Including three of London’s hottest new openings, a hidden spot in Soho that seats only four, the coolest cocktail bar in East London and plenty more – these are London’s best bars for 2023.
Whether you need a bar to visit this evening or are looking for somewhere to book for a special celebration, we’ve compiled some of the best bars to bag a seat in this spring through summer. Each tried and tested by the CF team and contributors.
The Painter’s Room, Claridge’s, Mayfair
A fabulous, flirt of a place, The Painter’s Room – a ground-floor bar at Claridge’s – is a stylish hideaway. Sip on an elegant stir to the sounds of hip-hop remixes, French electro-pop, and jazz as you cast your eyes over the doodled drinks menu. The emphasis is on cocktails inspired by the culture, art, and design of Europe. Expect fresh flavours and boutique pours sourced from British, French, and Italian producers, while the food menu serves up dishes including prawn tempura, baby beetroot and a selection of British cheeses, among other things. With just 24 covers, The Painter’s Room is an intimate space; bring your best girlfriends or significant other. Gilly Hopper.
Tayēr + Elementary, Old Street
Photo Credit: Bernard Zeija
Ranked no.2 in The World’s Best Bars for 2022, Tayēr + Elementary is owned by bartending experts Monica Berg and Alex Kratena, who collectively have received a blush-worthy number of awards for their skills over the years. The bar is split into two halves: Elementary, the front bar serves cocktails from the tap and from the bottle, while Tayēr is hidden behind a concrete partition with a U-shaped bar, and designed to allow guests a front-row seat to the cocktail-making action. Sustainability is a large focus here, so the menu regularly changes according to seasonal and available ingredients. This is a walk-in only spot, arrive early. Megan Read.
Vesper Bar at The Dorchester, Mayfair
One of London’s hottest recent openings, expectations were sky-high for the renovation of what is undoubtably one of the city’s most glamorous hotels. After much anticipation, The Dorchester has unveiled its magnificent new ground floor, including two dazzling bars; Artists’ Bar and Vesper Bar. Taking the former spot held by The Bar, the new Vesper Bar takes inspiration from the hotel’s notable connection with James Bond writer, Ian Flemming. For the martini curious or those who fancy themselves as Bond, the Vesper martini is the obvious choice. Made with Stolichnaya Elit vodka and The Dorchester’s own Old Tom gin, it is the shining star of the cocktail menu and mixed to impeccably lethal perfection. The overriding feel at The Vesper Bar is a sense of seductive fun, so be sure to bring someone you can laugh with and who’ll happily order a second portion of shrimp tempura with you. Alexandra Dudley.
Bacchanalia, Mayfair
Designed by interior architect, Martin Brudnizki, Bacchanalia is not a place that takes itself too seriously; it’s a visual and culinary feast. Damian Hirst’s mind-blowing statues of unicorns, a winged lion, Medusa and Bacchus feel like they might come to life; staff wear togas and Roman dresses; floor-to-ceiling murals of Greek Gods and Goddesses line the walls; and the genuine, 2,000 year-old antique busts dotted around the venue add authenticity. Serving as a restaurant, bar and one of London’s best private dining spaces, take a seat at the bar and order one of their creative cocktails: the Baklava or Mai-Thasos are great options. The bar serves a separate menu to the restaurant, including caviar, crudo, antipasti, salads and pastas. There’s no need to book, you can pop in for a drink anytime. Alexandra Carello.
KOL Mezcaleria, Marylebone
Paying homage to the magic of Mexico’s mezcal bars, KOL Mezcaleria stands apart from its Marylebone neighbours. Working with a number of small independent Mexican producers, spirits at the bar are sourced from Oaxaca, Puebla, The Yucatán, and beyond. You can’t go wrong with your drink of choice: try an Old Fashioned or a Martini if you’re not sure where to start or, if you’re feeling brave, opt for the Raspado, made with Estancia Raicilla and scotch bonnet. Food focuses on Mexican flavours and seasonal, often wild, British ingredients. Their Antojitos menu offers an interpretation of traditional Mexican street food including empeñada, ceviche and a guacamole with pistachio sauce. Gilly Hopper.
