Bittles Bar in Belfast

I’m from Belfast and lived here all my life , we have many great bars and this isn’t one of them …. The staff are arrogant and rude . Don’t waste your money in this place and don’t believe the online hype it’s below average.

It was OK, Guinness was good but it's just as good at other places. We possibly had higher expectations for 'the best Guinness in belfast'

Bittles Bar in Belfast is, without a doubt, one of the most overhyped and underwhelming establishments I’ve ever had the misfortune of visiting. From the moment I stepped inside, I was hit with an overwhelming stench of urine that seemed to permeate every corner of the place. It’s baffling how a bar with such a rich history and a prime location has been allowed to deteriorate into what can only be described as a glorified public toilet. The atmosphere, which I had hoped would be cozy and inviting, was instead damp, dingy, and downright unpleasant. The walls, adorned with quirky artwork, couldn’t distract from the fact that the place felt grimy and neglected. The floors were sticky, the tables were wobbly, and the overall vibe was one of apathy—both from the staff and the management. Speaking of the staff, they seemed completely disinterested in providing any level of service. I waited an eternity to be served, only to be met with a half-hearted attempt at a smile and a pint that tasted like it had been poured by someone who had given up on life. The lack of enthusiasm was palpable, and it’s clear that the staff are either overworked, undertrained, or simply don’t care. As for the drinks, they were mediocre at best. The selection was uninspired, and the prices were unjustifiably high for the quality (or lack thereof) being offered. I couldn’t help but wonder if the markup was to cover the cost of air fresheners that clearly weren’t doing their job. The clientele seemed to be a mix of unsuspecting tourists and locals who either have no sense of smell or are too loyal to admit that this place has gone downhill. I overheard a few people commenting on the “unique charm” of Bittles, but let’s call it what it is: a dive bar that’s resting on its laurels and coasting on nostalgia. In conclusion, Bittles Bar is a shadow of its former self. The overpowering smell of urine, the lackluster service, and the general air of neglect make it a place to avoid at all costs. If you’re looking for a true Belfast pub experience, there are countless other options that don’t involve holding your nose and praying for the experience to end. Save yourself the disappointment and steer clear of Bittles.

Hospitality is unique that's for sure

Best pint of Guinness you can get in Belfast

We didn’t like being insulted by a rude and arrogant owner. So what the guy has got a reputation for being rude- dont care. Plenty of other bars which have more seating and welcoming. The only bar owner in Belfast which was rude during a great weekend.

Good Guinness. Just like anywhere else in Belfast. Nothing good or bad about this pub, bang average. People just go because it's always in the news about coke or somewhat. They do have a barman who looks like the love child of Sean Millis and RoboCop, which is interesting.

Great atmosphere, service is excellent and the Guinness is absolutely top notch!

A must visit bar in belfast, a bit unique design and it interesting how it is made in tirangle shape..!!! And love the old man there, he is a nice man.

Me & few lads travelled up on Saturday for the boxing. We said here, bittles bar supposedly does a creamy guinness, let's go. Absolute bang average. Owner John most have realised we weren't impressed, sent his son out with another round, couldn't give them away quick enough, told him we're away to the knee breakers were REAL men drink. The boxing that night was a robbery but a bigger robbery was John charging £6.50 a pint. #KickingDecky

Found a spot for me on a busy Friday despite me being on my own which I appreciated!! Thank you!! Definitely recommend if you are looking for a traditional type place!

Only one real ale and I such rude staff. I wouldn't bother with it.

Horrible service. Rude staff ruins this place. Lovely pub, it’s a shame that the man behind the counter has 0 manners and is just plain rude.

Small, mainly narrow pub with very characteristic decor. Lots of fun signs, slogans, photos and paintings on the wall. You continue to look around, enjoying a pint in the meantime. During our visit there was a lot of cheerfulness thanks to an enthusiastic group of locals. The bartender on duty, on the other hand, did not show the most enthusiasm.

