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The Best Bars in Soho | 16 Exceptional Drinking Spots
Over the last decade London’s liveliest neighbourhood has made a name for itself in the restaurant department, and the bars have naturally upped their game too. From speakeasies to classic pubs, Soho has it all – except, perhaps, a subterranean, Blitz-era drinking den serving cocktails in an old underground carriage.
Oh, no wait – it totally has one of those, too.
So here, in no particular order, is our pick of the best Soho bars. Off we go…
Perfectly at home alongside the long-standing Italian restaurants around Old Compton Street is the compact Bar Termini. By day, it’s an efficient espresso bar; by night, it serves a short and sweet list of reasonably priced cocktails from 69 Colebrooke Row’s Tony Conigliaro. They serve up four types of house negroni (poured right to the brim) alongside a few classics and the occasional curveball characteristic of Mr. C (the Terroir contains distillates of flint, clay and lichen). There’s an equally concise food list offering charcuterie, carpaccio and a cheeseboard for pre-dinner grazing – just make sure you book one of their 25 seats (it’s table service only) before the place gets as busy as its station namesake.
Details: 7 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JE | Make a reservation at Bar Termini
Swift | For Incredible Cocktails
Swift’s opening was essentially the royal wedding of the cocktail world, having been put together by Nightjar’s Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson and Milk & Honey’s Bobby Hiddleston and Mia Johansson. Whether you’re necking martinis and oysters at the glossy ground floor power bar or enjoying the immensely creative cocktails in the snug downstairs, you’ll be in more than capable hands.
Details: 12 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TQ | Make a reservation at Bar Swift
Disrepute | For Stylish Design
A subterranean sleeve of a space, Disrepute is all seductive, conspiratorial nooks, jewel-toned velvet seating, brass fittings and mirrors – like a cross between a 1920s train carriage and a Stanley Kubrick-designed space station. The cocktail menu leans into the enigma: every drink is described in the form of a short story, featuring colourful characters like Babycham reduction, honey mead and peach cognac, whole ultimately weave a delicious narrative on your tastebuds.
Details: 4 Kingly Street, W1F 9BW | Make a reservation at Disrepute
Bar Lina | For Italian Charm
Knock on the door of the right deli after hours, and you’ll be hustled, Goodfellas-style, past the kitchen, down the stairs, and into a gorgeous, plum-coloured subterranean speakeasy with low ceilings, soft chenille banquettes, and a beautiful marble bar. The drinks at Bar Lina are made only with spirits from Italy, or ingredients crafted in-house, and they’re fantastic – the Basilico in particular is one-of-a-kind, like a pesto martini. And the snacks – hot, carby, delicious – are just what you’ll be hankering for at 11pm.
Details: 18 Brewer St, London W1F 0SG | Make a reservation at Bar Lina
From the same team behind the award-winning Coupette in Bethnal Green, this new sibling bar in Soho is designed as a kind of cocktail ‘workshop’. That means the drinks change on a regular basis, and frequently venture into new, experimental territory – and it’s down to you to dutifully try them. On the opening menu: the frozen Cookies Tho with whisky, vanilla and hazelnut cookie milk; the Apricot Sencha with green tea, apricot wine and gin; and the impressively boozeless Coconut Americano…
Details: 9 Moor St, W1D 5ND | Make a reservation at Atelier Coupette
SOMA | For Totally Unique Cocktails
A very welcome addition to the Soho bar scene, courtesy of the folks behind the neighbouring Kricket. SOMA is that kind of instantly impressive spot; from the low-lit, luxurious decor of shimmering bar tops and heavy-curtained booths to its unusual menu that infuses drinks with Indian flavours. Take the Jaggery, an Old Fashioned whose sugar syrup’s been swapped out for sweet jaggery cane and toasted coconut; or Chai, a rum sour with clarified chai and ginger. They’re pulled off with aplomb, and and the 3am closing time makes it very tempting to stay and try them all…
Details: 14 Denman Street, Soho, W1D 7HJ | Make a reservation at SOMA Soho
Three Sheets | For Award-Winning Concoctions
Jamie Henderson
Dalston’s Three Sheets is one of the best cocktail joints in London, and according to The World’s 50 Best Bars list, planet earth too. So yes, the fact they’ve opened a second bar in Soho is just a little bit noteworthy. They’ve put together a completely independent menu which includes the Sazzaquack (which besides reinventing the classic with a dose of Chinese five spice, comes in a really cute glass) and a dangerously drinkable Pickled Mango Iced Tea. Just be aware that their licence requires you to order some food alongside your drink – so you’ll just have to get those oysters, then.
Details: 14-15 Manette Street, Soho, W1D 4AP | Make a reservation at Three Sheets Soho
Bar Crispin takes all the joy of Spitalfields’ Crispin, and squeezes it into a bar in Central London. It’s a pleasingly avant-garde kind of space, decked out in graphic zig zags, where you can take your pick of 150 natural wines curated by sommelier Alex Price (formerly of members club Annabel’s). That’s not a challenge for you to go out and try them all, of course, but it is open all day… (until 11pm) and although it’s called Bar Crispin, a snappy menu of seasonal small plates that includes pig’s head croquettes with hot plum sauce and beef tartare toast with blue cheese, means that you can have a cracking dinner here too.
