Bars & Pubs

An unlikely find on Blackfriars Road, the Baltic is sleek, chic and discreet. The exceptional north-east European restaurant is a bright and airy Grade II-listed warehouse, but it's reached via a long, low-lit, moody bar stocked with some 47 different vodkas. Most are Polish (hence strictly 'wodka'), although Russian and Finnish distillations also get a look in. The Baltic's famous on-site infusions - lemon, peppercorn, dill or caramel for example (£2.75 a shot, £33.50 a bottle) - are based on Latvian Hlebnaja. The teetering bar stools and wall-recessed banquettes get bagged quickly by local after-workers during the week, while at weekends the Baltic attracts a more sophisticated crowd.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9