In short
The best cocktail bars in Exeter are The Bootlegger (a 1920s speakeasy on Fore Street), The Cocktail Club and Coolings on Gandy Street, Crocketts gin bar on Upper Paul Street, Darwin's gin parlour on Magdalen Road and the bar at Hotel du Vin. For a group or a Christmas night out, start on Gandy Street: three bars sit within a two-minute walk.
Contents11 sections
What are the best cocktail bars in Exeter?
Exeter's cocktail scene is compact, walkable and better than a city of its size has any right to have. Every bar below was re-checked in September 2026 against its own website, the Food Standards Agency register or Companies House. Some venues publish more than others, so where we could only confirm the basics we say so, and it is always worth checking a bar's own page before you go.
A quick map of the scene:
- Speakeasy and hidden bars: The Bootlegger (Fore Street), Coolings and its Cellar Bar (Gandy Street)
- Cocktail specialists: The Cocktail Club (Gandy Street), Crocketts (Upper Paul Street)
- Gin bars: Darwin's (Magdalen Road), Crocketts
- Smart and grown-up: Hotel du Vin (Magdalen Street), The Botanist (Queen Street Dining)
- Lively and good value: Turtle Bay, The Cocktail Club, Ludo's roof terrace
- Waterside: On The Waterfront at Exeter Quay
Why does this matter to us? Because cocktail bars are some of the best rooms in the city for actual conversation. A corner booth, two good drinks and music you do not have to shout over is where small gatherings beat big nights out, and where a first date or an old friendship gets properly caught up on.
Where is the best speakeasy in Exeter?
The Bootlegger
The Bootlegger at 162–163 Fore Street is Exeter's full-commitment speakeasy: an underground, 1920s Prohibition-themed cocktail bar with exposed brick, low lighting and nooks to disappear into. Live music is central to the place, running across rock 'n' roll, jazz and blues, and there are shareable bites and a weekly drag brunch if you want food with your drinks.
It is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Saturday (from 5pm Tuesday to Friday and from 2pm on Saturday), until midnight on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and until 2am from Thursday to Saturday. On Sundays it opens only on the last Sunday of the month. There is a happy hour most evenings; check the venue's page for current times before you go. One practical note from the venue itself: it is reached by stairs and is not fully accessible for wheelchair users. It gets busy on Friday and Saturday nights, so arrive early if you want a booth.
Coolings and the Cellar Bar
Coolings at 11 Gandy Street is an independent bar that has outlasted a good number of newer arrivals. Upstairs it is cocktails, pizza and a relaxed crowd; downstairs is the Cellar Bar, a hidden underground room that suits cocktail masterclasses, private parties and small groups who want somewhere that feels tucked away.
It works as well for a quiet weeknight drink as it does for the first stop of a Friday. Event nights and deals change through the year, so check what is on before you plan around one.
Coolings' Cellar Bar is worth enquiring about for a birthday or a small Christmas party. An underground room off Gandy Street gives a night an atmosphere a ground-floor bar cannot.
Which Exeter cocktail bars are on Gandy Street?
Gandy Street is the closest thing Exeter has to a cocktail quarter. Coolings is at number 11, The Cocktail Club at number 23, and Crocketts is around the corner on Upper Paul Street. Our Gandy Street and Cathedral Quarter guide covers the rest of the street, from dinner options to Exeter Phoenix.
The Cocktail Club
The Cocktail Club at 23 Gandy Street is the extrovert of the list: a two-floor, high-energy bar where the bartenders have a reputation for getting the party going. The menu covers classics and house specials, and the bar runs seasonal features (September 2026 is its Negroni Month).
Happy hour runs from 4pm to 8pm daily (from 2pm on Saturdays), with shorter windows on some weekends, and the bar stays open until 2.30am. It also takes private hire and runs cocktail masterclasses, which makes it an obvious anchor for a birthday or office party. Note that it does not serve food, so eat first, and it is closed from 24 to 26 December.
Crocketts
If The Cocktail Club is loud, Crocketts is the thoughtful introvert, and we mean that as a compliment. Crocketts is a small gin bar at 2 Upper Paul Street, EX4 3NB, and the business has continued under a new operating company since 2023.
The draw is a deep gin list with plenty of small-distillery bottles and bartenders happy to build something off-menu if you tell them what you like. It is intimate enough for proper conversation, which makes it one of the better choices on our Exeter date night list. Space is limited, so a large group will struggle on a Saturday.
Where can you get a good gin cocktail in Exeter?
Darwin's Gin Parlour
Darwin's at 29 Magdalen Road, EX2 4TA, is a ten-minute walk from the High Street and feels like a very different evening from the city centre. It is a warm, low-lit gin parlour with a strong gin list, alongside wine and beer for anyone not on gin.
Darwin's posts less online than the city-centre bars, so ring ahead (01392 682733) before making a special trip. Hours as listed on its own site: Tuesday 5pm–10pm, Wednesday to Friday 5pm–11pm and Saturday 3pm–11pm, closed Sunday and Monday. Food is served Wednesday to Friday evenings and on Saturday afternoons. There is a monthly quiz on the first Tuesday and a jazz night on the last Thursday of the month, plus occasional gin exploration evenings. Pair it with an afternoon on Magdalen Road, one of the city's best independent streets.
Darwin's is shut on Sundays and Mondays and closes at 11pm at the latest. It is an early-evening or mid-week bar, not a place to end a late Saturday.
Which Exeter cocktail bars are best for a special occasion?
