WHERE TO DRINK…
There’s no disputing the fact that London has some of the best bars and pubs in the world.
Pub culture is a big part of the London lifestyle and the buildings themselves have been a social hub for Londoners and visitors alike for centuries. Perhaps without quite the same enduring presence, bars are equally important to the London drinking scene today.
Pinpointing the number of drinking dens in London is virtually impossible due to constant openings and closures, sadly with the latter largely in the pub sector. Despite the ups and downs, one thing remains true… there is always a hangout in the capital offering a warm welcome and a place to either kick up your heels or enjoy a solo swifty.
If you’re in the mood to raise a glass or two, whether that’s an artisanal pint, a money-no-object luxurious cocktail or the very best glass of wine you can get for under a tenner, read on to find out the best drinkeries, whatever your inclination.
…To impress
Manetta’s
Languishing below Fleming’s boutique hotel in Mayfair, Manetta’s is a cosy, sophisticated bar serving sublime cocktails. The surroundings are decco-y, a nod to the era when Fleming’s was a hotspot of expression and the hideout for the literary glitterati and celebrated aristocrats. Agatha Christie based her novel ‘At Bertram’s Hotel’ on Flemings.
Plush velvet, polished rose gold, dimmed lights and dark secret corners abound as the backdrop for clandestine meetings and beautifully curated cocktails, including a range of meticulously mixed negronis and signature cocktails inspired by the many scribblers and auteurs of the 20’s and 30’s that once frequented.
7-12 Half Moon Street, Mayfair, W1J 7BH
… With a crowd
The Natural Philosopher
In the East of London, near Hackney and Shoreditch, bizarrely accessed through a computer repair shop on Hackney Road, friendly local hangout ‘The Natural Philosopher’ prides itself on creating adventurous cocktails with foraged ingredients from across the UK. In a speakeasy-style basement space packed with antiquities and laid-back charm, friends gather for fun in convivial and whimsical surroundings.
The cocktail menu is a celebration of nature's diversity, based on unusual pairings, adventurous cocktail-making skills and includes The Natural Philosopher’s renowned range of Picklebacks, which the owner himself champions. With a daily Happy Hour from 6-8 pm, this covert jewel is full of joy for so many reasons and might just be one of London’s best-kept secrets.
489 Hackney Road, Shoreditch, E2 9ED
www.naturalphilosopher.co.uk
@naturalphilosopher_e2
… When you’re broke:
Simmons Cocktail Bars
Let’s start by acknowledging that the Simmons chain (yes there are a number of them scattered across London) probably isn’t for everyone. But, if £2.50 beers, bottles of wine for a tenner, signature cocktails for sharing served in a teapot for £15.00 are music to your ears as you veer towards the end of the month, light on funds but looking for a good time without the price-tag, then Simmons might just fit the bill.
The music is eclectic, there are big screens, karaoke, lots of special event nights and with drinks aptly named ‘Sex with a lad’ or ‘Brain Haemorrhage’ and a Happy ‘hours and hours…’, wrapped up in all its pink kitschy-ness, Simmons may well offer the best value for money since you graduated from ‘Spoons.
23 locations across London
@simmons_snaps
… When only a juice will do
Juicebox
If you’re looking for a post-workout, pre-work or lunchtime juice and you don’t mind getting a few more steps in, then Juicebox is the place to go. It’s not so much a convivial juice bar where you sit and scroll through your performance stats, but a friendly stall on Oxford Street, piled high with delicious fruit and veg, where freshly squeezing every last bit of goodness is the mission in the quest for seasonal juice perfection. Try their green juice, frozen yoghurts or protein smoothies - the Gym Nutter Butter is sublime - for the perfect antidote to aching muscles and stiffness, or a morning-after-the-night-before at Simmons (located literally two steps away).
Oxford Street meets Woodstock Street (between Vodafone and O2)
@juicebox_online
…For the love of music
Spiritland
After years of regeneration, King’s Cross, and Coal Drops Yard is London’s buzziest creative hub. In the thick of it, Spiritland captures the zeitgeist perfectly: part of a new breed of ‘listening cafés’ (a concept imported from Japan), it’s raising the bar for London’s most committed music fans. The idea is to combine great music with a comfortable space for listening. Workspace Café/recording studio by day; it comes alive by night with different DJs taking to the decks of its world-class sound system and towering speakers. Its not a club – there’s no dancefloor – this space is purely for music appreciation through listening, and thanks to its table service policy, you don’t have to bulldoze your way through a crowded bar to get a drink.
Workers kickstart their day with a flat white or cold-pressed green juice, while the evening transitions into moreish cocktails and sake - saluting Spiritland’s Japanese roots - from the extensive list. Great beers and wines feature on the menu too.
9-10 Stable Street, King’s Cross, N1C 4AB
@spiritland
…If you fancy yourself as a bit of wine buff
Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Similar to its French sibling with the same name, meaning ‘Supernatural Wine Bar’, this hidden gem in Neal’s Yard proudly displays a wine list to die for.
From the team behind Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC), 400 plus bottles from independent winemakers, and Champagne-growers, beckon with a unique story. Every selection is meticulously curated by expert sommeliers, waiting to be uncorked, explored and savoured.
While CVS (yes, another abbreviation) appeals not only to Francophiles, it offers wines from esteemed European regions and some unexpected locales too. Alongside there are delectable plates of French-style charcuterie and cheese to share with friends, but the real star here is unquestionably the wine.
The intimate, candlelit ambiance provides cosy sofas to sink into and low-level tables to ease the passage of your Bordeaux, Burgundy or Beaujolais, evoking the essence of a sophisticated modern salon. Ooh la la, indeed.
Resist the temptation of ordering a glass of the house red and instead opt for something altogether more special, ideally shared with a special someone, or a group of fellow wine-enthusiasts.
8-10 Neal’s Yard, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DP
@cvslondon