Details: 9 Kingly St, W1B 5PY | Make a reservation at Bar Crispin
The Soho Theatre Bar is a laid-back, inclusive theatre bar filled with creative types drinking and/or waiting on the next show. We like it because it sits in a nice middle ground between sticky pub, and buzzy pop-up. In fact, it’s hard to think of another place like it. Also, you’re almost always guaranteed a seat. See, even if you arrive when it’s full, it won’t be long until the next show – at which point everyone filters out and that booth you’ve eyed up in the corner is yours.
Details: 21 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 3NE | No bookings – find out more, and see upcoming shows, here
Dram Bar | Futuristic Cocktails… and Pool
Just occasionally, the rampant redevelopment of London’s delightfully seedy old neighbourhood throws up a positive. And one such positive is Dram, parked in a futuristic space on Denmark Street. There’s a lot of whisky here, obviously. But the team are absolute wizards when it comes to cocktails, so you should try at least one while you’re here – either pre-batched to perfection upstairs, in a can from their own cocktail vending machine, or freshly shaken up in the more intimate basement bar. It’s worth knowing there’s a quiet, tucked-away courtyard here, too.
Details: 7 Denmark Street, London WC2H 8LZ | Make a reservation at Dram
Thanks to its pared-back interiors, peeling walls, candlelight, live music and short-but-sweet menu of highballs, beers and natural wines, Below Stone Nest has plenty going for it. The fact that it’s housed in a crypt underneath a 19th century church hidden in plain sight on Shaftesbury Avenue is just icing on the cake, really.
Details: 136 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5EZ | Walk-ins only
Louche | For Raucous Nights Out
Louche aims to bring back a little of old, naughty Soho to new, respectable Soho. So naturally, they’ve plastered the walls of all three storeys with photographs of famous local characters, drawn up a menu of adventurous cocktails, and thrown in two stages for good measure, which are graced regularly with musicians, jazz bands, cabaret acts, burlesque artists, singers, and – in between all that – vinyl-spinning DJs.
Details: 5 Greek St, W1D 4DD | Book a table at Louche
Step through an unmarked door in Kingly Court and you’ll find yourself in Nightjar Carnaby, sister of the 10-year success story in Shoreditch, where you can hide away in a darkened corner and soak up a little old school glamour via world-class cocktails and a nightly soundtrack of live jazz, blues, ragtime, funk and swing.
Details: Ground Floor, Kingly Court, Soho, W1F 9PY | Book a table at Nightjar Carnaby
Nestled in the opulent 30s underground complex that is Brasserie Zédel, Bar Américain is an art deco dream of a date spot. Lavishly appointed with velvet bar stools, polished walnut walls and retro lighting, it’s tempting to spend all night working through old-school cocktail list with drinks like the Chrysler Cocktail, made with port, Chambord, Campari, curacao, cognac and probably just about any other liqueur beginning with C that you can think of.
Details: Brasserie Zédel, 20 Sherwood Street, W1F 7ED | No bookings, just walk in
Cahoots | For Getting Blitzed, Blitz-Style
Signs that you’re in Cahoots: you’ve been greeted by a ticket inspector, checked your coats in a ticket hall, listened to 1940s PSAs in the toilets and are now enjoying a ringside view of live swing music from your retro train carriage. The underground, Underground-themed bar has one of the most coherently and impressively executed themes in London, with bartenders dressed in 40s gear and a cocktail menu printed as a (huge) newspaper. This place has got Blitz spirit in droves, and they’re serving it up in hip flasks, thimbles and Vera Lynn’s head.
NOTE: No space? Head across the alley to their second bar, Ticket Hall & Signal Station.
Details: 13 Kingly Court, W1B 5PG | Book a table at Cahoots
Flute | Glitzy Bar with a Rooftop Terrace
Perched at the top of the Broadwick Hotel, Flute hits all the right notes. For one, it has a rooftop terrace – and yes, it’s tiny, but it’s still something of a rarity in Soho. Secondly, it has eye-dazzlingly opulent interiors designed by the maximalist Martin Brudnizki. And thirdly, the cocktails are pretty great – you’re definitely paying a ‘glitzy rooftop bar’ tax, but with concoctions like the Midori Sour (melon eau-de-vie, green apple, white penja pepper, lemon & matcha) you’re at least getting bang for your buck. Basically, if you really want to pull out all the stops on a date, this is a great place to do it.
Details: 20 Broadwick Street, London W1F 8HT | Book Flute
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Everything at The Little Door bars has been designed to give you the impression of dropping in to a friend’s place – from the relaxed, living room-like decor, to the music, and the lavishly flowing booze. In fact, the only thing that’s unrealistic is the central London postcode. Their latest bar in Soho, The Little Violet Door, sports DJ decks on the kitchen island; a lounge hooked up to an old N64; and a cocktail menu inspired by cult films…
Details: 9 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PH | Book The Little Violet Door
Making a night of it? Book into one of Soho’s best restaurants