Like a lazy orthodontist, we’re going to have to ask you to brace yourself.
What follows is a list of East London’s best bars, many of which risk eliciting never-before-experienced levels of excitement. There’s bars here for every occasion, budget, and drinking partner. There’s hidden speakeasies. Rooftop date spots. And a timeworn sailors’ drinking den tacked onto London’s only remaining bona fide music hall.
Enjoy.
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Nightjar | Old Street
Nightjar is a genuine speakeasy, complete with candlelight, conspiratorial whisperings, rose-tinted mirrors, leather chairs, live jazz and award-winning, strikingly presented cocktails. It’s also a genuine contender for the best bar in London, full stop.
Details: 129 City Road, EC1V 1JB | Make a reservation at Nightjar
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Seed Library | Shoreditch
Seed Library is the latest bar from cocktail whizz Ryan Chetiyawardana, a.k.a. Mr Lyan, a.k.a. the man behind the former #1 bar in the world (Dandelyan, before he closed it and reopened it as Lyaness). Serving classic cocktails with a twist on the ingredients, it’s a louche subterranean den tucked beneath the 100 Shoreditch hotel, and frequently has a stellar food residency attached.
Details: 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ | Make a reservation at Seed Library
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Bruno | Victoria Park
Michael Sager has something of the Midas touch when it comes to bars – after all, Equal Parts and Sager + Wilde have made it onto this list too. So it’s unsurprising that his latest spot – a rustic wine bar set inside a converted stables – has so much going for it. It’s brimming with atmosphere thanks to its modest size, double-height ceilings and vinyl soundtrack, but also brimming with good drink. Michael’s stacked the shelves with picks from his own cellar and those from growers he’s met and visited. The result is a menu that feels like a well-loved personal library, each bottle coming with the heartiest of recommendations.
Details: 211a Victoria Park Road, London E9 7JN | No bookings
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Lounge Bohemia | Shoreditch
Probably London’s best subterranean molecular cocktail bar styled after a 1960s lounge bar from the Czech Republic.
Details: 1e Great Eastern Street, Hackney, London, EC2A 3EJ | Book via 07720707000
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Barge East | Hackney Wick
Back in 2017 a trio of childhood friends decided that they wanted to open a bar & restaurant in the new Olympic Park. So they went to Holland, found a 117 year-old barge, sailed it across the North Sea, and anchored it in the canal at Hackney Wick. As you’d expect. They then went ahead and converted it into an absolutely gorgeous floating eatery and riverside kitchen garden, where you can get a well-picked wine list, spritzers, plus cocktails like the classic Negroni, and the not-so-classic Sex with the Captain. And plenty of Dutch lagers.
Details: Sweetwater Mooring, River Lee, White Post Lane, E9 5EN | Make a reservation at Barge East
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Equal Parts | Haggerston
Michael Sager is up to his old tricks again, opening yet another of East London’s finest bars. Equal Parts is an effortlessly cool space that feels like an aperitif bar shipped directly from Havana, with vinyl crackling from a record player, whirring fans overhead and intriguing cocktails like the Flor made with olive-oil vodka, sherry and tomato. There’s also offbeat spirit selections, from a broad agave collection to Italian amaro (served frozen) and EP’s own label wine.
Details: 245 Hackney Road, E2 8NA | Make a reservation at Equal Parts
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Coupette | Bethnal Green
Forget East London – Coupette’s greatness is measured on a global scale, winning numerous accolades and a spot on the World’s Best Bars list in 2019. It’s a dimly-lit, French-inflected drinking den with exposed brick walls, live music and coin-topped bar where the tenders mix up an exhilarating list of cocktails. Choose between the seasonal menu (which currently features the milk punch-styled Crème Brûlée Old Fashioned) and the Coupette classics (like the award-winning Champagne Piña Colada). It’s a real coup for the neighbourhood…
Details: 423 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AN | Make a reservation at Coupette
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Discount Suit Company | Brick Lane
A textbook date spot tucked away in a tailor’s old stock room, with Motown records and cocktails mixed by barkeeps fully fluent in the language of good drinks.
Details: 29 Wentworth Street, E1 7TB | Book here
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Mad Cats | Shoreditch
Step inside Mad Cats — the capital’s latest and greatest listening bar — and you’ll quickly see why it well-and-truly earns that label. You’ll find it on the Brick Lane end of Redchurch Street, and the moment you pull back the gleaming golden jaguar that serves as a statement handle on their door, you’ll instantly feel the mellifluous grip of music pulling you in..
Details: 107 Redchurch St, E2 7DL | Book here
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The Sun Tavern | Bethnal Green
A rickety corner bar that was opened by the team behind Discount Suit Company just a few years ago, but looks like it’s been around much longer thanks to the peeling plasterwork and old-school fittings. Come with a big group, drink poitín (a formerly banned Irish spirit), and make memories.
Details: 441 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AN | Book here
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Mahogany Bar, Wilton’s Music Hall | Whitechapel
Sailors and lovers have been frequenting The Mahogany Bar at Wilton’s since 1725. On Mondays, croon-worthy pianists type catalogues of jazz and soul music all night for free.
Details: Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, E1 8JB | Reserve for big tables here
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The Zetter Townhouse | Clerkenwell
The most sumptuous and intriguing of all London cocktail bars: packed with curios and oddities, it’s a den of lived in luxury, and easily one of the best bars in East London.
Details: St John’s Square, Clerkenwell, EC1V 4JJ | Book here
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Sager + Wilde | Hackney
Top calibre, predominately Californian wines sold by the glass over a bar of reclaimed cast iron cellar doors. And as far as good aesthetics go… Yes, this is literally as far as good aesthetics go.
Details: Hackney Road, Hackney, E2 8JL | Book here
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Satan’s Whiskers | Bethnal Green
A suave, award-winning cocktail bar nestled between newsagents, mini-cab offices and strip clubs with an illuminated icebox on the bar full of sliced tropical fruits.
Details: 343 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, E2 9RA | Book on 02077398362
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Three Sheets | Dalston
Three sections on the menu. Three drinks in a section. Three sheets to the wind by the time you’re finished. The menu changes every week at this laid-back bar, giving you plenty of excuses to return.
Details: 510b Kingsland Road, E8 4AE | No bookings
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Tayēr + Elementary | Old Street
Currently ranked as the 2nd best bar in the world, and therefore, quite possibly the best bar in East London. It’s a place of two halves. Up front: one-sip martinis and cocktails on tap. Out back: inventive cocktails made with serious care and a forensic dedication to detail.
Details: 152 Old Street, EC1V 9BW | Walk-ins only
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Brilliant Corners | Dalston
You’ll find Brilliant Corners in the middle of Kingsland Road, and it does three things really really well: casual Japanese food, natural wines, and excellent music. The moodily dark casual-minimalist space includes a permanently manned, one-of-a-kind DJ setup, and a set of toweringly huge, glowing McIntosh amps to pump out the absurdly good tunes they play. Behind the bar there are simple cocktails, fancy beers, and a whole bunch of super-interesting-yet-
Details: 470 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AE | Book here
Finished exploring the best bars in East London? Celebrate by dining at one of the best restaurants in Shoreditch