Hotel du Vin
The bar at Hotel du Vin on Magdalen Street, set in a handsome former eye infirmary, is the most grown-up drink in the guide. The Magdalen Lounge opens onto a terrace and walled garden, which is one of the loveliest places in the city for a summer cocktail and a genuinely calm one in winter.
As you would expect from the brand, wine is as much the point as cocktails, and it is priced as a hotel bar rather than a Gandy Street one. For an anniversary, a proposal-adjacent evening, or catching up with someone you have not seen for years, it earns the premium. The hotel does not publish bar hours on its site, so ring ahead (01392 790120) if you are planning around it.
The Botanist
The Botanist sits in Queen Street Dining at the Guildhall Shopping Centre and is a restaurant and bar with a botanical-themed cocktail list. Its terrace, with rattan furniture and planters, is one of the busiest outdoor drinking spots in the centre when the weather allows.
It is open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and until 10pm Monday to Thursday, and it has the space to take larger groups, which is rarer than it should be in Exeter. Book for weekend evenings.
Where can you get cheap cocktails in Exeter?
Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay at 14 Guildhall Shopping Centre on Queen Street brings a Caribbean menu and a long list of rum cocktails. Check its Exeter page for the current happy hour before you go. The food is good enough to make it a one-stop dinner and drinks evening, and the atmosphere relaxes a group quickly. It takes bookings, which helps with anything bigger than four.
Ludo
Ludo at Unit 19, Guildhall Shopping Centre, is a sports bar first, but it runs a two-for-one cocktail offer and has a roof terrace with views across the city. The drinks are a sideshow to the screens and darts, but on a clear evening the terrace earns it a place. Our rooftop and outdoor dining guide has more open-air options.
Happy hours and two-for-one deals change often and are usually excluded on some nights or over Christmas. Check the bar's own site on the day rather than relying on a deal you saw months ago.
Where can you drink cocktails by the river in Exeter?
On The Waterfront
On The Waterfront at 5–9 The Quay, EX2 4AP, sits on Exeter Quay. It is a bar and restaurant rather than a cocktail specialist, but on a warm evening it is the most scenic place in the city for a drink before dinner. Check its opening times before you head down.
Where to go for Christmas drinks in Exeter
December is when these bars earn their keep, and also when they fill fastest. A few suggestions for Christmas drinks in Exeter:
- Office or friends' party: The Cocktail Club's private hire and masterclasses, or Coolings' Cellar Bar, both on Gandy Street
- A civilised catch-up: Hotel du Vin's lounge, or Darwin's on a weekday evening
- A big group that wants to eat too: The Botanist or Turtle Bay, both of which take bookings
- After the Cathedral Christmas market: Gandy Street is a short walk from Cathedral Green
Book anything for a Friday in December as early as you can, and remember The Cocktail Club is closed from 24 to 26 December. For markets, lights and everything else going on, see our Christmas in Exeter 2026 guide.
Summer: terraces and the Quay
In warmer months, the best cocktails in Exeter are the ones you drink outside. Hotel du Vin's garden is the hidden option most people walk past; The Botanist's terrace is the lively one; Ludo's roof is the highest. Down at the Quay, On The Waterfront works for a sundowner before dinner.
Why cocktail bars are good for real connection
There is a reason these rooms work for friendships. They are designed for conversation: lower lighting, comfortable seating, music that sets a mood without drowning voices. Choosing drinks, tasting each other's and arguing over the best one gives you easy talking points that skip awkward small talk.
They also nudge you towards smaller groups. Nobody organises a cocktail evening for fifteen. Four to six is the sweet spot, and it is exactly the size at which everyone gets to be part of the conversation.
Planning your night out
Most of the bars above are within walking distance of each other, and Gandy Street alone gives you three within two minutes. Thursday is often the sweet spot for a quieter night with good service; Friday and Saturday are busy everywhere.
For dinner before drinks, see our best restaurants in Exeter guide; for something slower, try the wine bars guide or the craft beer taprooms guide. For somewhere to eat after the bars shut, our late-night food guide has you covered, and if you are new to Exeter, a Gandy Street crawl is a fine introduction to the city.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best cocktail bars in Exeter?
- The Bootlegger on Fore Street, The Cocktail Club and Coolings on Gandy Street, Crocketts on Upper Paul Street, Darwin's on Magdalen Road and the bar at Hotel du Vin are the strongest picks. The Botanist, Turtle Bay and Ludo are good for bigger or budget-minded groups.
- Is there a speakeasy in Exeter?
- Yes. The Bootlegger at 162-163 Fore Street is an underground 1920s Prohibition-themed cocktail bar with live music. Coolings on Gandy Street also has a hidden Cellar Bar beneath the main bar.
- Where are the cocktail bars on Gandy Street, Exeter?
- Coolings is at 11 Gandy Street and The Cocktail Club at 23 Gandy Street, with Crocketts gin bar around the corner at 2 Upper Paul Street. All three are within a two-minute walk of each other.
- Where can I get cheap cocktails in Exeter?
- The Cocktail Club runs a daily happy hour, Turtle Bay is worth checking for its current happy hour, and Ludo offers two-for-one cocktails. Deals change and are often excluded on some nights or over Christmas, so check each bar's own site on the day.
- Where should I go for Christmas drinks in Exeter?
- For a party, book The Cocktail Club or Coolings' Cellar Bar on Gandy Street early. For a quieter catch-up, try Hotel du Vin or Darwin's. The Botanist and Turtle Bay suit bigger groups who want to eat. The Cocktail Club is closed from 24 to 26 December.
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