An award ceremony saw bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants in Coventry celebrate achieving a leading industry accreditation – with Turtle Bay taking home the top prize for a second year running.

The city’s hospitality sector came together at Drapers Hall to celebrate their work in providing safe experiences for customers, with 14 venues receiving ‘Best Bar None’ accreditation.

Best Bar None is an accreditation scheme supported by the Home Office and drinks industry that aims to improve standards in licensed premises.

It is the industry gold standard and is delivered in the city by Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) and Coventry City Council’s Licensing Team. The accreditation highlights to customers that a venue excels in safety, training, management and customer experience.

The ceremony welcomed John Miley, from the national Best Bar None scheme, to speak to the businesses and present awards. He was joined by representatives from Coventry City Council, West Midlands Police and Dal Dhillon, founder of Dhillon’s Brewery and representative of Coventry’s Pubwatch scheme.

Venues to be recognised as Best Bar None accredited for this year include The Earl of Mercia, Las Iguanas, Turtle Bay, The Phoenix, Club Heat, The City Arms, Dhillon’s Brewery, Mr Shenanigans, Genting Casino, The Spon Gate, Samoan Joes, The Flying Standard, Putt Putt Social and The Yard.

Turtle Bay was named the overall winner at the Best Bar None Award ceremony, recognising the Caribbean-inspired bar and restaurant achieving the highest score across all the key assessment metrics.

The night also saw the presentation of five category awards to recognise excellence in specific areas.

Club Heat and The City Arms were joint winners of the Venue Management award, with The Flying Standard taking home the trophy for Staff Training.

The Spon Gate came away with the award for Customer Safety and Welfare and Dhillon’s Brewery was recognised with the Customer Experience prize.

This year saw the inaugural presentation of the Best Newcomer Award, as the accreditation scheme continues to attract new venues across the city.

Putt Putt Social, The Phoenix and Las Iguanas are all new to the Best Bar None scheme this year – with Las Iguanas and Putt Putt Social sharing the honours for the Best Newcomer award.

Joanne Glover, Chief Executive of Coventry BID, said: “Best Bar None isn’t just about recognition, it is about raising standards, promoting safety and ensuring that Coventry remains a thriving and inclusive place for all everyone that lives, works or visit here.

“This is the third time we have hosted the Best Bar None award ceremony and each year we see higher scores on assessments from existing venues and welcome new businesses to join the scheme.

“We would like to congratulate and thank every venue that has taken part this year – they are what makes this city so special and their commitment to a vibrant, welcome and safe nighttime economy is unrivalled.”

Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities and Chair of the Coventry Police and Crime Board, said: “This scheme is one of a number of really important projects that relies on a whole range of partner agencies and businesses to be a part of.

“Best Bar None and other schemes help create a better and safer experience for customers visiting the city, and I’m really grateful for the efforts of everyone involved – especially those businesses in the city’s hospitality sector.”  

Councillor Faye Abbott, Chair of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee at Coventry City Council, said: “I would like to congratulate all the venues that achieved Best Bar None accreditation for 2025, it is an absolutely fantastic achievement.

“This accreditation is an important measure of the improvement of standards. When people feel secure and welcome in any setting it is better for everyone, and contributes to a vibrant city where everyone can enjoy great experiences.” 

Deklin Kinsella, from West Midlands Police, said: “Congratulations to all of the venues that have achieved accreditation this year, their hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed. It’s important we all continue to work together to make nightlife in Coventry the best and safest experience it can be. We are proud to be partners in the Best Bar None scheme to make Coventry and its night-time economy a safe space for everyone.”

To find out more about Best Bar None accreditation contact admin@coventrybid.co.uk