Nice little pub with very friendly staff. They have a massive selection of whiskeys, no menu, but you can ask for a suggestion or look very closely at the labels with the price per shot. Whiskeys ranging from £4 to £200. Great Guiness pour. Cosy ambience. Whiskeys considerably more expensive than at comparable pubs.

Owner is incredibly rude, unwelcoming and unfriendly. DO NOT BOTHER Looked me up and down as soon as I walked in on my own to get me and my boyfriend as a drink and asked me what I needed in here and dismissed me because I wasn’t sure what I wanted. Absolutely awful, the worst customer service I have ever experienced.

Didn't have food so can't comment there. Atmosphere was great, as were the drinks. Service wasn't too cheerful but perfectly adequate.

Wouldn’t recomend, called in on way to train. unable to have a drink as we were driving later in the day. Owner told us to f*** off We have drove past it for 30 years, always wanted to go in and that’s what we got Never in nearly 60 years been spoken to in this way in a pub.

Tiny bar. Guinness good and atmosphere friendly

The nicest Guinness I’ve had. The staff were great

I’d wanted to visit Bittles to make my own mind up after hearing all kinds of reviews. It was a Sunday afternoon so we’d hoped it would be quiet and we were lucky that there were seats free. Pretty soon after anybody who arrived were asked to have their drinks outside as standing inside is a no-go as the bar is so small. John the proprietor is curt but it’s very much his style so it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. He was quick to say he’d bring the drinks over and that payment was card only but not in a rude way. The pint was a very good one so we had a second drink and the staff constantly check to see if they can bring you another. It’s certainly an experience in a quirky spot and I can see why it might leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths but we certainly enjoyed our visit.

Bittles Bar was a great bar my twin brother and I dropped into as we were pub and bar hopping around this part of the city and what a great find. Walking in and I knew I would enjoy my visit here, interior is small and narrow, an eye catching serving bar dominates the main room, pubby decor and furnishings, great wall art and plenty of seating options spread throughout this pub and all housed in a striking looking building, its just a really good bar to unwind in. We both really enjoyed our beers in here before we moved on and although our visit was only fleeting for a first time visit to Bittles Bar we were totally impressed. Bittles Bar is easy to locate along Upper Church Street. Opening hours are; Monday to Saturday, open from 11am. Sunday, closed. Well worth checking out if you're in the area.

Best pub and best pint in Belfast. Period!

Best pint of Guiness and bar in Belfast. Cosy little bar serving the best pint of the black stuff in town. Great atmosphere, owner and staff are amazing. Will be back.

incredible pint. pale ale was delicious too

First Guinness, and this in Belfast! They kindly made me a small glass so I could taste before I started on a pint! THANKS !

Wouldn't even bother your time going to this pub. The owner and staff treat you like your a rodent the street. This place was reccomended to us by a local while we were on a trip to Belfast. We walked in and were awarded with bluntness, once we placed our order - two beers and a coke - the owner, jumped in and demanded to leave with rudeness, upon asking why, what the reason was, we were told we were wasting his time and demanded us to leave. Take your money elsewhere, somewhere that actually treats you like customers, no actually human beings!!

Best pint of Guinness in Town 👍 Different prices running depending on who you are 🤔

Lovely atmosphere and fantastic service. And actually decently good priced drinks! Will be back! I recommend da ginis

Rudeness, aggression, extreme bad language and staff ignoring customers is not characterful. The stout is too cold for real taste and there's much better elsewhere.

Best bar in Belfast! Went in here on a Saturday night out in Belfast. The Guinness was fantastic as is the whole atmosphere. There’s a great selection of drinks including some good whiskeys. The staff are great (just don’t ask for a half pint!!). The art work in the pub is fantastic. Well worth a visit on any occasion - enjoy!

