Source: https://top-list.co/top-best-bars-in-london-v10780.html
- Red Room, The Connaught
- La Goccia, Covent Garden
- Booking Office 1869, King’s Cross
- Le Magritte, The Beaumont, Mayfair
- The Painter’s Room, Claridge’s, Mayfair
- Cave Cuvée, Bethnal Green
- Bar Crispin, Soho
- Atrium Bar, Nomad London, Covent Garden
- Scarfes Bar, Rosewood London, Covent Garden
- Spiritland, King’s Cross
Red Room, The Connaught
Red Room is a wine bar hidden behind a velvet curtain in the heart of The Connaught, serving up red-themed artworks, an impressive wine list, and inventive drinks.
Red Room is the first bar to open at The Connaught in over 10 years and it has been named the greatest bar in Europe and won the World’s Best Bar 2021. The interiors were designed by Bryan O’Sullivan, who previously worked on The Painter’s Room at Claridge’s and The Berkeley Bar. With plump sofas, curved walls, and a soft color palette of pastel pinks, creamy neutrals, and greens offering the perfect canvas to the pieces on exhibit, he intended to create a setting that seems like you’re relaxing in the living room of an art collector. The focus here is on wine, with glasses of some of the world’s greatest bottles available to taste and six wine-themed cocktails – designed by Director of Mixology Agostino Perrone are the must-try when coming here.
Address: Red Room at The Connaught, Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
Website: the-connaught.co.uk
Red Room
La Goccia, Covent Garden
This cozy drinking hideaway in the heart of Covent Garden is the latest venture from the Boglione family, the owners of Petersham Nurseries. The sleek bar is made up of hundreds of hand-dipped bronze leaves, and there are dried flower displays and greenery on almost every surface and Francesco Boglione’s art collection of modern botanical works.
Hand-tied menus offer a variety of carefully crafted cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), as well as wines and beers. The drinks are the stars of the show; the bartenders use a lot of fresh spices, fruits, and edible flowers, and the ingredients change depending on the season. The favorite here is the Apple Star, a light, a sweet-but-sour cocktail made with JJ Whitley Gin, apple cordial, lime, and Amaretto.
Address: La Goccia, 1 Floral Street, London WC2E 9FB
Website: lagoccia.co.uk
La Goccia, Covent Garden
Booking Office 1869, King’s Cross
Booking Office 1869 is open in the heart of King’s Cross, offering an exciting new drinking and dining venue. Booking Office with the help of French-Mexican designer Hugo Toro, who transformed the interiors into a Victorian-style Winter Garden. The result is a lush, almost ecosystem-like room that sits somewhere between 19th-century London and tropical Havana, with a splash of modern chutzpah thrown in the mix.
A pre-mixed House Martini, infused with beeswax and served on ice in its own little pharmacy-like bottle, is available at the Booking Office. Victorian-inspired signature drinks include the Victoria Sour (pisco, long pepper spice, and plum syrup), and the Ol’ Signalman (pecan-infused bourbon, Cocchi Rosa, coconut bitters). Snacks like fried chicken with yogurt dip, bresaola and celeriac remoulade, and oysters from the raw bar have all been served here.
Address: Booking Office 1869, Euston Road, London NW1 2AR
Website: booking-office.co.uk
Booking Office 1869, King’s Cross
Le Magritte, The Beaumont, Mayfair
Le Magritte Bar & Terrace is one of a long line of iconic American bars that thrived in London and Paris throughout the 1920s. Le Magritte tucked away in a corner of the Mayfair hotel’s grand lobby, welcomes you in with warm golden light spilling across the polished checkerboard floor and framing a striking view of the bar: rich wood, a seductive collection of glass bottles stretching to the ceiling, and the Magritte painting.
There is an outstanding assortment of Cuban cigars available, including classic line, regional, and limited editions. The cocktail list was created by bar manager Antonino Lo Iacono, who was inspired by René Magritte, the surrealist artist after whose the bar is named after. The cocktails, which are all named after renowned pieces of art, also come with simple taste notes to make sure you understand the menu.
Address: Le Magritte at The Beaumont, 8 Balderton Street, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K6TF
Website: thebeaumont.com
Le Magritte, The Beaumont, Mayfair
The Painter’s Room, Claridge’s, Mayfair
The Painter’s Room is a stylish, art deco hideaway that pays homage to the artistic haunts of Provence and Italy. Light and local cocktails are served here, with a concentration on British, French, and Italian producers.
Expect fresh flavors with boutique pours and a well-chosen wine selection that serves the best vintages by the glass, from Saint Remy to the iconic Almost a Bellini. The menu is divided into four chapters – Light, Interpretations, Complex, and Clean – and is brought over by bartenders in blue painters’ smocks as French electro-pop such as Kid Loco plays on the playlist. Guests can enjoy small plate dishes with the sounds of hip-hop remixes, French electro-pop and jazz, creating a modern vibe.
