Best Pubs in Harrogate: 9 Pubs and 3 Bars for 2026
The best pubs in Harrogate, from The Fat Badger's AA Rosette kitchen and gas-lit Hales Bar to real ale at The Little Ale House and Harrogate Tap, plus the best bars for cocktails, with opening hours, food and dogs.
In short: the best pub in Harrogate for food is The Fat Badger on Cold Bath Road, with an AA Rosette kitchen and a heated beer garden. For history go to Hales Bar, still lit by gas, and for beer choice Harrogate Tap at the station, with 12 cask and 15 keg lines. The best bar is Over & Above, a cocktail bar behind a bookcase. Book food pubs for Sunday lunch.
Harrogate's pubs sit in a few tight clusters: round the Montpellier Quarter and Crescent Road, on Cheltenham Crescent and Cheltenham Parade, and up Cold Bath Road. That makes a crawl easy on foot. This list picks nine pubs and three bars from the 52 pubs, beer bars and cocktail bars in our directory, chosen by our score and by what each does best. Opening times, food and beer were checked on each venue's own website on 29 October 2026. Wetherspoon and the bigger chains are left out; they are all on our traditional pubs page.
| Pub or bar | Area | Good for | Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hales Bar | Montpellier Quarter | History, karaoke | No food |
| Harrogate Brewing Co | Montpellier Quarter | Live music Saturdays | Lunch, Sunday roast |
| Coach & Horses | Town Centre | Monday quiz, dogs | Pub classics |
| The Fat Badger | Cold Bath Road | Food, beer garden | AA Rosette kitchen |
| The Mucky Duck | High Harrogate | Pies, beer garden | Every day |
| Harrogate Tap | Town Centre | Beer before a train | None listed |
| The Little Ale House | Town Centre | Real ale, quiet | None listed |
| Cold Bath Brewing Co | Kings Road | Brewery taproom | Asian street food |
| Major Tom's Social | Montpellier Quarter | Families, pizza | Pizza until 9pm |
| Over & Above | Town Centre | Cocktails | Small plates |
| Elysian | Town Centre | £12 cocktails | None listed |
| 17 Miles | Cold Bath Road | Belgian beer, dogs | None |
What are the best pubs in Harrogate town centre?
Hales Bar for character, Harrogate Brewing Co on Royal Parade for local ale and live music, and the Coach & Horses for a proper local with a quiz. All three are within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Hales Bar
Rebuilt around 1827 as The Promenade Inn, it calls itself the oldest pub in Harrogate and still has gas lighting and cigar lighters. There is a "secret" garden at the back. It serves no food, and karaoke on Thursdays and music on Saturdays run from 9pm.
- ⏰ Mon to Wed 3pm to 11pm; Thu to Sat 12pm to 1am; Sun 12pm to 11pm
- 🎤 Karaoke Thu from 9pm; acoustic Sun from 4pm
- 📞 01423 725570
- 📍 Crescent Road, Montpellier Quarter
Harrogate Brewing Co, Royal Parade
The family-run brewery's own pub, in an ale house that dates back to the 17th century. Its own beers sit beside other independent ales, and the Farrah Room keeps part of the shopfront of Farrah's toffee shop. Card only.
- ⏰ Mon to Thu and Sun 12pm to 10pm; Fri and Sat 12pm to 11pm
- 🍽️ Lunch plates, bar snacks, Sunday roasts
- 🎸 Live music Sat from 7pm; monthly Sunday quizzes
- 🐕 Dog friendly
- 📍 Royal Parade, Montpellier Quarter
Coach & Horses
A pub on West Park that says it has served Harrogate since 1827. Rotating cask ales, pub classics, a quiz on Mondays, poker on Tuesdays and a curry club on Wednesdays.
- ⏰ Mon to Thu 12pm to 11pm; Fri and Sat 12pm to 12am; Sun 12pm to 10pm
- ❓ Quiz Mon 7.30pm; Fish Friday, fish and chips with a drink £19.95
- 🐕 Dogs downstairs
- 📅 Book a table online
- 📍 West Park, Town Centre
Which pub in Harrogate has the best pub food?
The Fat Badger, whose kitchen holds an AA Rosette. The Mucky Duck is the pick for pies and a cheaper, more relaxed meal.
The Fat Badger
A pub and restaurant in a Georgian building it shares with the White Hart Hotel. Cask ales and cocktails at the bar, a full menu from olives to steaks, and a large beer garden that is partly covered and heated.
- 🍔 Fat Badger Burger £18.95; Beer & Burger Monday 12pm to 9pm
- 🍖 Sunday set menu from 12pm: 2 or 3 courses, prices on its sample menu
- 🐕 Dogs in the outside areas
- 📞 01423 505681
- 📍 Cold Bath Road, Cold Bath Road
The Mucky Duck
An independent pub in High Harrogate, scoring 8.5, the highest of the traditional pubs in our directory. Handmade pies, chops and pub classics, cask ales, local craft beer and a beer garden.
