Lets talk best bars in Leamington Spa

It’s easy to find a good bar. A bar that you go to with your friends, you have a drink, and you maybe half-remember what it was like inside. I think it’s harder to find an exceptional bar. One where you do remember the music, the atmosphere, the people – and the drinks (no matter how many you’ve already had!) Leamington Spa, being the student city it is, is plentiful with fun places to hang out with people you love. But where are the best places? So, today I’m going to share my top three bars that check every box.

God, maybe I’m just picky.

The drinks are flavoursome and fresh, with a plethora to choose from

1. Peaches
I first came to Peaches about a month ago, after hearing nothing but wonderful things about it from everyone I spoke to. I’m not usually someone who will make up my mind about a place before I’ve tried it, but with this bar, I just knew.

When you first walk in, the space is backlit with an amber light that casts the room in a molten glow, a wintry ambience that makes you want to order a glass of red wine. Or two. Lighting is very important to me, and it’s something I notice immediately when walking into anywhere. No one wants to be having a drink in what feels like a doctor’s office.

So, they’ve nailed the atmosphere. They also have nailed the decor, with white walls that make the bar feel airy and breathable, and wooden floors that create an artistic, loft-like feel.

I have been here for both coffee and drinks, and each time the staff have been nothing but lovely. Smiles on their faces as they hand you, in my case, an oat flat white or a Negroni. The drinks are flavoursome and fresh, with a plethora to choose from.

Peaches is also slightly tucked away, which I appreciate. It’s just off Regent Street, and you wouldn’t necessarily know it’s there unless you know about it.

That’s often how the best places are.

It’s essential to me that what renders a bar spectacular from simply good is its character, and if it has some at all

2. Salino Lounge
It’s hard to place Salino with a specific vibe, but my attempt is that it’s like walking into The Great Gatsby. Its Art Deco lampshades and patterned walls make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time, almost as if you’re having a drink in a charming antique store.

I came here also about a month ago, and my friends and I ordered their 2-for-1 cocktail deal. This is perfect for us students who want to enjoy a nice drink but don’t want to take out a small loan to get one. It was two Espresso Martinis for me, the coffee coating my tongue as the Kahlua blended with it wonderfully to create a perfect mélange for a cold night.

It’s warm and cosy inside, with many seats to choose from. All look out at the spectacular array of alcohols that line the back of the bar like festive bunting.

It’s essential to me that what renders a bar spectacular from simply good is its character, and if it has some at all. Salino is, luckily, one of the most eclectic and interesting places I’ve been to. I actually want to take their lampshades home for myself.

3. Hush Bar
In all honesty, I’m reluctant to even share this bar with the wider public, as I think it’s so wonderful. Hush is a speakeasy underneath the Terrace Bar (which is almost as fabulous), and it’s unlike anywhere I have ever seen before. Submerged in a 1920’s atmosphere, Hush plunges you into a delicious underworld of jazz, red lights and interesting architecture. Cavernous is possibly the best adjective, as it feels like there are nooks and crannies in every part of this space, waiting for you to dance the night away.

One of these places will give you a Friday night to remember, and maybe those memories will turn out a little hazy

The lights are low. The seating is equally as low, as if you’re sitting in a chic cave. There is live music that seems to infuse into your veins; your body becomes a musical vessel as you laugh with your friends over a joke that makes you giggle like maniacs.

I had a delicious drink here, which I still think about two months later. It was a Chocolate Martini. I always enjoy it when a bar spins a cocktail classic, and boy, did they do it well.

This place is definitely more for a treat evening, as their prices are more on the expensive side. But I think this reflects the service and the quality of the beverages. They charge you what they do because you’re also paying for the experience of being there – the experience of feeling like you’re Alice in Wonderland about to fall down the rabbit hole of fun, intoxication and an evening that makes you feel as if you’re in a film.

That’s up to you to decide what kind of film.

I hope you enjoyed this roundup of my Leamington top bar picks and that it inspired you to try some new places. One of these places will give you a Friday night to remember, and maybe those memories will turn out a little hazy. Sometimes you just have to accept the haze and rock on.