10 Secret Cocktail Bars in London

Want to experience a different night out? Then this guide of our top 10 secret cocktail bars in London will definitely help! Here the finest tucked-away, secret and hidden bars in London:

BARTS

Barts might be hard to find as it is hidden among a nondescript block of apartments. The trendy venue catches the eye of everyone that visits due to its eclectic mix of vintage furniture, taxidermy, and thrift-shop art.  

Cocktail lovers will enjoy a unique use of flavors and present techniques: even shots are served in vintage teapots! Bart’s Bar also has a secluded outdoor cigar haven; the Havana Garden which is open until 8.30pm every day. Snacks and canapés are also available, as well as their extra special “Barts Tea”.  

Barts is a great space to lounge over delicious drinks, impress a date, or enjoy a fun night out with friends.

Address: Chelsea Cloisters Sloane Avenue, London, SW3 3DW
Nearest Station: South Kensington (Tube)  

THE MAYOR OF SCAREDY CAT TOWN

Head to The Breakfast Club on Artillery Lane, just off Bishopsgate, where you’ll see a fairly normal looking Smeg fridge. Take your date by the hand, open the fridge door and walk through. You’ll emerge in a dimly lit basement bar with exposed brick, vintage light fixtures, an air of exclusivity, some great music and a wide selection of cocktails.  

The drinks list is eclectic with a selection of great spirits and a small but interesting cocktail list. The beer, cider, and pale ale are also unique worldwide ones; no standard Corona or Becks here! Prices are reasonable and happily affordable for such a hip place. There is also a small food menu to keep your stomach satisfied.

Address: 12-16 Artillery Lane, Shoreditch, London, E1 7LS
Nearest Station: Liverpool Street (Tube)  

OLD TOM & ENGLISH

Next time you visit Soho, add to your list the underground bar Old Tom & English, a bar with a cool, post-modern decor that serves interesting vintage infusion cocktails and delicious dishes celebrating all that is British.The red carpet, slatted-wood bar, geometric furniture, marble fireplace, and crystal decanters give the impression that you’ve stepped into a chic 1960s flat.

Address: 187b Wardour Street, London, W1F 8ZB  
Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road (Tube)  

THE NIGHTJAR

London can do Prohibition-era bars right, and this award-winning clandestine lounge proves it! If you are planning to visit The Nightjar be prepared to be enchanted by a 1920's scene of candlelit tables, glorious tin cup cocktails, and crooning jazz and swing bands soundtracking your evening. If the dark, moody design doesn’t get you, the live jazz certainly will. There is no other London, let alone Shoreditch bar like this. The Nightjar runs on table service and has a no standing policy or seating at the bar.

Address: 129 City Road, Shoreditch, London, EC1V 1JB
Nearest Station: Old Street (Tube)    

ORIOLE

Oriole is a new bar created and designed by the team behind one of the world's most notorious and legendary London bars, The Nightjar!  Oriole is located beneath London’s iconic Smithfield Market and has been described as a “classic old-school nightclub with live jazz, blues, and swing”. There’s live music seven nights per week (including some great Calypso, Cuban Son, Brazillian Jazz, and regular performances from Nightjar’s well-known roster of swing jazz musicians) plus space at the front for dancing.  Laced in gold flecks and art deco inspiration, Oriole lives in the glamor of the past with cocktails of the future.

Address: Oriole East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9LH
Nearest Station: Farringdon (Tube)  

DR. KLUGER'S OLDE TOWNE TAVERN

This secret and sophisticated bar is hidden beneath the Breakfast Club in the buzzing center of Canary Wharf. With wood-paneled walls, tufted velour sofas, stained-glass windows, taxidermy, and disco balls, Dr. Kluger's Olde Town Tavern is a great venue to have one cocktail or two and catch up with an old friend or the whole gang. Have enough cocktails and you might think you’ve stepped into a Wes Anderson film.

Address: 1 Crossrail Place, London, E14 5EL
Nearest Station: Canary Wharf (Tube)  

THE NATURAL PHILOSOPHER  

Concealed behind the masquerade of a vintage-style Mac repair shop on Hackney Road, lies East London’s hidden gem, The Natural Philosopher! As you step into the venue, you’ll feel transported to a Victorian scientist’s den. The combination of antiques, an Oriental rug, exposed bulbs, and a profusion of plants, give this hidden bar a warm, turn-of-the-century vibe. The Natural Philosopher’s cocktail menu is carefully crafted, with quality ingredients and exceptional flavors.

Address: 489 Hackney Road, London, E2 9ED
Nearest Station: Cambridge Heath (Rail)  

EXPERIMENTAL COCKTAIL CLUB

Fans of Paris’s Experimental Cocktail Club will be glad to know that there’s an outpost in London’s Chinatown neighborhood with all the Parisian panache of the original. The bi-level space features exposed brick, plush armchairs, marble tables, and a pressed-tin ceiling. the Experimental Cocktail Club has got 19th Century Bohemian Paris written all over it, from the quirky furniture and the mismatch glasses to the Soho uber-fashionable staff and the smattering of Absinthe throughout the menu. The Experimental Cocktail Club is quite an experience, it is definitely worth visiting to discover how adventurous you are in your choice of cocktails.

Address: 13A Gerrard Street, London  

CALLOOH CALLAY  

Callooh Callay is an eccentric and beautifully quirky cocktail bar located in Shoreditch. The sizable, low-lit venue has dark walls and is filled with Victoriana touches including an antique gramophone, and an ornate wardrobe. Calloh Callay has won several awards, including The World’s Best Cocktail Menu, handed out at Tales of the Cocktail (“the Oscars of the cocktail world”). Some of the perfectly perfectly-blended numbers are the Great Wave (with green tea-infused Nikka All Malt whiskey and pineapple sherbet); the Port Royal (mixing 23yo rum with fine port and lemon); and The Black Stuff (with Black Bush whiskey, Guinness, and date syrup). All worth tasting! Impress your friends with a trip to this cool London bar for a unique night out, none of you will be disappointed.

HAPPINESS FORGETS  

Happiness Forgets is a small and perfectly formed basement bar in Shoreditch, on Hoxton Square. Look for a chalkboard discretely propped up against an unmarked stairwell and you will find this hidden gem. It is the ideal place to enjoy an intimate and sensual atmosphere, created by the many cushioned benches grouped together, and enhanced by candle-light and blood red walls. The music played is a very refined and interesting blend of obscure jazz, pop, jazz fusion, R&B, soul etc which gives the final touch to the ambiance of the place, making it suitable for couples and keen conversationalists. Perfect venue for pre-drinks in Shoreditch.

Address: 8-9 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NU
Nearest Station: Old Street (Tube)  

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