The best bar in London for a first date, according to experts

When choosing a bar for a first date, it has to be perfect. 

Said drinkery shouldn’t be too loud, or too ostentatious, and it ideally will provide some sort of distraction if things aren’t going so well. Luckily, London has myriad cosy wine bars, romantic nooks and quirky drinking dens that will give you plenty of things to talk about should you and your date run out of conversation (it happens!). 

But which of these sultry spots is the best? Time Out asked industry experts including Lyaness’ Mr Lyan, Max Venning of Three Sheets, and co-owners of Rita’s Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce, to recommend their favourite bars in the city, so that in turn we could come up with the definitive ranking of the best drinking spots for date night. Here’s what they said. 

According to the experts, London’s best bar for a first date is Three Sheets Soho. 

Three Sheets Soho is the second outpost of the Dalston-based cocktail bar, and opened last year. ‘Three Sheets Soho is chic, buzzy and welcoming,’ said Coral Anderson, managing director of Swift, a cocktail bar with branches in Soho, London Bridge and Borough. ‘You will never walk in and find it dead. The seating is perfect for two people, even if it’s at the bar.’

Anderson recommended ordering the salted plum highball, and if you’re feeling fancy ‘you can get the best value glass of Dom Perignon in London’. 

‘Three Sheets has a little bit of everything for everyone,’ said Monica Berg, co-owner of Tayēr + Elementary. ‘It’s a good all-rounder in a central London location. It’s not too loud so it’s easy to have a chat. 

‘It’s very welcoming and relaxed, but at the same time signals that you’re making an effort.

‘I always start with the French 75.’

Runners up included listening bar Mu in Dalston, shouted out by Carina Soto Velásquez, co-owner of Equal Parts; wine bar Bruno in Victoria Park, recommended by Exale Brewing’s Stephanie Randle-Solley; Quality Wines in Farringdon, approved by Missy and Gabriel of Rita’s; and 42 – the in-house cocktail bar at Michelin star restaurant Gymkhana in Mayfair, nominated by Mr Lyan, particularly for its human-sized paintings of cats.

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