Best Wine Bars and Cocktail Spots in Alicante (2026)
Skip the overpriced waterfront traps. The cocktail bars and wine spots locals actually drink at in Alicante, mostly around Calle Castaños, with honest takes.
Alicante does drinking properly, but not all of it is worth your evening. The waterfront is lined with places that charge a premium for the view and not much else, and the rooftop scene is a separate conversation we have already had. This guide is about the other thing: proper cocktail bars and wine spots in the city, the ones locals actually fill up, mostly clustered in the old town. If you want one street to remember, make it Calle Castaños. A lot of the good stuff is on or near it.
Cocktails done right
Nic Combinados y Cócteles on Castaños is our pick for a proper drink without the theatre. They were mixing classics here long before craft cocktails got fashionable, the bartenders know what they are doing, and nobody is trying to photograph the glassware. This is the grown-up choice.
Confetti is the one to go to when you want something more inventive. Creative mixology, a buzzy room, and a loyal local following. It leans a bit more lively and design-conscious than Nic, so pick based on your mood.
Ten 10, also on Castaños, has the moody industrial look and serious late-night energy. Honest note: its rating runs lower than Nic or Confetti, and reviews are mixed on consistency, so we would put it third of the three rather than first. Still a fair shout if the other two are packed and you want to stay on the street.
Wine
If wine is your thing rather than spirits, Syrah Wine Bar is the obvious call. A proper wine bar with a good list and the kind of staff who will actually point you to something rather than just pour the house red. A solid spot to drink slowly and well.
By the water (with honest caveats)
The marina and Explanada spots are about the setting, and you should go in knowing that. Noray, right on the port, is the best of them for our money: a café bar that works from a morning coffee to an evening gin tonic with the boats in front of you, and the rating backs it up. Marmarela has the prime terrace on the Explanada and a contemporary cocktail menu, and the location is genuinely hard to beat for people-watching. Be realistic, though: its reviews are mixed, the value is waterfront-priced, and we would go for a drink on the terrace rather than make a meal of it. Pay for the view, not the kitchen.
If you just want a pint and the football
No judgement. Cromwell's is the dependable British pub for comfort food, cold pints, and live sports, and it is genuinely well-liked rather than a sad expat outpost. Sometimes that is exactly the night you want.
Chasing a sunset drink up high instead? That is a whole separate list, and we have it: our best rooftop bars on the Costa Blanca. Out by the beach? See the best bars in Playa de San Juan. Otherwise, browse the full lot on our bars and nightlife directory.