130 Bar Name Ideas for Cocktail Bars, Pubs, Wine Bars and More

Short answer: A good bar name is short, easy to say across a loud room, and tells people what kind of bar to expect: cocktails, wine, beer, tapas or sport. It also has to be free to use. Before you commit, search your national trademark office plus EUIPO's databases (in the EU) or the USPTO (in the US), then check the company register, the domain, social handles and Google Maps. Below you'll find 130 bar name ideas in 10 styles, formulas for making your own, and the checks to run on your shortlist.

Key takeaways

• If a friend can't repeat the name back to you over music, guests won't be able to pass it on either.
• The name should hint at the drink or the room. "Cellar Twelve" reads as wine, "Tap & Barrel" as beer.
• Run trademark searches before you order a sign. Bars usually search class 43 (food and drink services), plus classes 32 and 33 if they plan a house beer, wine or spirit under the same name.
• Avoid names that boast about heavy drinking. They age badly and make the place harder to promote.
• Treat every idea below as a starting point. Any of them may already be in use near you, so search before you decide.

In this guide

• How to name a bar in 8 steps
• 130 bar name ideas
• Cocktail bar names
• Speakeasy and hidden bar names
• Wine bar names (enoteca and vinoteca ideas)
• Pub and taproom names
• Rooftop and beach bar names
• Tapas and aperitivo bar names
• Sports bar names
• Minimal one-word bar names
• Bar names from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Turkey
• Playful bar names
• Bar name formulas
• Bar names and alcohol: what to avoid
• Checks before you commit
• FAQ

How to name a bar in 8 steps

1. Describe the bar in one sentence. "A natural-wine bar with small plates for the neighbourhood" points to different names than "a sports bar with big screens and six beers on tap".
2. Write down 20 to 30 words linked to it. Use the street, what the building used to be (a pharmacy, a garage, a bank), the drinks you'll pour, bar tools and glassware (shaker, coupe, cork, tap), the hour you expect to be busiest, and family names.
3. Combine those words using the formulas further down until you have 30 to 50 candidates.
4. Cross out anything longer than three words, anything people can't spell after hearing it once, anything close to a famous bar or drinks brand, and anything that brags about how much people drink.
5. Do the loud-room test. Say each finalist across a noisy room or over the phone and ask the other person to write it down. If they get it wrong, so will the taxi driver and the friend searching for you on Google.
6. Run the availability checks below on the names you have left: trademarks, company register, domain, handles and Google Maps.
7. Mock up your top three on a sign above the door, a coaster, a menu header and a 100-pixel profile picture.
8. Leave it for a week, then choose the name you still like.

130 bar name ideas

Cocktail bar names

Cocktail bar names often come from the tools, glassware and techniques behind the counter. Guests who know cocktails get the reference, and everyone else still hears a short, clean name.

1. The Stirred Room
2. Bitters & Brass
3. Coupe & Cane
4. Twist & Peel
5. Salt Rim
6. Highball House
7. Smoke & Citrus
8. Amber Hour
9. Copper Shaker
10. Oak & Orange
11. Clear Ice Club
12. The Garnish Room
13. Jigger Lane
14. Velvet Vermouth
15. The Bar Spoon

Speakeasy and hidden bar names

In a hidden bar the name often doubles as the clue to the door. Your guests still need to find you on Google Maps, though, so list the business there under the same name you use on social media and your website.

1. The Back Stair
2. Door Nine
3. Behind the Bookcase
4. The Telegraph Room
5. Basement Six
6. Lantern & Key
7. The Velvet Curtain
8. Unmarked
9. The Fitting Room
10. Under the Stairs
11. Lamplighter
12. The Quiet Knock

Wine bar names: enoteca and vinoteca ideas

Enoteca (Italian) and vinoteca (Spanish) both mean a place that keeps and sells wine, and an enoteca often pours it for tasting as well. Both are common words, so pair them with a street, a district or a second word.

1. The Decanter
2. Old Vines Wine Bar
3. Soil & Vine
4. Cellar Twelve
5. By the Glass
6. Half Bottle
7. Skin Contact
8. Natural Pour
9. Corkscrew Lane
10. The Tasting Shelf
11. Vine & Vintage
12. The Second Pour
13. Enoteca del Vicolo (Italian: the wine bar in the alley)
14. Vinoteca La Esquina (Spanish: the corner wine bar)
15. La Cave à Côté (French: the wine cellar next door)

Pub and taproom names

Pub names lean on a few old patterns: an animal paired with an object, an old trade, or a local landmark. An unusual pairing or a local reference stands out more, and is easier to protect, than a traditional name another pub may already use.

