Seven London hangouts where you won’t miss the booze one bit

This bar in a railway arch in Bermondsey bucks the area’s trend for brewing beer. Instead, it brews up good times in an eye-catching space. Grab a group and kick off with a game of table tennis – there are plenty of tables to argue over. Once you’ve warmed up, move on to walls covered by giant blackboards that are screaming out to be scrawled across. Swapping cocktails for crayons will seem like a no-brainer in next to no time.

Peckham’s got a brand-new one-stop shop, a colourful space that’s taken over a multi-storey carpark. Head up the bright staircase to floor six, where there’s a yoga and wellbeing studio, register for classes at the Kiln Rooms if you fancy getting to grips with ceramics, and finish up with street food galore bathed in the glow of neon light. It’s such a multi-sensory space that you’re sure to get a rush despite being totally sober (especially after climbing six flights of stairs!).

Yes, this multi-purpose King’s Cross venue offers a lot of booze-based fun, but it’s also got all sorts of unusual teas for when you’re off the sauce. And you won’t even care about the ‘drink’ element after a spot of shopping – many of the items on the bar’s floor are priced-up for purchase, including the chair you may be sitting on – and a bit of ‘doing’. Activities vary day-to-day, but include dance classes, musical bingo, arts and crafts, and even a class where you can build robots from lego. 

Let’s play darts! Okay, traditionally you may have expected that invitation to include grubby beer mats and grumpy old men down the pub, but take a trip to Flight Club for a night of flying objects that’s light years away from the ‘dingy local’ vibe. Both the Liverpool Street and Holborn branches are dedicated to darts, whether you fancy playing in a team tournament or riding it out solo. Flight Club’s dartboards are electronic too, logging your score all the way along, so you don’t even have to do the hard work on your next night out. Bullseye.

Another of the Street Feast family, Giant Robot is Canary Wharf’s best-loved attraction, and the rooftop destination is helping the area shrug off its slightly stuffy reputation. Discover food from Yumplings and Burger & Beyond, grab a seat in the plant-filled ‘rooftopia’ or head over to Budweiser’s Prohibition stand. The monochrome stall will be giving away samples of Budweiser Prohibition Brew, a 100% alcohol-free beer with a full-on flavour. Enjoy freely.

Get three thrills for the price of one at Bayswater’s entertainment hub, Queens Skate Dine Bowl. As the name suggests, you can ice skate to your heart’s content, and then follow it with dinner and a date down the bowling alley. But what they fail to tell you from the start is that ice karting is ‘a thing’ here. Book a go-kart and take to the rink on Tuesdays and Sundays for a full-throttle experience away from the booze.