Stoke-on-Trent's six towns hide speakeasies, a gin distillery bar and some of the best real ale pubs in the Midlands. This guide covers 15 bars. Cocktail bars come first, then the brewery taps and micropubs of Burslem and beyond, by area, with our top ten and a map.
Last checked 14 November 2026. No bar paid to be included.
If you only have one night, start here.
The city's best cocktails, with a zero-alcohol range.
Hanley city centreGourmet sandwiches and cocktails on Piccadilly.
Hanley city centreRare gins on Merrial Street.
Newcastle-under-LymeCocktails at a working distillery.
Barlaston and Stone RoadA tiny bar in an old cobbler's shop.
Stoke townMexican food and cocktails at Spode.
Stoke townCocktails in an old ironmonger's warehouse.
Newcastle-under-LymeMargaritas and Mexican food on Piccadilly.
Hanley city centreThe Slamwich team's bar on Albion Street.
Hanley city centreA lounge bar by the Victoria Hall.
Hanley city centreTap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
The city centre around Piccadilly, by the Regent Theatre, with the city's best cocktail bar and the streets around it.
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Cocktail bar
Rated Excellent (1 Pin) by The Pinnacle Guide in 2026
An independent cocktail bar on Piccadilly making drinks with unusual ingredients and its own recipes, from a Potteries Old Fashioned to a Key Lime Pie. There is a zero-alcohol range too.
📍 57 Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1HR
Sandwich club and cocktail bar
Good Food Award 2023/24
A sandwich club and bar on Piccadilly, opened in 2018 by two friends, serving gourmet sandwiches, cocktails and long drinks.
📍 63 Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1HR
Lounge bar
A lounge bar on Adventure Place near the Victoria Hall.
📍 5 Adventure Pl, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3AF
Bar and Mexican restaurant
A bar and Mexican restaurant on Piccadilly.
📍 31 Piccadilly, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1EN
Bar
A bar on Albion Street from the team behind The Slamwich Club.
📍 Albion St, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1QH
Real ale pub
An Etruria pub with an excellent choice of real ales, between Hanley and Stoke.
📍 67 Etruria Old Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5PE
The market town next door, with a busy evening circuit around the High Street, Merrial Street and Market Lane.
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Music lounge and bar
A music lounge and bar on Pepper Street.
📍 3 Pepper St, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newcastle ST5 1PR
Gin and craft beer bar
A gin bar and bottle shop on Merrial Street with a wide and rare range of gin and craft beer, plus classic serves, cocktails and mocktails.
📍 46 Merrial St, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 2AW
Bar
A town-centre bar on Market Lane in a former ironmonger's warehouse, with craft ales, cocktails and Prosecco.
📍 Market Ln, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newcastle ST5 1AA
The old centre of Stoke around Campbell Place and the Spode Creative Village on the old Spode pottery site.
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Craft ale, gin and cocktail bar
A small bar on Campbell Place in a former cobbler's shop, open since 2019, with specialist craft ales, gins and cocktails.
📍 23a Campbell Pl, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1NH
Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar
A café by day and Mexican restaurant by night in the Spode Creative Village, with a long gin menu, whisky and speciality and seasonal cocktails.
📍 Spode Creative Village, Elenora St, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1QQ
South of the city at the World of Wedgwood, a working distillery with a bar, tours and classes.
Distillery bar
A working distillery bar at the World of Wedgwood in Barlaston, making spirits inspired by Potteries heritage, with cocktails, tours and cocktail-making classes.
📍 Wedgwood Dr, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent ST12 9ER
The mother town of the Potteries, with a brewery tap and two micropubs around St John's Square.
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Brewery tap
Titanic Brewery's tap and flagship pub, a short walk from the brewery, in the Good Beer Guide since 2007. Ten or more ciders and perries and a large beer garden at the back.
📍 14 St John's Square, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3AJ
Micropub
A small, comfortable micropub on the square in Burslem, open since July 2016. One room, where conversation is never far away.
📍 9 St John's Square, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3AH
Micropub
A micropub named after Burslem's old name, with real ales and real cider.
📍 Wedgwood Place, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 4ED
Two routes in walking order, with the time between each bar. See them all on a map.
5 bars · about 7 minutes on foot in total
3 bars · about 5 minutes on foot in total
Desire Cocktail Bar on Piccadilly in Hanley, rated Excellent by The Pinnacle Guide in 2026. The Slamwich Club and Ten Green Bottles in Newcastle-under-Lyme are also worth a visit.
Piccadilly in Hanley has the best cocktail bars close together. Newcastle-under-Lyme has a busy evening circuit and Stoke town has two good independents.
Yes. SIXTOWNS has a distillery bar at the World of Wedgwood in Barlaston.
Desire Cocktail Bar has a zero-alcohol range and Ten Green Bottles serves mocktails. Most good bars will make you something without alcohol if you ask.
Burslem has a cluster round St John's Square: the Bulls Head, Titanic Brewery's tap, plus Johny's Micro Pub and the Bursley Ale House. In Etruria, the Holy Inadequate is known for its choice of real ales.
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 the Potteries' bars, so we put this guide together from our own research, recent awards 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 Stoke-on-Trent
Run a bar in Stoke-on-Trent that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.
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