The George, Fitzrovia
From the outside, The George seems to be a simple and understated pub, that bashfully deflects attention away from itself. However, inside, discover the charm and ambience of what is one of Soho’s best kept secrets. Head straight upstairs – a small, and discreet staircase guides you there – to the wine bar where shades of magenta and mauve, hot pink and rosewood, blend together to amplify the space like a petite jewellery box. Enjoy a glass of champagne as you watch the sun-soaked chaos of London drift past like cinema. The wine bar only seats four, so call to make reservations in advance. Sophia Penelope Hill.
Bar des Prés, Mayfair
Bar des Prés is the kind of place you’ll visit for a pre-dinner drink and end up missing dinner reservations, instead seduced by the cosy and sexy interiors. The London cousin of Cyril Lignac’s Parisian hotspot bottles the same vibes. The bar exudes elegance and has a touch of old-world glamour: rich in colour and bold in pattern the carpet sets the tone and is set against mahogany accents, high velvet bar stools, and low-slung arm chairs that are perfect for spilling secrets. Exceptional French wines take centre stage, but Bar des Prés excels at its food offering too. Order the fried sushi, avocado and crab galette and the squid tempura. Alexandra Carello.
Seed Library, Shoreditch
Caitlin Isola
Funkadelic in architecture and groovy in ambience, at Seed Library – just below the tried and true hipster cool of Shoreditch High Street – dimly lit small booths and communal couches will be your spot for the night and cocktails are given centre stage, with a ’70s joie-de-vivre meets ’50s smokey sultriness. A drink here is an escape from the usual East London chaos and a slip into a relaxed evening vibrance. This bar works best as an after-work, casual-cool scene. Skip the usual Soho crowds, pull out your platforms or studded leather jacket and settle in for an evening of Spicy Metropolitans. Or, if Metropolitans aren’t your scene, opt for the Coriander Seed Gimlet with notes of grape, and hints of spiced warmth. Sophia Penelope Hill.
Cadet, Newington Green
Opened summer 2022, Cadet is the newest addition to the already buzzing Newington Green. A daily changing blackboard menu offers low-intervention wines by the glass (and if you’ve a curiosity for something else there’s usually a couple more behind the bar too). Choosing the bottles are Bright and P.Franco alumni, Francis Roberts and Tom Beattie, so if this is your first rodeo with natural wine you’ll be in good hands. Cadet is more bar than restaurant but the kitchen serves up a succinct menu of seasonal small plates as well as excellent charcuterie. Go early as they operate a walk-in only policy. Alexandra Dudley.
Clarette, Marylebone
Housed in a ‘Tudorbethan’ former pub right in the heart of Marylebone, Clarette’s setting is wholly old-world English. But step through the door and into the wine bar and it’s a vividly French Art-Deco feel. Midnight-blue wood panelling and golden-sconce lamps frame the stained-glass windows in the bar, above which sits a sophisticated salon and up again to the second floor private-dining room. Our go-to order here: a Chateaubriand accompanied by a superior croque monsieur.
The Artesian, Oxford Circus
This quirky, award-winning bar within The Langham Hotel complex is a dream in amethyst. Floor to ceiling lilac decorations adorn this sophisticated space, where English regency and Ming dynasty styles gracefully collide. The oriental pagodas that crown the bar are perhaps a satirical suggestion of a place of boozy worship, where congregations come en masse to sample the Artesian’s selection of 50 rums. However it’s the deliciously absurd cocktails that people truly flock here for. Expect to find exotic ingredients such as yuzu, shochu, and vetiver blended with the more familiar, but equally bizarre, artichoke and coriander, served potentially in a golden pineapple, or presented on the haunches of a giant metal ant. Every concoction is a show-stopping performance, and we can guarantee you won’t be bored at the eccentric Artesian.
Lead image: Vesper Bar, The Dorchester
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