Perfect pint: Belfast’s best-rated Guinness hotspots

The Guinness Storehouse saw more than 1.5 million visitors from 165 different countries in 2023, an increase of 32% compared to 2022, highlighting the impact that the stout has on tourism.1 With this in mind, the experts at City Tours Belfast conducted a comprehensive analysis of reviews of pubs in Northern Ireland to identify where to get the best Guinness in Belfast.

Key findings:

• The Crown Liquor Saloon ranks as the top spot for a pint of Guinness, with 391 positive reviews of their Guinness and 115 mentioning “great Guinness”

• 29 reviews said the Guinness at Kelly’s Cellar — one of the oldest pubs in Belfast — was the “best”, attributing to 75 reviews highlighting the pub’s pour

• Bittles Bar ranks third, with 60 reviews commending the venue’s Guinness

• Culinary entrepreneur, Gabrielle Marie Yap, explains why Belfast is one of the best places to visit to enjoy a pint of Guinness

The results: The best rated Guinness in Belfast

The full dataset used throughout this study is available here.

The Crown Liquor Saloon is the best place for a Guinness in Belfast

City Tours Belfast can reveal that The Crown Liquor Saloon, located on Victoria Street and one of Northern Ireland’s best-known pubs, is the top-rated spot for Guinness in Belfast, with 391 reviews praising the quality of the Guinness served. Of these reviews, an impressive 96 described it at “good”, 115 rated it as “great” and 76 reviews claimed the Guinness was either the best in Belfast or the best they had ever tasted.

In second place is Kelly’s Cellar on Bank Street, with 75 positive reviews for its Guinness. Kelly’s Cellar is one of the oldest pubs in Belfast and boasts the second-highest number of reviews rating the Guinness served as the “best” (29), and that described it as a “good” pint (15).

Bittles Bar and The Duke of York rank in the top 5 for the best Guinness

Bittles Bar, located on Upper Church Lane and famous for its unique architecture, ranks third with 60 positive reviews for its Guinness. Bittles Bar received 21 reviews which noted the Guinness served as the “best” they had ever had, and 14 highlighting it as “great”.

Ranking fourth is The Morning Star on Pottinger’s Entry, with 43 reviews praising its Guinness. The pub earned consistent positive feedback on its Guinness, including 12 reviews calling it “great” and 10 declaring it the “best”.

Rounding off the top five ranking is The Duke of York, boasting an impressive 41 positive reviews for its Guinness. Located on Commercial Court and famous for its picturesque umbrella street, The Duke of York received 17 reviews commenting that the pint is “great”, the second highest among all the pubs.

Culinary entrepreneur, Gabrielle Marie Yap, explains what to look out for to get the perfect pour and why Belfast is one of the best places to travel to for a Guinness: 2

“The perfect Guinness starts with a meticulous pour. It begins at a 45-degree angle, which allows the nitrogen bubbles to create that iconic cascading effect. The glass should be filled to about three-quarters of the way, then left to settle before the second part of the pour, which fills it to the top. This step is often rushed, but the waiting period is essential to get that dense, creamy head.

A good Guinness should have a compact, tight foam—almost like whipped cream—that sits just above the rim without spilling over.  A key indicator of quality is “lacing,” where the foam leaves rings along the inside of the glass as you sip. This tells you that the Guinness was poured correctly and is in optimal condition.

Temperature plays a huge role in how the flavours are perceived. A Guinness served too cold can dull its complex flavours, masking the subtle notes of roasted barley, coffee, and dark chocolate. Serving it too warm, on the other hand, can highlight the bitterness, making it taste harsher than intended. The sweet spot is around 6-8 degrees Celsius. This range allows you to fully appreciate the intricate balance between the malty sweetness and the slightly bitter finish.”

Why Northern Ireland is one of the top spots to visit for a Guinness:

“Northern Ireland is an incredible destination for enjoying a Guinness because it offers a unique, immersive experience that goes far beyond what you’d find elsewhere. Pubs in Northern Ireland aren’t just focused on pouring a good pint—they treat it almost like a craft, with a deep understanding of what makes a Guinness exceptional.

Beyond the technicalities, there’s a cultural aspect to enjoying a Guinness in Northern Ireland that’s hard to replicate. The pub scene here is an integral part of the community, acting as a social hub where locals and visitors connect over shared stories and traditions. This means when you order a Guinness, you’re not just getting a drink; you’re stepping into a living narrative where every pint has a story attached.

There’s a rich heritage behind each sip, from the ancient walls of pubs like The Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast to smaller, off-the-beaten-path establishments where the locals know each other by name. This atmosphere adds authenticity, enhancing the overall experience of drinking Guinness in Northern Ireland.”

Methodology:

1. City Tours Belfast sought to determine the best places for a Guinness in Belfast. A seed list was compiled to identify pubs in Belfast known for serving a good pint of Guinness.

2. Reviews containing keywords like “best Guinness,” “great Guinness,” and “excellent Guinness” were counted and aggregated to determine which pub had the most positive reviews for its Guinness.

3. Pubs with fewer than 100 reviews were excluded from the dataset.

4. The data was sorted to highlight the pub with the highest number of positive reviews about the Guinness served.

5. The full dataset is available here. All data was collected in September 2024 and is accurate as of then.

Note to editors:

[1] Irish Central | Guinness Storehouse served more than 1.2 million pints in 2023

[2] Gabrielle Marie Yap

---

Media contact: olivia@journalistic.org

Third-party news items that are posted on the Guild website’s news section come from press releases received by the Guild. These press releases are posted as they have been received and their publication on the Guild website is intended as an informational service provided to our members and website visitors. As such, the publication of a story from a third-party source is neither an endorsement of the content, nor its sender, by the Guild. For enquiries on any news item, please use the contact details that can be found at the bottom of each post.