- ⏰ Mon to Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun 12pm to 10pm
- 🍽️ Food Mon to Sat 12pm to 9pm; Sun 12pm to 6pm, with roasts
- 📅 Book online on ResDiary
- 📍 Devonshire Place, High Harrogate
Where are the best real ale pubs in Harrogate?
The Little Ale House for cask ale in a quiet room, and Harrogate Tap for the widest choice. Cold Bath Brewing Co brews its own, and Major Tom's Social pours Yorkshire beer on The Ginnel.
The Little Ale House
A micropub in its tenth year, with no TVs and no background music. It shows Good Beer Guide badges from 2019 to 2026 and was CAMRA Harrogate and Ripon Pub of the Year in 2017. There is seating in the back yard.
- 🍺 Up to 5 cask and 8 keg beers, including a gluten-free line
- ⏰ Mon to Wed 4pm to 10pm; Thu 4pm to 10.30pm; Fri and Sat 2pm to 10.30pm; Sun 2pm to 9pm
- 📍 Cheltenham Crescent, Town Centre
Harrogate Tap
A world beer freehouse in the only surviving part of the 1862 station. The best stop before a train, with bottles and cans behind the taps. The website mentions no food.
- 🍺 12 cask handpulls, 15 keg taps
- ⏰ Mon to Thu and Sun 11am to 11pm; Fri and Sat 11am to 12am
- 📍 Station Parade, Town Centre
Cold Bath Brewing Co
A brewery and taproom pouring its own beer, scoring 8.4. Asian street food comes from Yuzu, inside or on the beer terrace, and Cold Bath ISO is its alcohol-free beer.
- 🍜 Asian street food from Yuzu
- 🐕 Dogs welcome
- 📅 Book a table on its website
- 📍 Kings Road, Kings Road
Major Tom's Social
A café, beer bar and pizzeria on The Ginnel since 2014, in the Good Beer Guide. Pizza dough is made on site, and children and dogs are both welcome.
- 🍺 10 keg and 4 cask lines, three fridges of cans
- 🍕 Kitchen 7 days until 9pm
- 📅 Book online; 5 or more by email
- 📍 The Ginnel, Montpellier Quarter
What are the best bars in Harrogate?
Over & Above for cocktails, Elysian for a simple £12 menu, and 17 Miles for Belgian beer. Cheltenham Crescent holds two of them, so a bar crawl here is short.
Over & Above
A neighbourhood cocktail bar behind a bookcase at 7 Cheltenham Crescent, our top-scoring bar at 8.8. It is named one of the UK's Top 50 Cocktail Bars for 2026, and serves small plates and charcuterie.
- ⏰ Closed Mon; Tue to Thu 5pm to 12am; Fri 4pm to 12am; Sat 2pm to 1am; Sun 2pm to 10pm
- 🍹 Happy hour Tue to Thu 5pm to 8pm
- 🎓 Masterclass £45 a head, alcohol-free £35
- 📅 Walk-ins welcome; book for peak times
- 📍 Cheltenham Crescent, Town Centre
Elysian
A cocktail bar on the same street, with 17 cocktails on the menu, from a Negroni to a Cherry Bakewell, every one at £12.
- 🍸 All cocktails £12
- ⏰ Closed Mon and Tue; Wed 5pm to 10.30pm; Thu 5pm to 11.30pm; Fri and Sat 2pm to 11.30pm; Sun 2pm to 10.30pm
- 📞 01423 652036
- 📍 Cheltenham Crescent, Town Centre
17 Miles
An independent bar opened in September 2023, named after its door number and the owner's son. Rotating Belgian and UK craft taps, house cocktails and wine. It is not a sports bar.
- 🍹 Happy hour Tue to Fri 4pm to 7pm: 2 for 1 cocktails, or 2 pints of Keller Pils £10
- ⏰ Closed Mon; Tue 4pm to 10pm; Wed to Fri 4pm to 11pm; Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun until 9pm
- 🐕 Dog friendly, treats on the bar
- 📍 Cold Bath Road, Cold Bath Road
Best pubs in Harrogate: questions
What is the oldest pub in Harrogate?
Hales Bar on Crescent Road calls itself the oldest pub in Harrogate; it was rebuilt around 1827 as The Promenade Inn and is still lit by gas. Harrogate Brewing Co on Royal Parade says its ale house dates back to the 17th century.
What is the best bar in Harrogate?
Over & Above on Cheltenham Crescent scores 8.8, the highest of any bar in our directory, and is named one of the UK's Top 50 Cocktail Bars for 2026. For beer, Harrogate Tap at the station has 12 cask and 15 keg lines.
Which pubs in Harrogate are dog friendly?
Harrogate Brewing Co on Royal Parade, Major Tom's Social, Cold Bath Brewing Co and 17 Miles welcome dogs. The Coach & Horses takes dogs downstairs, and The Fat Badger in its outside areas.
Which Harrogate pubs have a beer garden?
The Fat Badger has a large beer garden, partly covered and heated. The Mucky Duck has a beer garden, Hales Bar a "secret" garden at the back, and Cold Bath Brewing Co a beer terrace.