Address: Claridge’s, Brook Street, London W1K 4HR
Website: claridges.co.uk
The Painter’s Room, Claridge’s, Mayfair
Cave Cuvée, Bethnal Green
A wine bar in a cave does not seem to be a good idea. Cave Cuvée, on the other hand, takes its influence from the French wine bar kind of ‘cave’. It’s located on Bethnal Green Road in an old basement location, and it has hands down one of the best selections of natural wine in the city.
The team has a rotating selection of bottles open and available to order by the glass – you can scan the QR code to see what’s on the menu when you visit, but you should chat with the staff for recommendations, or just trust their exemplary knowledge and letting them bring you a couple of glasses blind. A green apple-tinged Pinot Blanc from Andreas Bender, as well as a chilled Pinot Noir from Andreas Bender, is a must-try here. To end the evening, try the Margarita, which is glass-clear and silky smooth, or the Old Fashioned, which is slightly smoky and dangerously drinkable.
Address: Cave Cuvée, 250a Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AA
Website: shopcuvee.com
Cave Cuvée, Bethnal Green
Bar Crispin, Soho
On Kingly Street in Soho, Bar Crispin is an all-day natural wine bar and restaurant. It’s a venue for any occasion, from quality coffee and baked goods to wines and seasonal shared meals.
Crispin’s in-house wine specialist Alex Price and head sommelier Stefano Cazzato have curated a selection of 150 vintages. On the blackboard, daily wines by the glass are listed, so have a look at the selection of skin contacts, reds, whites, and fizz specials. A wide primarily European wine selection, concentrating on authentic wines that use organic and bio-dynamic practices, as well as rare grape varietals with an emphasis on sustainability. Experimenting with a wide range of styles and winemakers, from more playful to more traditional low intervention styles Some wines are only available in limited amounts, and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
Address: Bar Crispin, 19 Kingly Street, Carnaby, London W1B 5PY
Website: barcrispin.com
Bar Crispin, Soho
Atrium Bar, Nomad London, Covent Garden
Nomad is a New York-style hotel in the middle of the city, with a sense of theaters and bars to match. The Atrium bar, on the other hand, is hidden beneath the spiral staircase, a curving Deco-glam creation with pink tasseled bar seats that overlook the restaurant and its three-story atrium.
The Atrium’s list has several favorite NoMad cocktails, tried and tested over the years. The Walter Gibson is a twist on the traditional, made with Viognier and pear eau de vie, and served with pickled vegetables on the side; the Atrium’s Hot Lips is a Margarita-style kiss of tequila and mezcal with jalapeno. The Dirty Martini is a salty kick served from the bottle, with white balsamic and various vermouths in the mix; the Espresso Martini adds whey and aquavit to cold-brew caffeine – and there are numerous traditional names here as well.
Address: Atrium Bar, NoMad London, 28 Bow Street, London WC2E 7AW
Website: thenomadhotel.com
Atrium Bar, Nomad London, Covent Garden
Scarfes Bar, Rosewood London, Covent Garden
Gerald Scarfe, a well-known British artist and caricaturist, has lent his name and artistic vision to Scarfes Bar. Gerald’s own collection of amusing and conversation-provoking paintings, adorn the marble walls, transforming Scarfes Bar into a living canvas, as Gerald describes it: “my own art gallery, where you can see my life on these walls”.
The beautiful space, with velvet couches, standard lamps, and shelves of antique books, has a real buzz about it, and a swinging soundtrack and staff dressed in tartan ‘trews’ make it feel like a party in a Victorian parlor. The leather-bound ‘bartenders book’ is a delightful tome with 16 ‘house creations’ expertly chosen list of wines, Champagne, port, and sherry. There are a few craft beers on tap as well, but the main attraction is the list of spirits, especially the whiskey collection.
Address: Scarfes Bar, Rosewood London, 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Website: scarfesbar.com
Scarfes Bar, Rosewood London, Covent Garden
Spiritland, King’s Cross
Spiritland is a hip café and bar in the heart of London’s music scene. Spiritland perfectly captures the zeitgeist: as part of a new generation of ‘listening cafés’ (a notion taken from Japan’s jazz kissatens – tea-rooms with state-of-the-art audio equipment), it’s upping the standard for London’s most music fans.
Spiritland, a café by day and a bar by night, offers the pleasure and passion of music listening. This is the place to experience all genres and eras. From 1950s jazz to deep electronica, country rock to vintage pop, there’s something for everyone. At the bar, expect an interesting experience with a range of excellent beers, wines, cocktails, and spirits. Wines from Slovenia, Hungary, and England are prominently featured on the wine list. For the cocktail, you can try Red Clay, which is a long drink made with spicy mezcal, cassis, ginger, and lime, or the sticky-sweet Man Child, which is made with vodka, Chianti, cherry, vanilla, and lemon.
Address: Spiritland, 9-10 Stable Street, King’s Cross, London N1C 4AB
Website: spiritland.com
Spiritland, King’s Cross