1. The Crooked Anchor
2. The Weaver's Rest
3. The Hare and Hearth
4. The Old Ferry
5. The Dray House
6. The Gantry
7. The Settle
8. The Wheelwright
9. The Fox and Lantern
10. Hop Yard Taproom
11. Tap & Barrel
12. Twelve Taps
13. Malt & Mill
14. Brewhouse Yard
15. North Street Taproom

Rooftop and beach bar names

The view usually is the selling point, so say where you are: the floor, the sky, the tide, the sand.

1. The Lookout
2. Tenth Floor
3. Upper Deck
4. The Parapet
5. Golden Hour Rooftop
6. Skyline Terrace
7. High Tide
8. Low Tide Beach Bar
9. Salt & Sand
10. Driftwood
11. Barefoot Bar
12. Chiringuito La Ola (a chiringuito is a small, often seasonal Spanish beach bar; la ola means "the wave")

For a seasonal beach bar, see our page on digital menus for chiringuitos.

Tapas and aperitivo bar names

Food-led bars do well with words for the snacks and the small glasses that come with them. Gloss the local word in your bio or on the menu if many of your guests are visitors.

1. La Barra (Spanish: the bar counter)
2. Tapeo (Spanish: going out for tapas)
3. Picoteo (Spanish: nibbling, finger food)
4. Caña y Tapa (a caña is a tall, narrow glass of beer)
5. El Porrón (a glass drinking jug with a long spout)
6. Vermú del Barrio (Spanish: the neighbourhood vermouth)
7. Stuzzichino (Italian: a small, tasty bite to wake up the appetite)
8. L'Ora dell'Aperitivo (Italian: aperitivo hour)
9. Olive & Anchovy
10. The Anchovy Club
11. Little Plates
12. Before Dinner

If you run a tapas bar, our page on digital menus for tapas bars covers daily raciones and specials.

Sports bar names

Keep club names, crests and league or competition names out of it. Those are usually someone else's trademarks, and a neutral sports word lets you show any match.

1. The Final Whistle
2. Extra Time
3. The Dugout
4. The Sideline
5. Golden Goal
6. Back of the Net
7. Kick-Off
8. The Scoreboard
9. Half Time
10. The Locker Room

Minimal one-word bar names

One word looks good on a door and a coaster, but it's hard to find in search on its own. Use "[Name] Bar" in your Google listing and social handle.

1. Dusk
2. Ember
3. Brine
4. Ledger
5. Fathom
6. Cinder
7. Stem
8. Vault
9. Plinth
10. Kin
11. Mezzanine
12. Hollow

Bar names from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Turkey

Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Turkey each have their own words for the counter, the glass and the toast. These ideas use them. We checked each meaning against a dictionary (see Sources), but still ask a native speaker before you print anything.

Common words like taberna, tasca or apéro are hard to protect alone. Add a place name or a second word, as in the examples, before you search the trademark registers.

Playful bar names

Puns get remembered, but the good ones are already in use in many cities, they rarely translate, and they're hard to register as trademarks. Keep the joke on the drink or the room, not on getting drunk.

1. Shaken Not Bothered
2. Ale and Hearty
3. Gin & Bear It
4. Wine Not
5. Stir Crazy
6. Cork Talk
7. Fizz Ed
8. The Mixed Company
9. Brew Ha Ha
10. The Lemon Twist
11. Hop & Gossip
12. Sip Sip Hooray

If your bar is really a café by day, our café name ideas may fit better. Opening something food-led? See the guides to pizzeria names and bakery names.

Bar name formulas

Bar names and alcohol: what to avoid

Names that sell drunkenness are a poor bet. Wording about getting wasted, blacking out, bottomless glasses or barra libre (Spanish for an open bar) sets an expectation you then have to manage at the door, and it can put off the neighbours, families and daytime guests a bar needs. Name the place for its drinks, food, room or street instead.

If you open in France, know the Loi Évin, the law of 10 January 1991 on alcohol advertising. It regulates that advertising rather than banning it. Article L3323-2 of the Code de la santé publique sets a closed list of media where it is allowed, which excludes television and cinema. Every ad must carry the health message "L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé", and the content is limited to a set list of factual details about the product. In a December 2023 answer to Parliament, the French government said the law also applies on the internet and social networks. Before you plan posters or social posts that promote drinks under your new name, get advice. Other countries have their own rules on alcohol marketing, which this guide doesn't cover.

Checks before you commit

Run these on your final three names.

1. Trademarks

Search for identical and similar names. For a bar, the relevant Nice classes are usually 43 (services for providing food and drink), 32 (beers) and 33 (alcoholic beverages other than beer). Include 32 and 33 if you might bottle a house beer, wine or spirit under the name.

A trademark lawyer can tell you how risky a close match is before you pay for signage.

2. Company register

Check the national company register, and whether the name can be registered as your company or trading name.

3. Domain

Look up the .com and your country domain (.es, .pt, .fr, .it, .com.tr). Short and without hyphens is best. Adding "bar" (for example, namebar.com) is fine.

