Finding a pint in Belfast for under a fiver is almost impossible these days.
Belfast has become a lot more expensive in recent years. In the city centre, you are hard-pressed to find a pint anywhere for under £6.
Long gone are the days of heading out with £20 and coming home with change, and don’t even think about spending anything less than £12 on a cocktail that takes you five minutes to drink!
With that being said, grabbing a pint for £5 or less in Belfast isn’t impossible, and here are seven pubs where you can get a pint in Belfast for less than £5. For the sake of this article, we’ve only included pubs in the city centre and its peripheries.
Maddens – cheap pints and a brilliant atmosphere
Now, while many pubs that offer pints on the cheaper end of the scale are often places people don’t tend to visit as much, Maddens is not one of them.
Maddens is arguably one of the best bars in Belfast. It’s the spot anyone should go to if they want to hear live traditional Irish music.
There is always a wee corner of people with their traditional Irish instruments ready for a session. If you’re visiting Belfast for the first time, Maddens will give you a real feel of Irish pub culture.
The great news is that you can get a pint for under £5. The last time we were there, a pint of Guinness came in at £4.50, but that has probably gone up a few pence as this was several months ago now.
Address: 74 Berry St, Belfast BT1 1FJ
The 3 C’s Social Club – ridiculously cheap drinks
If you are looking for a cheap pint and some cheap grub in Belfast city centre, then look no further than the 3 C’s Social Club.
It’s not the most popular Belfast boozer, but you’ll certainly receive more bang for your buck here. The going rate for a pint in the 3 C’s is somewhere between £3 and £4, so this is certainly one of the cheapest spots in Belfast for a pint.
With weekly food deals, live music, entertainment, and more, the 3 C’s Social Club is a bit of a hidden gem when it comes to finding cheap pints in the city.
Address: 43A Rosemary St, Belfast BT1 1QB
The American Bar – worth the detour
Located in the Sailortown area of Belfast near the docks, The American Bar sits a little outside the city centre, but it’s worth it for reasonable pints, tasty grub, and brilliant live music throughout the week.
You’ll be happy to know that a pint of the black stuff in The American Bar will set you back just £4.50. You can get other pints on tap for under a fiver, too.
Address: 65 Dock St, Belfast BT15 1LF
McKenna’s – off-the-beaten-track
Just down the street from The American Bar is McKenna’s, another spot to get a pint in Belfast for less than £5 in 2024.
At the end of 2023, the bar dropped some of its pint prices to just £3.50. However, this does not include Guinness.
The pub recently went up for sale, seeking new ownership, so we can only hope that these reasonable prices remain.
Address: 29 Garmoyle St, Belfast BT15 1DY
The Hercules Bar – a proper old-school Belfast boozer
The Hercules Bar might look a little bit rough from the outside, but it has some of the best pints of Guinness in the city at very reasonable prices.
It wouldn’t be the kind of spot many tourists visit, but it’s a staple in the city centre, oozing local charm.
A pint in this old Belfast boozer will set you back £4.60 for a Guinness and under a fiver for many other pints.
Address: 61-63 Castle St, Belfast BT1 1GH
Nancy Mulligans – pints for under £4
Located on Castle Street, very close to the Hercules Bar, is Nancy Mulligans, another classic, old-school Belfast pub.
Nancy Mulligans has been around for years, and as other bars in the area raise their prices, Nancy Mulligans can boast that it still serves pints for under £4, including Guinness and Harp. As such, this makes it one of the cheapest bars by a mile in the city centre.
Address: 95 Castle St, Belfast BT1 1GJ
The Sunflower Pub – one of the city’s best bars
One of the best bars in Belfast is the Sunflower Pub. Not every pint in here will cost under a fiver, but the last time we visited, a pint of Beamish set us back somewhere around £4.40.
Dog-friendly, great atmosphere, and great pints, what more can you want from a Belfast pub?
Address: 65 Union St, Belfast BT1 2JG
So, there you have it. These are the bars we have discovered where you can get a pint in Belfast for less than £5 in 2024. If there are any more that we’ve missed, let us know in the comments!
