London Bridge bars

A beer-drinkin’, bourbon-swiggin’ adjunct to Texas Joe’s Slow Smoked Meats, this semi-secret bar is a great place to sink beers and listen to country music. Visit after a trip next door to have a nice sit down after a serious meat sweat session scoffing BBQ from the Lone Star State, or simply come for a potent margarita and a soundtrack of Waylon Jennings classics. Lots of fun. 

Say hola to excellent Spanish wine and sherry at this dinky tapas bar from José Pizarro. It’s rustic and authentic, dressed in plain brick, timbers and tiles; seating is mostly on stools, with barrels to stand glasses on and a no-bookings, doors-wide-open attitude. Wines cover a desirable fine-quality range, all available by the (well-priced) glass. Hungry? You won’t find any great innovations, but you will be treated to perfect, fantastically fresh renderings of traditional tapas.

Nine Lives feels like a covert jungle hangout but it’s in the depths of London Bridge. The bar serves fruity cocktails that are kind on the environment and are served in Tiki mugs and with exotic garnishes. And a sound track of disco grooves sounds polished as it’s piped in through speakers inherited from Cable night club.

A third outpost from the team behind the original Swift – a permanent fixture on the World’s 50 Best Bars list since it first opened in 2016 – this two-floor cocktail bar opened in autumn 2022, a stone’s throw from Borough Market. Like its elder siblings in Soho and Shoreditch, it is known for its understated elegance, winningly-priced aperitivos and heaven-sent Irish coffee.

Flat Iron Square is a hub for drinking, dining and dancing in the shadow of The Shard. The outdoor space is host to various events throughout the year, including big screens for all the big sporting events through spring and summer. Under the arches you’ll find street food stalls spanning world cuisines, while next door is live music venue Omeara.

Manchester’s hugely popular craft beer brewer Cloudwater puts down London roots, with a tap room on Bermondsey’s fabled Beer Mile. The style of the place is minimal, letting the beer do all the talking. Sample from 20 different Cloudwater and collaborative beers on tap, served in third-pint and half-pint measures, or drink from a regularly shifting list of beers served by can or bottle from the bar’s cold store. Those smaller measures should help deter a cloudy head the next morning.

‘JHn. Davy Free Vintner’ reads the sign on the wall of an empty Borough side street, and the interior is just as old fashioned and historic, a creaking, multi-layered wine cave with a popular kitchen – don’t miss out on steak washed down with a cracking glass of red. Customers include local office types as well as older generation wine buffs (with slightly ruddy faces). 

Doodle Bar arrived in Bermondsey after its days were numbered as an immersive bar in Battersea. It brings with it the same playful attitude, with customers encouraged to scrawl up walls covered entirely with blackboards. There’s also foosball at the front, rows of ping pong tables to the rear and a street food van that parks up at the entrance on weekends. 

Up on the 52nd floor of The Shard, you’ll spend a lot of time toiling to pick out landmarks from Gong bar within the Shangri-La Hotel. Enjoy the spectacle with a pricey cocktail in hand – the current seasonal menu is inspired by nature and the lifecycle of a plant, for no reason whatsoever. But lets be honest, you’re there for the view not the drinks.