4. Social handles

Check Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. If the exact handle is taken, adding your city is common practice, for example @namebarlisboa.

5. Google Maps

Search the name with "bar" in your city and the towns around it. Two bars with similar names nearby means mixed-up reviews and guests at the wrong door.

6. Pronunciation and meaning

Ask speakers of each of your guests' main languages to say the name and tell you what it means to them. A word that sounds fine in English can be awkward in Portuguese or Turkish.

7. The sign test

Look at the name lit up above the door from across the street, printed on a coaster, and as a 100-pixel profile picture. If it doesn't work on all three, shorten it.

How Menumigo fits

Once the name is settled, the menu is one of the first places guests will read it.

• Your bar's name, logo and banner sit at the top of a digital menu that opens from a QR code on the table, the bar or a coaster.
• Every item can carry tags for all 14 EU allergens. Cocktails need them too: egg white in many sours, cream in dessert drinks, almond in orgeat, sulphites in wine.
• Menus work in 20+ languages, which helps in tourist areas. The free plan includes two languages; Pro shows up to 6 at a time, and you can swap which ones.
• The free plan covers one venue with unlimited items, one menu QR code, logo and banner, 5 AI menu imports and 10 AI translations a month, with no card. Pro is €19 a month or €180 a year (October 2026).
• Menumigo is a menu to read. It takes no orders or payments and doesn't connect to a POS, so guests still order at the bar or from your staff.

See how it works for bars and tapas bars, or try the demo menu.

Create your menu free

FAQ

What is a good name for a bar?

A good bar name is one to three words long, easy to say and spell after hearing it once, and hints at what you pour or where you are. It also has to be available as a trademark, domain and social handle. Examples: "Cellar Twelve" for a wine bar, "Tap & Barrel" for a taproom, "The Back Stair" for a hidden cocktail bar.

How do I come up with a unique bar name?

Write one sentence about the bar, list 20 to 30 words connected to it (the street, the building's past, bar tools, drinks, family names), and combine them with formulas like "tool + material" or "number + place". Then search trademark registers, the company register, domains, social handles and Google Maps to make sure nobody nearby already uses it.

What are good names for a cocktail bar or a wine bar?

Cocktail bars often borrow from bar tools and techniques, as in Bitters & Brass, The Stirred Room or Twist & Peel. Wine bars tend to use cellars, vines and glasses, such as Old Vines Wine Bar or By the Glass, or a local word like enoteca or vinoteca paired with a street or district.

Should a bar name include the word "bar"?

Add it when the rest of the name doesn't say what you are. "Vault" alone could be a gym or a bank, while "Vault Bar" is clear in search results and on Google Maps. If the sign stays short, put "bar" in your listing category, handle and domain instead.

How do I check if a bar name is already taken?

Search your national trademark office and EUIPO's eSearch plus and TMview (in the EU) or the USPTO (in the US), focusing on class 43 and on classes 32 and 33 if you'll sell your own drinks. Then check the company register, the domain, Instagram and TikTok handles, and Google Maps in your city.

Are there rules about alcohol in a bar name?

Trademark law applies to any name, and a name that brags about heavy drinking is a bad idea anywhere. In France, the Loi Évin of 1991 also restricts how alcoholic drinks are advertised, online included, so get advice before you promote drinks under your new name. This guide doesn't cover other countries' alcohol marketing rules.

Sources

• EUIPO, eSearch plus trade mark database. https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/
• TMview, trade mark search across participating offices. https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/
• USPTO, trademark search. https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search
• OEPM, Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. https://www.oepm.es/
• INPI Portugal. https://inpi.justica.gov.pt/
• INPI France. https://www.inpi.fr/
• UIBM, Italian Patent and Trademark Office. https://uibm.mise.gov.it/
• TÜRKPATENT, Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. https://www.turkpatent.gov.tr/
• WIPO, Nice Classification (NCL 13-2026), class headings 32, 33 and 43. https://nclpub.wipo.int/enfr/
• Assemblée nationale, written question no. 5417 on alcohol advertising and the Loi Évin, government answer published 12 December 2023. https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/16/questions/QANR5L16QE5417
• Larousse French dictionary (zinc, apéro, tchin-tchin, cave, quai). https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/
• Priberam Portuguese dictionary (imperial, fino, petisco, esplanada, conversa). https://dicionario.priberam.org/
• Treccani Italian dictionary (ombra, cin cin, bancone, enoteca, stuzzichino, aperitivo, vicolo). https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/
• TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük (kadeh, meze, muhabbet, şerefe). https://sozluk.gov.tr/
• Wiktionary, Spanish entries (taberna, tasca, terraza, barra, caña, porrón, tapeo, picoteo, vermú, vinoteca, chiringuito, barra libre). https://es.wiktionary.org/