Owner talks about surge pricing Guinness to £10! Complete joker and doesn’t care about the customers

Seems like a nice place but the barman was so instantly rude to my mum, who was scouting out whether there was a free table, that we just left immediately. Maybe next time

Bar was lovely. But I went at 12 pm on a Wednesday. Bar was half empty at the time. For a table of 3 we ordered one pint and heard nothing but rude comments from the owner

Didn't get to try their Beer or whisky, they seen my Poppy badge which i wear all year as its a Football team poppy pin and wouldn't serve me, said there was no room even though I was happy to go on the street with others who were outside I was with my wife friend and his wife .Our money was Spent elsewhere so no loss .It was definitely the Poppy Pin as he looked at it for several seconds before his decision, Some people won't move on .

The pints were lovely but the staff are so rude that it ruins the experience.

This pub is a famous institution in the city and it’s easy to understand why. The building itself is gorgeous, both outside and in, but be prepared for it to get busy given how small it is. There’s loads to admire with the decor inside including a massive range of whiskey bottles, and there’s a small amount of seating area on the pavement outside. Staff were friendly enough and very efficient, offering to bring drinks to the table too, and its a really authentic and traditional place for a drink in the city centre.

This pub is a famous institution in the city and it’s easy to understand why. The building itself is gorgeous, both outside and in, but be prepared for it to get busy given how small it is. There’s loads to admire with the decor inside including a massive range of whiskey bottles, and there’s a small amount of seating area on the pavement outside. Staff were friendly enough and very efficient, offering to bring drinks to the table too, and its a really authentic and traditional place for a drink in the city centre.

Whilst visiting Belfast we were advised to visit this pub. 7 of us(40 year old females) went here on Saturday night, there was space in the pub -a table was just leaving and offered their seats the barmaid told us there were too many and they only allow 5 in a group. Her attitude was disgusting.........even if 5 were only allowed there would have been a nicer way to articulate it. Shame really as would have liked to have given a better review but we weren't given the option. The other member of staff looked bemused as to why we were rejected. Obviously barmaid took issue with us.....pubs loss, because as a previous bar worker myself we always tip.

Beautiful bar with excellent staff. Nice buzz with beautiful art work and a very good Guinness!

Great pint of guinness, great atmosphere. What more do ye need

Absolutely reeks in thon place from toilet. Overpriced pints, and stinking wee bar.

Tried to pop in for a quick pint on Friday around 4pm as storm Darragh was raging. As soon as the guy on the door(white tshirt) heard my accent he physically blocked the door to the bar and said there were no tables left inside. He said we could sit outside gesturing to the rain soaked chairs as they were blowing away in the storm. What a classy guy… Take note if you’re from Cork/Munster you’re not welcome at this establishment.

Great pint of Guinness and looked after our dog too!

Terrible customer service , so many better places to drink in belfast

price gouging, wants the charge 10 for a pint of Guinness.

No space inside but managed to sit outside. Serves the best Guiness. Very friendly and quick service!

Nice local bar for a pint and a chat

The best pint of Guinness I have ever tasted in the world.

Decepcionante, como era de esperar. ¿Entonces por qué irías? -Bueno, soy un poco como sucede. Así que tuve que visitar mientras estaba en Belfast. Como era de esperar, sólo los viejos tienen dueño. El evento principal (Guiness) estuvo bien, pero nada especial. Quizás las cosas se hubieran calentado si nos hubiéramos quedado, pero las reglas de los propietarios de ‘sin clientes permanentes’, etc, estropearon la visita para nuestra familia extendida de siete.

Visited Belfast for a wedding and popped in to Bittles for a drink. Very busy pub and excellent service. Would defo visit again.

Lovely pub with a lovely Guinness.

Un pub agradable y agradable la primera vez que intenté entrar estaba muy ocupado un sábado por la tarde volví el lunes me las arreglé para conseguir un asiento y me quedé por un par muy agradable

Great experience Wonderful pub...... Best pint of Guinness while we stayed in Belfast

Fantastic service and great atmosphere

An unusual shaped bar! I was in during the day so a bit quiet. Had a lovely pint or two of Smithwicks! Visit when you are in Belfast.

