Lina Stores has been on a pretty wild ride.
If you told Lina herself, back when she founded the simple Soho deli back in the ’40s, that her name would soon be emblazoned on restaurants across London & Japan, as well as a ridiculously chic & sexy cocktail bar in one of the city’s nightlife epicentres… she probably would have needed a strong shot of grappa.
Well, that cocktail bar is nestled behind an unmarked door downstairs at the new Lina Stores Shoreditch. It’s the next grand step up in the company’s cocktail joint adventure, after having knocked it out of the park with their debut bar below that now-iconic deli. And Nudge Members +1 are getting a secret golden hour to try it out, with 2-4-1 cocktails from 5pm-8pm from 17th November to 21st December.
To find it, just find the entrance hidden along the side of the restaurant, or head down as if towards the loos and find the unlabelled door opposite them, then push through into the bar. You’ll immediately find yourself immersed in a world of deep burgundy chic, oozing luxury noir vibes and a just-right touch of retro glamour. With its rich, dark red walls, dim lighting, and that endlessly long marble bar, it almost looks like it’s part speakeasy, part art installation.
Beyond that bar, there are red velvet sofa seats and intimate little crevice corners to get lost in, all separated by sleek mirrors & walls. And at the farthest part of the venue, you’ll find a large, ridiculously sleek looking semi-private booth, housed in what was the bank vault itself, that you just know is going to be insanely popular. The whole place is practically begging you to go on a date inside it.
Bar Lina’s real magic trick is in its ingredients—all carefully curated or crafted in-house. Every bottle on that gleaming marble bar is either sourced from Italy or made on-site, like their prickly pear syrup and coffee butter. So, while you’ll spot familiar faces like Campari & Cocchi, you’ll also encounter the lesser-known Bepi Tosolini wild strawberry aperitivo, Villa Ascenti gin with botanicals from Piedmont, and nocino, a liqueur made from unripe walnuts.
These ingredients are woven into inventive, Italian twists on classic cocktails, with a clear bias toward negronis (they’ve got six variations, including one with chamomile liqueur) and spritzes, like their rosemary and honey-infused Campari mixed with grapefruit and Prosecco. As for the originals, the Figlet is a fig lover’s dream, packing in housemade fig liqueur, Parafante fig liqueur, and yet more fig, with a hint of vanilla. Then there’s the Basilico, a gin martini riff that combines clarified milk, salt, and basil, for a smooth, herbal finish that lands somewhere between a cocktail and boozy pesto—safe to say, it’s unlike anything you’ve tasted.
And of you’re hungry? You can get some olives, pickles…
…or, you know, go upstairs.
NOTE: Bar Lina Shoreditch is open now, Tuesday to Saturday. You can find out more, and make a booking at the Bar Lina website.
PERK: Nudge Members +1 are getting a secret golden hour with 2-4-1 cocktails from 5-pm-8pm from 17th November to 21st December. To book, just head to the ‘Secret Golden Hour’ banner at the top of the page.
Not a Nudge Member yet? Sign up for a free trial.
Lina Stores Shoreditch | 180-182 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6HY
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