Alligator Bar (at Louie)
London meets Paris meets New Orleans at this louchely stylish that aspires to be a party place to be seen in Covent Garden. £ 65
Artesian (at the Langham)
Fashionable, expensive and PR-courting but nonetheless very attractive cocktail bar at the upper end of Regent Street. £ 76
Bar Americain (at Zedel’s)
A separate, Art Deco-themed bar within the excellent and reasonably priced Brasserie Zedel complex; an oasis of civility and style near Piccadilly Circus. £ 48
The Beaufort Bar (at the Savoy)
Exuding glamour, mystery and sexiness, The Beaufort shows that elegance and civility are not confined to the past but can be created today. £ 76
The Booking Office 1869 (at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel)
Recently renovated space aiming to make the most of the glorious Neogothic architecture. A welcome presence in this busy area. £ 49
Cecil Beaton Bar (at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
Tucked inside the renovated, serenely neoclassical Theatre Royal, the Cecil Beaton Bar is not just for pre-Theatre drinks, thanks to its setting and price-quality ratio. £ 47
China Tang Bar (at the Dorchester)
The artful mix of Chinoiserie and Art Deco references, Dorchester-class service and access to the excellent cuisine from the equally beautiful restaurant make this a Park Lane favourite. £ 65
The Coburg Bar (at the Connaught)
Though much less well known than the eponymous bar at the Connaught, in Mayfair, the Coburg boasts quietly elegant décor and a more genteel, less glam vibe. £ 88
The Cocktail Trading Co.
A convincingly retro-looking, boozy spot in the faux-bohemian wilds of Shoreditch. Theatrical ambiance at mercifully reasonable prices. £ 36
The Coral Room (at the Bloomsbury Hotel)
Vibrantly coloured bar with friendly buzz and a nice line in British fizz at the southern end of Bloomsbury makes good use of the generous space. £ 51
The Connaught Bar
Don’t let the hype about “world’s best bar” hold you back. The Connaught may be a bit blingy but the staff, the feel and the look of the place will win you over. £ 80
Crocker’s Folly
This Maida Vale spot makes the most of one of the finest late-Victorian Gin Palace interiors in London. It doesn’t hurt that, as part of the Maroush chain, it actually serves good (Lebanese) food. £ 42
Fitz’s Bar (at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel)
Meeting the highest standards of theatricality and inside the exactingly renovated former Russel Hotel. Intriguingly, at the decadent, rather than country house end of Edwardianism. £ 53
Fontaine’s Cocktail Bar
A convincing late Art Deco, night-clubby space with plenty of noir appeal in Stoke Newington. Put quite simply: worth the trip, proper fun and good value to boot. £ 42
The Fumoir (at Claridge’s)
Timeless is an adjective you might associate with Claridge’s but not smoky (figuratively) or sexy. The Fumoir, though, stands apart from the pristine beauty of the hotel with a more alluring masculinity. One can imagine Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall drinking here. £ 75
The Gin Bar (in the Holborn Dining Room)
A rare case of a side-bar, within a dining room, which deserves its own mention. Despite the name, they fix great drinks from any spirit. Fees into adn draws from the large room’s energy. £ 59
The Goring Cocktail Bar
As a notably refined hotel hidden in a side street between Victoria and Buckingham Palace, the Goring is well liked but perhaps not known for frivolity. The impeccably and charmingly appointed cocktail bar (and much else beside it), deserve a visit, however. £ 76
The Library Bar (at the Lanesborough)
Like an idealised library, is pleasantly quiet in atmosphere and impeccably elegant, in a neoclassical style. More for conversation than celebration. £ 69
Le Magritte Bar (at the Beaumont Hotel)
A pleasant space in the sleekly classy Beaumont, though not as convincing as the previous incarnation of the bar. The entrance is the most dramatic angle. £ 57
Mr Fogg’s Apothecary
The most recent and perhaps most convincing addition to the growing Mr Fogg’s empire of themed drinking dens, the Apothecary can boast proximity to Claridge’s, truly inventive cocktails (if one likes that sort of thing) and surroundings that do justice to its moniker of “Victorian Cocktail Bar”. £ 59
the Gothic Bar (Midland Grand Hotel, St Pancras)
Re-opened after a long break, it maintains the splendid Gilbert Scott décor and unusual mix of cosiness and grandeur. Attentive service and a worthy watering hole in a busy and underserved part of town. £ 57
The Nickel Bar (at The Ned)
A drinking den that would be worthy of mention even if it did not form part of one of the swishest hospitality complexes of our age. It has the buzz of the City and the feel of the 20s. £ 46
Nightjar
Despite the killjoy reservations-only policy, Nightjar gets away with it due to the quality of the offering and jazz-oriented soundtrack. £ 51
Park Chinois
The opulent and glitzy Park Chinois has two bars: the more decadent lounge downstairs and the very nice front-of-house bar upstairs. We prefer the latter, but both are part of a very theatrical experience that references 1930’s Shanghai. £ 88
The Princess Louise
A well-known gin palace with exquisitely Victorian interiors and the respectable line of Sam Smith products. Not for cocktails, really, nor wine, but a very agreeable place for a pint or several.
The Rivoli Bar (at the Ritz)
An Art Deco jewel of a bar. It is in the iconic Ritz and, like all the best hotel bars, has its own feel that is more early-20th C. than the Edwardian rest of the hotel. £ 82
Rules (Upstairs at Rules)
Quite separate from the renowned Victorian dining room, the Upstairs Bar at Rules extends the polished wood and genteel service ethos to another space. £ 65
Scarfes Bar (at the Rosewood London Hotel)
As if the Holborn Dining room and Gin bar weren’t enough, the Rosewood London, on High Holborn, created this admirable bar within the Edwardian splendour of a former insurance office. £ 77
Seymour’s Parlour (Zetter Townhouse Marble Arch)
Like its earlier, sister establishment in Clerkenwell, the Parlour offers an eclectically but traditionally decorated space with atmospheric lighting and strong drink. £53
Stables Bar (at the Milestone Hotel)
Can one take the horse-and-jockey theme too far? Quite possibly; but the Milestone Hotel in Kensington is the real deal of a Victorian building and pulls off the retro feel without embarrassment. £ 70
The Wigmore
Although it bills itself as a pub, the Wigmore in our opinion is more than that, bringing a grandeur and style that very few pubs can boast, especially at such reasonable prices. £ 40
Wilhelmina’s Lounge (at The Zetter Townhouse)
Such a civilised environment is a resource, in the generally somewhat hipsterish Clerkenwell. A combination of historically-inspired space and timeless drinks. £53
These are shown in alphabetical order. See the Map and Area Guides for geographically organised listings.
The approximate £ amount shown is based on an order for a classic cocktail, a glass of champagne (125 ml), a glass of white wine (175 ml) and a pint of beer (or two 330 ml. bottles).