The John
Underground cocktail bar
A cocktail bar in a renovated Victorian public toilet under the top of Burgate, with a hidden entrance, good music and late nights.
📍 Burgate, Canterbury CT1 2HG
Fun bars for groups: 13 bars
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The Pound
Cocktail bar and restaurant
A bar in Canterbury's old city jail by the Westgate Towers, where you can drink in a former prison cell. Signature cocktails, food and a riverside terrace on the Stour in summer.
📍 1 Pound Ln, Canterbury CT1 2BZ
The Falstaff Cocktail Bar
Hotel cocktail bar
The public cocktail bar of the Falstaff Hotel on St Dunstan's Street, with deep sofas, wood-panelled nooks, a terrace and 90-minute cocktail masterclasses.
📍 8-10 St. Dunstans St, Canterbury CT2 8AF
Pegasus Tap Room
Gin bar and craft beer tap room
Canterbury's gin palace and craft beer tap room on St Dunstan's Street, with more than 100 gins, cocktails and vintage cinema seats.
📍 86 St. Dunstans St, Canterbury CT2 8AD
The Ballroom
Hidden cocktail bar
A hidden upstairs bar in a former ballroom on Orange Street, decorated in a mix of Baroque, bohemian and Victorian styles.
📍 15 Orange St, Canterbury CT1 2JA
Alberrys
Cocktail and rum bar
A long-running cocktail bar on St Margaret's Street with a fun rum list and platters. It stays open late.
📍 38 St Margaret's St, Canterbury CT1 2TY
Citi Terrace
Terrace bar and restaurant
A bar, restaurant and lounge on Longmarket with an outdoor terrace and drinks by an in-house mixologist, such as a spicy blue margarita.
📍 1 Longmarket, Canterbury CT1 2JS
Cosy Club
Restaurant and cocktail bar
Four floors of Art Deco glamour with a touch of steampunk on St Margaret's Street. Try the banana espresso martini.
📍 20-21 St Margaret's St, Canterbury CT1 2TH
The Cuban
Latin cocktail bar
A Latin cocktail bar and party venue on the High Street with DJs and late hours.
📍 43 High St, Canterbury CT1 2RY
Houdini’s Magic Bar
Magic bar
A magic-themed bar on St Peter's Street.
📍 6 St Peter's St, Canterbury CT1 2AT
Tokyo Tea Rooms
Cocktail bar
A cocktail bar on St George's Place.
📍 41 St George's Pl, Canterbury CT1 1UT
The Rooftop
Rooftop bar and burger kitchen
A rooftop bar and burger kitchen on St Margaret's Street.
📍 8 St Margaret's St, Canterbury CT1 2TP
The Penny Theatre
Late-night pub and cocktail bar
A Canterbury institution on Northgate for decades, open from lunch into the early hours.
📍 30-31 Northgate, Canterbury CT1 1BL
Map: fun bars for groups
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Your questions
What are the best bars for groups in Canterbury?
Start with The John, The Pound, The Falstaff Cocktail Bar, Pegasus Tap Room and The Ballroom. Our full list has 13 bars.
More Canterbury bar guides
- Hidden and late-night barsHidden and late bars in Canterbury: The John, The Pound, The Ballroom and Alberrys and mor
- Date nightRomantic cocktail bars in Canterbury for a night for two: The Fig, The Falstaff Cocktail B
- Gin, rum, whisky and tequilaThe best Canterbury bars for gin, rum, whisky and agave: Pegasus Tap Room, Alberrys, Citi
- Cocktail trailsReady-made Canterbury cocktail trails on foot, The old city, Orange Street to the High Str
Who wrote this guide
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. We love Canterbury's bars, so we put this guide together from our own research and trusted local guides.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Our nearest cocktail festivals to Canterbury
Want your bar in this guide?
Run a cocktail bar in Canterbury that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.