You can’t have a blog with cocktail in the title and not be a fan. I’m a lover of the classics (books and drinks), so my favourite cocktail is a Manhattan, which, rather unusually, I discovered on a trip to Beijing! But I’ve since discovered lots of great London bars that serve up a mean Manhattan, as well as good Cosmopolitans (my second favourite) and many other cocktails. Here’s a collection of some of my favourite cocktail bars to whet your appetite.
Waterloo and the Southbank
1. The Archduke
The Archduke isn’t the fanciest London cocktail bar you’ll visit, but for me it’ll always be an old favourite. It’s under the railway arches behind the Royal Festival Hall and often has live jazz music. The food is pretty good, but we go for the outstanding (and very large) classic cocktails.
2. OXO Tower Bar
Walking along the Southbank, you can’t miss the iconic OXO Tower. At the top is the OXO Tower Restaurant, Brasserie and Bar. The brasserie menu is great and good value for the location. But nothing beats drinking a classic cocktail in the Oxo Tower Bar with a classic London view. The free snacks are good too!
3. Lyaness
A little further along the Southbank is Sea Containers London, a hotel which has a couple of great bars inside. On the ground floor is Lyaness, a classy cocktail bar overlooking the River Thames. The thin-stemmed cocktail glasses are gorgeous. They also serve afternoon tea, which I haven’t had, but from what I’ve seen, it looks pretty good.
4. 12th Knot Cocktail Bar
For an even better view of the Thames and beyond, take the Sea Containers lift up to its rooftop cocktail bar, 12th Knot. It has an outside terrace with fab views and the drinks are very good too. It’s a great place for a celebration, and there’s even a photobooth to capture your memories on film.
Covent Garden
5. Christopher’s Martini Bar
Across the river in Covent Garden is another old favourite, Christopher’s Martini Bar. In a great location just off The Strand, Christopher’s is a classic cocktail bar with low lighting and excellent drinks. As you’d imagine from the name, the Martinis are great, but they serve a mean Manhattan and lots of other drinks too.
6. The Lobby Bar at One Aldwych
Around the corner from Christopher’s is another hotel bar, the Lobby Bar at One Aldwych. As the name suggests, it’s at the heart of the hotel’s lobby and is decorated with works of art that inspire some of the drinks. It’s one of the most expensive bars for a cocktail on this list, so maybe one for a special occasion. We had excellent champagne cocktails for a friend’s birthday celebration.
7. Joe’s Bar
Another old favourite in Covent Garden is Joe’s Bar at Joe Allen. As with many of the bars on this list, it’s within a restaurant, and I’ve eaten there many times. Albeit mostly in its original basement location in Exeter Street. But Joe’s Bar at the front of the new restaurant is a great spot for a cocktail and very handy if you’re pre- or post-theatre, as it’s close to many West End theatres.
8. Eve Bar
A couple of streets away, tucked underneath Adam Handling’s Frog restaurant, is Eve Bar. It’s a cool concept where the parts of ingredients that can’t be used on the main Frog menu are used to create the snacks and smaller dishes for Eve. They then use the remaining ingredients to form the basis of the cocktails. And each cocktail on the menu has been created to showcase one fruit, herb, root or flower. Just watch out for the own label fizz, it was a lot more expensive than we expected!
9. Miracle at Henrietta
This Covent Garden cocktail bar is strictly for Christmas lovers! Miracle at Henrietta is a seasonal pop-up in the Henrietta Experimental Hotel, and it’s properly festive. The decor is full on Christmas, while each cocktail has a festive spin and is served in appropriately Christmassy glasses. Pre-booking is essential.
10. Larry’s
I do like an underground bar, and Larry’s is in the historic vaults under the National Portrait Gallery. Originally built as coal storage in 1896, the exposed brick space has been transformed with subtle lighting and over 100 portraits of the famous faces of London’s West End. It makes for a very cool spot, and the drinks are excellent. There’s even a book that explains every cocktail on the menu.
11. The Rooftop
I’m also a fan of a rooftop bar, and this one is actually called The Rooftop. It’s at the top of the Trafalgar St James Hotel and overlooks one of London’s most famous places, Trafalgar Square. It’s great in good weather as it has outdoor tables and serves great classic cocktails as well as its own concoctions.
Soho
12. Cahoots Underground
I’m not the biggest fan of themed bars, but Cahoots Underground is a fun option that showcases the famous London transport system. It’s a speakeasy-style 1940s cocktail bar set in a disused London underground station. Inside are a life-size tube carriage, signature Cahoots cocktails and all the classics, plus live entertainment. Opposite the entrance to the Underground bar at ground level, there is also Cahoots Ticket Hall, which is easier to get into without a booking, but not as much fun!
