Five more British bars have been added to a prestigious, Michelin-like guide to the best bars in the world

About a year ago, a guide was launched that billed itself as the ultimate handbook for lovers of fine drinking. Called the Pinnacle Guide, it announced it would recognise the planet’s top bars by awarding them ‘pins’ – ranging from one pin for ‘excellent’ bars to three pins for ‘exceptional’ ones (a lot like the Michelin Guide awards stars to restaurants).

Since its launch in May 2024, the Pinnacle Guide has kept adding bars to its guide, doing so in October and again last week. A total of 31 new bars have been added to its prestigious ranks in April, and, excitingly, five of those are here in the UK. 

Of the five bars, four – Kioku Bar at the OWO, Equal Parts, The Bar Below and The K Baar – are in London. You can find out more about all them here.

But what of the other bar, the one outside the capital? The Milk Thistle in Bristol has earned that accolade. The Milk Thistle was awarded one pin in the Pinnacle Guide, alongside bars in places like Mexico City, Bologna and Sydney.

Sitting third on Time Out’s list of the best bars in Bristol, our local experts describe the Milk Thistle as ‘four floors of decadent excess’, describing how each floor has a different function ranging from a lounge bar and attic dining room to a hidden vault. The Milk Thistle also features in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. 

In other words, it’s a worthy addition to the Pinnacle Guide! Here are all the UK bars in the newly-updated guide.

All the British bars in the Pinnacle Guide

Three Pins

• Lyaness, London

Two Pins

• Kioku Sake Bar, London
• Nipperkin, London
• Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
• The Cocktail Bar at the Merchant Hotel, Belfast
• The Spy Bar at Raffles, London

One Pin

• Artesian, London
• Bacchanalia, London
• Bar Kinky, London
• Couch, Birmingham
• Equal Parts, London
• Hey Palu, Edinburgh
• Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man
• Kol Mezcaleria, London
• Kwānt Mayfair, London
• Lab 22, Cardiff
• Lucky7, Birmingham
• Nightjar Shoreditch, London
• Passing Fancies, Birmingham
• Rattlebag, Belfast
• Sexy Fish, London
• Sexy Fish, Manchester
• Side Hustle, London
• Swift Soho, London
• The Bar Below, London
• The Dark Horse, Bath
• The Guards Bar & Lounge at Raffles, London
• The K Bar, London
• The Milk Thistle, Bristol
• Velvet By Salvatore Calabrese, London
• Vesper Bar at The Dorchester, London
• Viajante87, London 

RECOMMENDED: The 25 best pubs in the UK.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.