, cask ales and guest beers that also serves up some of the best Thai food in town spanning soups, curries and noodle dishes.

Completing the north Watford pub crawl is The Prince George on St Albans Road. With ten lagers, ciders and ales on draft, they have a good range of drinks while the food is some of the best pub grub around, with tasty pies, endless Sunday roast options and an excellent dessert menu including a range of local ice creams and sorbets.

Lastly, The Horns gives The Flag a run for its money as the best live music pub. With live music most nights of the week, and a mix of guest bands and DJs at the weekend, the pub is just around the corner from the Colosseum making it the perfect warm-up or warm-down venue. With regular summer BBQs, guest ales, a 250-capacity live music room and a large enclosed beer garden, it’s one of our favourite Watford pubs and just a short taxi from our Croxley Green hotel.

A nation-wide chain, you know what you’re getting with Pryzm. With its large main stage, various rooms and bars and a Saturday Night Fever-style dancefloor, it’s the largest club in town since opening in 2016. Musically, expect pop, dance music and RnB with a young crowd busting moves until the 3.30am weekend curfew.

Next door to Pryzm on The Parade is Reflex, an unashamedly retro joint that blasts out 80s guilty pleasures, 90s classics and modern day anthems. Grab a booth and watch the action unfold with a variety of cocktails or head into the dancefloor mayhem and relive your youth with hundreds of others.

Finally, for something a little more alternative, The Twisted Monkey might be the answer. Also part of The Parade’s bars and clubs, the 450-capacity space is a cooler nightclub experience, with bar games, ping pong tables, craft beers and a DJ that’s happy to veer outside the Top 40 chart hits.