Allow the District Line to make its genteel, slightly sputtering way to its terminus, and disembark in leafy, lovely Wimbledon. It’s its own delightful enclave – an oasis of calm, zhuzhy, quasi-countryside. There’s also a surprising number of highly commendable bars in Wimbledon, best experienced after a refreshing stroll across the common. We’ve assembled the best of them here so that, even if the tennis isn’t on, you won’t be far away from the perfect serve…
601 Queens Road
As neighbourhood bars go, 601 Queens Road is really rather glam. Coming to you from the same team behind elevated all-day haunts like No 197 Chiswick Fire Station and Clapham’s No 32 The Old Town, it’s airy, modern, and just seems to get all the details right.
The kitchen serves food from breakfast through to brunch (a bottomless option is available, obviously) through to Sunday roasts. But you’re here, rightly, for the drinks – punchy palomas, refreshing banana daiquiris, genuinely tasty alcohol free options (the 0% Italian Spritz is a strong Aperol replacement). If you can, head up to the first floor, and grab a seat at the wrap-around roof terrace – it’s one of the few bars in Wimbledon to boast such a thing.
Details: 601 Queen’s Road, Centre Court Shopping Centre, No 4 Queens Road, Wimbledon SW19 8YA | Book here
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Tequila Mockingbird
Silly? Yes. Chainy? Uh huh. A guilty pleasure? Yepppp. Look, whatever your reservations, Tequila Mockingbird offers cocktails (lots of them) and happy hours (lots of them). So if it’s mixed drinks, a buzzy atmosphere, and the opportunity/risk of some late-night karaoke that you’re after, then you could do a lot worse than ensconcing yourself in a corner of this peppy Wimbledon bar and attempting to do some real damage to the cocktail menu – which is, in fairness, massive. Plus, as well as the classics, they boast some originals which are particularly strong (in both senses of the word). Treat yourself to a Caribbean Sailor, which blends Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum with Crème de Fraise, coconut rum, pineapple juice and aromatic bitters.
Details: 82 The Broadway, SW19 1RH | Book here
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Hemingways
If you’re hunting for a cocktail bar in the Wimbledon region, it won’t be long until you’re ushered in the direction of Hemingways – an honest-to-goodness local cocktail joint, and a smashing place to let your hair down for a freewheeling drink or three. Their menu is experimental, but in a good way – their ‘Relaxing Gin Sour’ contains CBD oil as well as Earl Grey tea reduction (which, now that Quo Vadis have taken their legendary Earl Grey Martini off the menu, is a rare and valuable find), and their Caipirinha variant contains acai, which’ll work wonders on your inevitable hangover.
Details: 57 Wimbledon High Street, Wimbledon Village, SW19 5EE | Book here
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The Garratt & Gauge
A very solid, casual, all-purpose boozer – whatever you’re in the market for, it’s likely that the Garratt & Gauge has it in spades. There’s a prodigious gin menu, an extremely colourful range of craft beers and ciders (with some truly eye-watering ABVs), and a menu full of hearty, unpretentious pub classics – including a superb vegan menu offering pizzas, mac and cheese, burgers and hot dogs. Another dog-friendly establishment – as is only right and proper.
Details: 18 Hartfield Road, Wimbledon, SW19 3TA | Book here
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The Alexandra & The Loft Bar
Two (or possibly three) in one! Downstairs? The Alexandra, an excellent pub, which offers both a full schedule of live sport and a separate Lounge Bar that is utterly TV and Sky Sports-free. Upstairs? The Loft, a superb bar offering space for indoor and outdoor casual drinking, all fuelled by genuinely good burgers from the dedicated Burger Shack. The cocktail list is small but perfectly-formed (think classics, spritzes, some jazzy G&Ts and a dedicated ‘mules & mixes’ section), and the clientele are as friendly as you’ll find. A top-notch, all-rounder Wimbledon bar.
Details: 33 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon, SW19 7NE | Book here
After something more laid-back? May we direct you towards these lovely Wimbledon pubs