England Bars & Nightlife

Gordon’s, rumored to be the oldest wine bar in town, sits on the banks of the Thames. You’ll have to fight through the crowds and be prepared to sit tightly packed outside on the terrace or inside the subterranean wine cave. But like everyone else in town, you’ll love it. While the wine list is justifiably famous, the best part is the cheese bar: You choose whatever wedges of Parmesan or creamy, melty mounds of Délice de Bourgogne that take your fancy, with warm baguettes to scrape the plate with.

Marylebone is full of bakeries, bookshops, and quiet residential streets, despite its proximity to bustling Oxford Street. One of our favorite stops is the bar at the Chiltern Firehouse, which feels almost like spending time in a garden (while being inside). Nearly all the seats and sofas are embellished with colorful florals, and dozens of trailing green plants form a cornice around the room. Afternoon tea is a special treat—a silver tea tray stacked with chocolate and coffee éclairs is presented by the stylishly attired staff. It’s a great place to counteract a midday slump, and for the freelancers out there, to get some work done.

This recently renovated watering hole in Soho is a classic pub, a modern cocktail bar, and tiny restaurant, all in one. Downstairs, you can grab a craft microbrew or cider with other locals sipping pints after work. Upstairs, you’ll find The Mulwray for mixed drinks and wine, while in the basement, there’s an eleven-seat kitchen bar, Evelyn’s Table. This means you can eat lunch, have an afternoon pint, grab dinner and a late-night cocktail without having to leave the building. The bar snacks at the Blue Post is maybe our favorite thing about the place. Peanuts dusted in harissa, a fried fish sandwich, and the most perfect bar snack of all: the sausage roll.

The Blind Pig is a proper speakeasy. In other words, it’s difficult to find. (Look for the old-school optician’s sign and knock). Once you’re inside, the dark, moody interior feels a little illicit in the best way. The low ceiling is entirely mirrored, the bar is a long sheet of polished copper, and the booths are a rich brown leather you immediately want to melt into. The cocktails are tongue-in-cheek interpretations named after the figures from our childhoods—Peter Rabbit, Pooh, even Harry Potter—with a full illustrated menu to match. Aptly, the Harry Potter is a reimagined butterbeer bitter, butterscotch included.

One of the most verdantly beautiful pubs in London, the Montpelier is painted a regal navy blue with flower baskets cascading down every corner and lush plant boxes on every windowsill. Inside, the same deep navy covers the walls, creating a warm, cozy feeling enhanced by the perpetually crackling fireplace. The Montpelier is a local spot filled with young creative types and the more settled crowd (often with their kids) seven nights a week. The traditional Sunday roast—complete with gravy and towering Yorkshire puddings—is even more excellent when accompanied by live jazz. The pub has its own screening room; head there on the weekend, and follow it with heated conversation and a few drinks at the bar.

Hovarda is technically an Aegean restaurant, but we like it better for drinks. Part of the appeal is that it's open late and serves great salty snacks until the early hours of the morning. Vegetable fritters and tzatziki with pita for dipping go especially well with a chilled glass of white wine. As evening becomes night, the music gets louder, the DJs set up shop, and suddenly Hovarda feels more like a club than a restaurant—but a club you would happily sit in for a while, with a yuzu margarita in hand.

A well-made martini is hard to come by, and for this alone, Dukes Hotel Bar merits a visit. This quintessentially British bar is an elegant affair and a perfect spot to decompress in Mayfair. Have a seat at one of the tables and take in the hushed civility around you—portraits of notable Brits, prints of city landmarks. In a few minutes, a bartender in a starched white jacket will come by with the martini trolley and mix the cocktail to your exact specifications. It’s ideal for a calm drink with your parents (the cigar and Cognac garden helps), or come alone, sit at the bar, and enjoy the indulgence of a perfectly mixed drink, just because.

From Tony Conigliaro, the don of cocktail-making in London and founder of 69 Colebrooke Row, and Marco Arrigo, the head of quality at Illy, comes an Italian-inspired coffee and cocktail bar so perfect that it might just beat the real thing. Here, you can have your cappuccino at the bar—made with UHT milk, just as the Italians do—or sit at one of the tables sipping transcendent cocktails served by mixologists in elegant, crisp white uniforms. The space is tiny, which actually makes the experience all the more charming and authentic.

Run like an old-fashioned speakeasy, it is easy to miss the black door that marks the entrance (it doesn't help that it's down a flight of dark stairs). Once you’re in, it’s like a true jazz age bar with some stiff, old fashioned drinks. Their super spicy Bloody Mary, which comes with a basket full of fixings so you can customize, is pretty memorable. You’ll often encounter troops of swing dancers ready to dance to the live jazz provided by the bar.

Complete with the Iron Lady's speeches sounding from the bathroom speakers, this tongue-in-cheek club pays homage to the ’80s. Rad graffiti-style murals (including one of Super Mario), Rubix Cube–inspired tables, and a smattering of Thatcher portraits lend it kitschy appeal. It's a great destination for a fun—albeit expensive—night out in Chelsea.