13. Disrepute
Close to Cahoots in Kingly Court, Disrepute offers a very different underground cocktail bar experience. The decor here is cool, the glasses are stylish and the drinks are excellent. It’s not very big, so as with many of these bars, it’s best to book in advance.
14. Swift
Another spot with an underground bar plus a ground-level Upstairs Bar is Swift Soho. The latter is for walk-ins only, while the more atmospheric Downstairs Bar is reservations only. As well as cocktails, Swift has over 300 whiskies on its menu, so it’s the perfect spot if that’s your favourite tipple. Obviously, I stuck to my favourite Manhattan, but that is, of course, made with Bourbon whiskey.
15. Ham Yard
Unlike lots of the bars on my list, Ham Yard has a large outside terrace, so it’s a great summer option if you can snag a table. They don’t take reservations for the bar, but there’s also plenty of seating inside, as it’s part of a restaurant and hotel.
16. Bar Américain
Heading back underground, Bar Américain is another favourite spot, just behind Piccadilly Circus. From street level, you go in through ZL Café, then walk through to the grand staircase. This leads down to Bar Americain, Crazy Coqs live music venue and Brasserie Zedel, a great place to eat in a fabulous high-ceilinged room. Bar Américain is styled as an authentic Art Deco American cocktail bar serving both classic and house options. It’s a great spot for a drink before or after dinner, and the venue is nostalgic for anyone like me who remembers its previous incarnation as the Atlantic Bar & Grill.
Other areas
17. The Courtroom Bar, near Tower Bridge
The first time I went to the Dixon Hotel to find the Courtroom Bar, I thought it was closed. Which seemed odd for a hotel! Walk up the steps, though, and the doors slide open to reveal the stylish interior. The Courtroom Bar is located in the former Tower Bridge Magistrates Court, where London’s infamous ex-cons were sentenced for their crimes. There are mugshots on the walls, original wood panelling and a sunken bar that sits beneath the judge’s original oak canopy.
18. Stables Bar, Milestone Hotel, Kensington
Another hotel bar that’s a great option for a cocktail if you’re in the Kensington area is the Stables Bar. Inside the Milestone Hotel, it’s a stylish old-school bar with dark wood and green leather seating. My Manhattan came with the Angostura Bitters on the side so I could add as much as I wanted. A nice touch and not something I’ve seen in any other bar.
19. The Coral Room, near the British Museum
Yet another bar in a hotel (yes, many of the best cocktail bars are in London’s best hotels!) is The Coral Room. They describe it as villa-style, and it’s certainly lighter and brighter than the underground bars with its coral red walls and greenery. It’s a good option after a visit to the British Museum or before heading to the Dominion Theatre, as it’s just a three-minute walk away. The classic cocktails are excellent, as are the snacks!
20. Eagle Bar, Grosvenor Square
The US Embassy moved from Grosvenor Square to Vauxhall in January 2018, and it took more than seven years before its former home reopened as the Chancery Rosewood Hotel. At the top of the hotel is the Eagle Bar, which has a cool interior and an outdoor terrace with the embassy’s gilded eagle statue and views of Grosvenor Square and Hyde Park. I went during its soft opening in August 2025, so the terrace was reserved for invited guests, but we enjoyed people watching inside and will definitely go back to enjoy the views from this iconic building.
21. Control Room B, Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is another iconic London landmark that took many years to transform, but it’s now a great location to visit. Control Room B is a cocktail bar set inside the power station’s former control room. All the original dials, control desks and switchgear racks have been restored, and the bar overlooks one of the power station’s massive turbine halls. As well as classic cocktails, the menu includes premium cocktails, including one that is served in a miniature Battersea Power Station. And of course, there are plenty of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues in and around the old power station that you can check out before or after a visit to Control Room B.
22. Darby’s, Vauxhall
About 15 minutes walk away and overlooking the new US Embassy is Darby’s. Unsurprisingly, given the location, it’s a New York-inspired neighbourhood restaurant with an oyster bar and a bakery. I heard about it from writer and podcast host Elizabeth Day, who lives in the area and posted about it on Instagram, so it’s clearly not just a haunt of the nearby embassy staff. They have some great cocktails on the menu, as well as live music events and a regular oyster happy hour.
So that’s 22 spots to enjoy a great cocktail in London. And while there are many more cocktail bars than this across the capital, hopefully this list will help direct you to some of the best.
For more posts about my home city, including theatre reviews, check the London section of my blog.