Eve Williams

July 2026: If you’ve had the pleasure of strolling down Exmouth Market recently, you’ll know the historic Clerkenwell strip is the buzziest pedestrianised street in London, full of al-fresco fun, convivial pintspeople and sidewalk tapas as far as the eye can see. Which is pretty much all down to the new Number 1 in our list of the best bars in London. Congratulations are due to Cafe Kick, the breezy Euro-chic sports bar about to celebrate 30 years of tricking your brain into thinking you’re on holiday. The rest of our Top 50 features bars old and new, posh and divey, and cheap and pricey, but all of them with great drinks and an unparalleled vibe. Fancy a drink? You’ve come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, which features the greatest bars in the capital right now. These are the places we’d recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars and places to sip wine, London’s got them all. You’ll find historic drinking holes here as well as brand new openings. But what makes a truly good bar? Our critieria is simple; a menu of great drinks is important, but so is the overall energy of the place – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bin juice. To make it into our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, convivial and inclusive, as we

It would be easy to write Dive off as another basement bar, with modern twists on classic cocktails and vinyl records. London certainly has a few. But the real draw is’t the moody interiors or even the drinks, it’s the atmosphere. Dive has the confidence of a members’ club,without any of the eye-rolling exclusivity. It’s the perfect place for an after-dinner cocktail, when you’ll inevitably stay for three. The room is dark, intimate, and straight out of a 1970s nightclub movie scene. Low lighting, shimmering surfaces, plush vintage furnishings which soften the industrial shell, and a curated soundtrack spanning from Prince to Jack J, with soulful grooves and funk so good you’re destined for a boogie. As the evening progresses, the energy shifts from relaxed drinks to a lively late-night crowd, creating the feeling of an after-hours house party. Drinks are inventive without being frivolous, balancing familiar flavours with unexpected twists that reward curiosity. From an intriguing ‘Brioche Martini’ with brown butter and spice to Le Peach, which refreshes the classic Manhattan with fruity wine and bourbon, the bartenders are happy to guide you through the menu. However, as a vodka martini fiend, I wasn’t delighted to see that the holy grail of cocktails was pre-mixed. What makes Dive memorable, though, is its consideration. Every detail, from the soundtrack to the sofas, works together to create a bar that feels genuinely sexy rather than self-consciously cool. Order this Trus