Fascinating building to look at

Another one of belfast great pub brilliant service and atmosphere

El anfitrión más rudo que jamás conocerás Trata al público como si se arrastraran desde debajo de una roca Podrían vender buenas Guinness pero no vale la pena la pena

In belfast for a break and just got back today. Tried loads of pubs and all were great with a lot having great live music, but Bittles Bar was definitely the best pint of Guinness we had. Loved the decor and the bar staff were brilliant. They even did table service and made sure we had plenty of refills!!! If you're ever in Belfast you have to go to Bittles Bar

Not sure what I expected, but was somewhat disappointed, the place itself was nice enough, but the midges were awful, had to keep my hand over my glass of wine to stop them landing in it. Wouldn’t rush back.

Great Guinness, great table service, ropey toilets, but heck can't have it all.

Rumour has it that Bittles Bar pours the finest pint of Guinness in the city! Us Travelling Leprechauns, bein' avid Guinness enthusiasts, had to investigate this claim. We found Bittles to be a cosy wee pub, adorned with captivatin' pictures that'll make yer eyes dance with delight. The staff were friendly and eager to chat, makin' us feel right at home.As for the Guinness, we can confirm the rumors are true - Bittles Bar serves a lovely, thick, creamy pint that's hard to beat! At £5.80, it's a fair price for a city center pub. The only downside is the limited seating, so ye might struggle to find a spot to rest yer weary legs after explorin' Belfast.All in all, we highly recommend givin' this delightful wee pub a go, especially for all ye Guinness lovers out there! Sláinte! 🍀#BittlesBar #BestGuinnessInBelfast #BelfastPubs #GuinnessLovers #IrishHospitality #TravellingLeprechauns #LiamOShennanigans

Excellent service and the best pint of Guinness.

It's bizarre how a place like this stays afloat. There's nothing going for it. The bar is tiny with barely enough room, the staff are exceptionally rude and impatient, it's outrageously expensive and they live off this nonsense of being "the best Guinness in Belfast" when it tastes exactly the same as every other Guinness in Belfast, Dublin, the world etc. Boasting you serve the best Guinness is like Omniplex boasting they showed the best Avengers movie

The best pint of Guinness about, at a reasonable rate, with great service and always somebody to have the craic with. If you're a visitor to Belfast, make sure this wee corner is on your to-do list. If you're a local, support small bars like this

Super friendly staff cozy atmosphere, best Guiness in Belfast

Don't waste your time coming here, the most unfriendly staff who really shouldn't be in the pub trade, I say this as someone who was travelling around the NW of Ireland and the top part of NI and Antrim for five weeks in our motorhome, we drank in pubs every night for five weeks, save your shoe leather and go somewhere else !!

Pub that many people say is best pint of Guinness in Belfast Pop in decide for yourself I thought it was one of the best pints on our tour of Northern Ireland One bar inside very traditional some nice murals of local history past and present Doesn’t tolerate shandy drinkers ,Diet Coke drinkers or Dags Probaly a good thing all pubs should roll out except for Dags

Legendary pub. No standing allowed in the small space inside. We managed to get some seats outside. You can pop your head in and order or on the Saturday we went there was a team of lads serving and checking on customers constantly. The Guinness was of course a fantastic, rich creamy pint. Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Tiny little bar with a huge personality!

Busy and cosy pub. Great to enjoy your Guinness

It's basically a dive bar. A awesome dive bar

Best bar in Belfast with the best Gunness. Bittles is a small quirky bar serving quality beers & whiskeys. It's a fabulous mix of local pub & must visit tourist destination for that proper "Belfast Pub" vibe. One to put on the top of your Belfast agenda as it will be definitely one you will want to remember.

Best Guinness in the whole Belfast.

Great wee bar for a quick drink after work.

First time in Bittles bar great Guinness best pint in Belfast

Wow! Proper traditional local pub, fantastic service, beers, and atmosphere!

