London bar reviews

In 2025, it’s not enough to be a wine bar that simply sells wine. How archaic! Some are wine ‘pubs’ (Islington’s Godet), others have adjoining ice cream parlours (De Beauvoir’s Goodbye Horses), and there are even one’s that self-identify as ‘listening restaurants’ (Peckham’s Hausu). Giacco’s is a tiny, friendly vino den on north London’s unofficial street of the sesh (Blackstock Road) that knows this all too well.   Instead of proffering a list that starts with fizzy, fabulous Lambrusco and finishes with a punchy Pinot, Giacco’s have made the wise decision to become an incubator for London’s brightest kitchen talent. So in addition to curated glasses and carafes of plonk alongside candles in old bottles dripping with wax (a wine bar staple since 1971), they now boast an ever-shifting food menu that impresses just as much as their mainly European, low-intervention wine list.   A friendly vino den on north London’s unofficial street of the sesh So far Giacco’s has had pop-ups from South Asian and Italian fusion dons Firangi, as well as the Time Out-approved young chef Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares. On the evening Time Out visits – securing our table after battling our way through a rowdy Arsenal home crowd – we find chef Jemma Harrison in the kitchen, mid-way through a three-month residency with her Kaunter concept, offering glammed-up New York deli staples that proudly show off their Eastern European Jewish roots.  The room – named after owner Leonardo Leoncini’s grandfather –...

As sister venue to Hackney’s tiny wine bar Binch, Godet can easily be spotted by its peachy-pink exterior and checkered curtains. Not only are the vibes ridiculously cool, with a weekend DJ (at a reasonable volume), Godet have collabed with Ling Ling’s to serve up their epic Chinese and pan-Asian menu for the next year (think; hot and spicy tartare, Sichuan hibiscus octopus and turnip cakes, mala beef ragu with udon noodles, and steamed prawn, chicken and Thai basil wontons) to complement a small, but mighty selection of reds, whites and oranges.  

The Shakespeares Head may look a little daunting from the outside. Don’t be shy: this salt-of-the-earth local extends a warm welcome to all. It’s hard to imagine a pub with fewer pretensions than this place, done out in gloss-painted wood, standard-issue pub carpets and plump seating. But this old-school boozer is made notable by the people in it: the staff, for whom nothing is too much trouble; and the clientele, an easygoing mix of theatregoers (Sadler’s Wells is steps away) and talkative locals who’ve been drinking here since their dads brought them in for a pint on their 18th birthday. It’s a mix mimicked on the walls, where signed photos of thesps and hoofers jostle for attention with the pictures of the locals out on a jolly. Quite a treasure, in its way.

Tucked away on a backstreet between tourist-trodden Bloomsbury and start-up central Clerkenwell, The Duke is a good place to escape museumgoers and media types alike. Decked out with scuffed wooden booths, it’s a throwback with a heart. The drinks selection is limited at best – don’t expect much more than San Miguel and Becks by way of lager – but they’re served with a smile. In an area overrun with either soulless chain-pubs or pricey gastro hangouts, The Duke offers relief from both. A place to go with a newspaper – providing the elderly regulars don’t bend your ear first.

The Gowlett still looks like a proper boozer, albeit an antique wood-panelled, minimalist boozer – which is something of an achievement round here. The clue to its popularity is in the dough-scented air as you approach. This place sells the best pizza for miles around. The floury bases, pleasingly thin, taste sensational, and a special mention must go to the nutty organic spelt version, for gluten-free people and those who just love spelt. The delicacy of the base has many advantages: the toppings aren’t dominated by stodge, and you can justify piling on the extras for 50p a pop, since eating a whole pizza won’t leave you stuffed. We couldn’t resist the Gowlettini; few can, since it’s such a happy pile-up of goat’s cheese, prosciutto, pine nuts and rocket (for vegetarians, sunblush tomatoes replace the prosciutto). Our napolitana included tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and the egg on the fiorentina was fresh and firm.  

This Soho institution may have mellowed somewhat since self-proclaimed ‘London’s rudest landlord’ Norman Balon finally hung up his polishing cloth in 2006, but there’s still plenty to make it stand out from the crowd, including a rotating cast of excellent independent ales and their own line of merch. Decor, meanwhile, is stuck firmly in the past, with carpets worn threadbare by decades of post-work sessions as well as wood-pannelled walls from the 1970s, and vintage logos of Double Diamond and Ind Coop displayed behind the bar. It all adds up to a curious mix of old-timey standards and progressive ideas which, crucially, work together like a charm.  Time Out tip They might not serve food, but they do have an impeccable array of crisps aka ‘London's greatest tuckshop’. Make ours a bag of pickled onion Monster Munch. 

Tequila’s smokier hipster cousin mezcal was once essentially endemic to a couple of Mexican states (notably Oaxaca), and while that remains the case in terms of production of the agave-based spirit, there’s no denying that London now very literally boasts mezcal bars in the double figures. And the more the merrier. Handsome Bethnal Green addition Little Fires boasts warm, colourful decor, a slick listening bar-style downstairs area, and a short but impressive food menu made in partnership with renowned Oaxaca bar Sabina Sabe and its chef Rodolfo Castellanos. As with the food, the cocktail menu is very punchy – there are only actually four mezcal-based entries (also partnered with Sabina Sabe), but they’re all bangers. Time Out tip Mezcal is nominally the main event: the Espresso Cafe was my pick of the cocktails, a faintly revelatory distant cousin to the espresso martini that tastes like deep smoked coffee. But actually the duck tacos dorados were low-key astonishing – the comfort food of the gods – and Little Fires is as good a shout for a late night snack as it is a drink.

Located on a backstreet where the Old London of Caledonian Road meets the contemporary bustle of King’s Cross proper, the King Charles I is one of the capital’s finest examples of the inter-war boozer. Walk in to its cosy, wood-panelled interior on a winter’s night and you’ll find a welcoming, warm pub filled with knick-knacks, a rotating cast of ales and stouts, and regular, raucous live music nights. The pub was saved from closure in 2015 by a group of regulars, and in 2021 was listed as an Asset of Community Value, ensuring its status as vital King’s Cross cog for years to come.

The Bear is one of those rare pubs that does great food but is also Actually Fun. Its kitchen uses seasonal ingredients on its constantly-rotating menu, which has a slight Asian fusion-style bent, while the bar stays open til 1am on weekends, with music courtesy of a solid roster of vinyl-first DJs from the local area. There’s a solid Sunday night quiz too.  Time Out tip Got a decent vinyl collection of your own? Bring some of your favourites down on a Wednesday for open decks night BYOB (that’s Bring Your Own Bangers).  Order this  The cavatelli pasta with XO sauce is another banger, as is the steak tartare with curry leaf, coriander and black sesame. 

Want to feel like you’re in Paris (when you’re actually in Waterloo)? Lower Wine Bar is here for you. Opened in 2024, Lower rolls out onto one of our favourite streets in the city - the resolutely old-school Lower Marsh - and offers wines by the glass and bottle, as well as providing a bottleshop take-out service. All your most in-demand wines are on offer, from chilled reds to pet-nats. There’s also a small blackboard food menu to power you through the list. Lovely stuff. Time Out tip Lower Marsh is also home to the excellent Maries, a tiny caff that by day is a full-on greasy spoon serving gut-busting fry-ups, but by night is an informal Thai restaurant packed with nattering cabbies and spice-loving locals scoffing authentic food at bargai prices – think chicken satay, sum tum salad, stir-fries, the aforementioned curries, noodles and desserts such as banana fritters. Find it at 90 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AB.