Favouring cosy, casual pubs and chic little bars over hectic clubs, Jersey’s after-dark social scene is mellow and welcoming. The island’s traditional village drinking spots have an English country pub vibe, with locals chatting at the bar over pints of Liberation Ale.
Town centre and hotel pubs and bars offer craft beer and cocktails, with gin and vodka from St Helier’s La Côte Distillery appearing on the best menus. There’s a small local wine and organic cider scene, too: wine from La Mare Wine Estate in St Mary is hard to find beyond Jersey, so sample it here if you can.
All our recommendations have been hand-selected and tested by our destination expert to help you discover the best bars and nightlife in Jersey. Find out more below or for more inspiration, see our guides to the best hotels, things to do, restaurants and beaches.
Find bars and nightlife by type:
Best seaside pubs
The Old Court House
There’s a cheerfully nautical feel to this inn, which overlooks St Aubin’s harbour and is one of several pubs managed by the Jersey-based Liberation Brewing Co. Exposed granite walls, open fireplaces and a galleon-like window lend character to the interior, where you can unwind over a pint of Liberation Ale and classy pub grub, such as poached egg and avocado croissants, artichoke risotto and fried fish coated in Liberation Ale batter.
Website: liberationgroup.com
Price: ££
The Old Court House has exposed brick walls
The Portelet Inn
With creeper-clad granite walls and a clifftop garden bursting with subtropical-style greenery, this is an idyllic country pub, managed by Randalls. Its bar has an easy-going selection of beer and cider, both draught and bottled. Play areas and a full-length pirate-themed children’s menu make this a top choice for families. Pretty Portelet Bay is tantalisingly close and can be reached via a steep flight of steps, best tackled with a clear head.
Website: randalls-jersey.co.uk
Price: ££
The Portelet Inn is a quaint country pub close to Portelet Bay in the south west – Phil Gilley
The Seymour
Set on the relatively quiet coastal road near Jersey’s southeastern tip, this neighbourhood pub is named after the Seymour Tower, a chunky 18th-century defence that’s cut off at high tide. The bar serves Liberation Ale and a pleasing selection of wine and spirits, and the interior, a cosy space, has a brasserie-style restaurant that serves posh sandwiches, calamari, charcuterie and burgers.
Website: liberationgroup.com
Price: ££
The Seymour is a neighbourhood pub serving upmarket sandwiches and charcuterie – Andy Le Gresley
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Best for wine and cocktails
The Blind Pig
St Helier’s Blind Pig is deliberately tricky to find – the main entrance is very subtly marked, so it’s best to ask a local. It aims to recreate the decadent glamour of a 1920s speakeasy, and in the moodily lit interior, hipster bar staff mix wicked cocktails to a nostalgic soundtrack of vintage American jazz. The backdrop is a suitably lush mishmash of cut glass, velvet and mirrors, with a baroque-style painted ceiling.
Website: cesoirjersey.com
Price: ££
Decadent 1920s glamour is recreated at The Blind Pig in St Helier
The Porter’s Store
St Helier’s Pomme d’Or Hotel was the setting for the historic moment in May 1945 when the British Army replaced the Nazi flag with the Union Jack to mark the liberation of the Channel Islands. Tucked away at the back, with an entrance on Wharf Street, is The Porter’s Store, a low-lit cocktail bar serving tasty concoctions with hotel-themed names such as Tattered Passport, Do Not Disturb and Locked Out & Naked.
Website: seymourhotels.com/pomme-dor-hotel
Price: ££
The Porter’s Store is a low-lit cocktail bar in the Pomme d’Or hotel
Vinifera
Wine lovers and coffee drinkers converge on this small, upmarket café, wine bar and wine shop in central St Helier. The interior has a dash of mid-century style, and there are pavement tables outside. It’s co-owned by a master sommelier, Amar Boudjaoui, whose wine list is a triumph, spanning all the world’s major wine-producing nations. To nibble on, there’s a selection of cheese, charcuterie and salad with sourdough, or tempting little cakes.
Website: vinifera.je
Price: ££-£££
Both coffee and wine drinkers are well catered for at Vinifera
The Watchmaker
Located in a former watchmaker’s shop on a street corner near St Helier’s Central Market, this appealingly retro little wine, Champagne and cocktail bar is open from noon until late, daily except Sunday. As well as carefully curated drinks, it offers grazing boards loaded with cheese, charcuterie or vegan mezze. If you’d prefer something even more luxurious with your fizz, you could order blinis with Cornish caviar or the truffle burrata.
Website: thewatchmaker.je
Price: ££
The Watchmaker is located inside what was once a watchmaker’s shop
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Best for live music
Blue Note Bar
With an old-school, Victorian pub-style bar serving draught Liberation Ale and IPA, St Helier’s Blue Note is an atmospheric spot to spend an evening. There’s often jazz playing gently in the background, and the small first-floor stage hosts live sets from jazz, blues and rock bands, many of them local, on Friday and Saturday nights. The bar’s social media pages advertise the details.
Contact: facebook.com/bluenote.jersey; 01534 733793
Price: £
There’s often live music scheduled at Blue Note Bar
The Sundown
On Wharf Street – the closest St Helier gets to a strip – The Sundown hosts Thursday, Friday and Saturday night gigs featuring post-modern jazz, acoustic guitar and cover bands. The house group, Soulstice, plays pop classics. While nobody could call this place edgy, it has an easy-going atmosphere, a well-stocked bar with reasonably priced cocktails, and a decent menu of modern international dishes such as sticky beef salad and roasted hispi cabbage.
Website: thesundown.co.uk
Price: ££
The Sundown is an easy-going spot for some live music
The Troubadour
There’s karaoke on Thursdays and live music from local pop and rock bands most weekends at this former Irish pub, near the Jersey Museum in St Helier. The bar pulls pints of Liberation Ale and brews decent coffee, and the outdoor tables catch the sun on Weighbridge Place. This is the spot where Jersey’s farmers used to bring their Jersey Royal potatoes to be weighed, ready for packing and shipping.
Website: liberationgroup.com
Price: ££
Outside tables catch the sun at The Troubadour in St Helier
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How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of traveller – and consider the service, drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.
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About our expert
Emma Gregg
Travel journalist Emma Gregg has visited all seven continents and more than 100 islands. She spent a blissful summer in the Channel Islands as a teenager and has had a soft spot for them ever since.
Emma Gregg, Telegraph Travel’s Jersey expert
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