Very good service and very welcoming. Interesting decor and unusual pub shape

Great spot, great service, great prices. And I'm told it's the best Guinness in Belfast. Recommended.

Humiliated by landlord for not drinking alcohol not that he cares as being mean is his schtick.

Been there a good few times now. You need to get there early as it's full of tourists these days. The Guinness is excellent, the staff are friendly and efficient, especially the girl that works there. Only saw the owner John once. They say he's grumpy, but I think he's expected to be and plays up to it after all the talk on the internet about him.

Great atmosphere. Lovely pub. Great Guinness

Im not normally one to leave bad reviews. However, me and my friend walked into this pub with the intention of just getting a Diet Coke and sitting outside in the sun. For context we sound very Southern English but my dad is from Belfast and we were visiting family. We were “greeted” with a nasty man who asked us “why are you here” and when I told him he said straight faced “are you joking”; to which, at first I thought was a joke. I soon found out this wasn’t. I assume he expected us to get an alcoholic drink (it was 11am on a Sunday) as he snapped and said we only do beer and spirits. I thought he was being rude because we looked underage so I offered him our ID’s (we are 20 years old). He then shouted at us to leave and said he doesn’t care about our IDs he isn’t serving us. It was loud so the entire pub heard and considering I was very friendly towards this man I think this was completely out of order and the worst experience I’ve had anywhere before. For more context everywhere else I have been whilst here in Belfast I’ve had a lovely experience and the staff have been nothing short of amazing. I had a terrible experience at this pub that almost left me in tears. That is no way to speak to anyone I am disgusted and still in shock to be honest. I would strongly suggest you think long and hard about visiting this pub. If I could leave no stars I would. The man was bald. Enough said

Arrogant owner John bittle of bittles bar has been in the news in the past year. Firstly, because he wouldn't serve a customer a Coke, rather he trying to force to serve him a Guinness instead even though was tee-total . Secondly, John Bittle has just had to settle a religious discrimination case after telling a customer ‘we don’t serve Protestants. If i was reading this & considering going to this establishment, I would have second thoughts & avoid it like the plague if visiting given negative publicity!!

Smallest pub in Belfast. Friendly boss.

Don't do cocktails, dont do half pints, love it. You just get a great bar with a great atmosphere

One of my fav boozers in Norn Iron!

We was advised by our taxi driver to give it a go and so glad we did - friendly staff who take your order at the bar and bring to your table - lovely Guinness - the staff are very busy but attentive - went again on our last day to get a lovely pint - I would definitely recommend it’s a lovely bar where you are made welcome if you are a visitor or local

Used the bar as a meeting place for a lads weekend away. Guinness was excellent, staff were friendly and full of good banter, will be drinking here again.

Very cozy atmosphere, great place for a pint

Toilets add their own character;-)

Excellent bar and great staff except for a wee rude staff who I now know was the owner, such a rude arrogant person, otherwise a great time, but we will not go again or recommend

Barman very aggressive. Have been here before but will never be back. Rudeness personified. I said the Guinness was too warm. It wasn’t poured fresh as we were just sitting down when it arrived. He made a big scene about my complaint. I left it and moved on. Never again.

Saw the recent story of religious discrimination by the owner of Bittles. When I first moved to Belfast he gave me an unpleasant perspective on where to live, leaving a nasty impression of what is normal as a way to speak of one another in a region so long divided. The owner seems to thrive on negative publicity so I won't say too much more - other than the pub is also massively overpriced based on the few times I've visited.

£6.50 for Guiness served in a dirty glass. Never again.

Owner is sectarian. Says he doesn’t serve Protestants

Worst bar in Belfast folks please stay away

Bittles is living in the past as regards customer service a small band of regulars lick his boots and hes some sort of despot his way or else this guy should not be a city centre bar person my god the tourist must hate his bar a poor example for belfast social life

Lovely pub but the barmans attitude when asked why it was "no cash tap only" the reply really shouldn't have been "yes it is, what about it" had one drink and left.