6 New Bars In London Worth The Visit
Cinnamon Bar, Westminster
Cinnamon Club has opened a cocktail bar in the basement of the Grade II-Listed Old Westminster Library. The interiors channel a stylish Indian bazaar and the centrepiece is a beautiful marble terrazzo bar. Look out too for velvet sofas and stools, tropical plants, and gold screens to offer secluded areas for guests. The cocktail menu uses spices and ingredients from The Club’s kitchen to put an Indian spin on classic drinks, like the ‘Club Bellini’ made from Belvedere ginger vodka with apricot purée and spiced rose prosecco; the ‘Red Lady’ with Havana rum, watermelon cordial, curaçao, orange and lime; and a ‘Lime Leaf Collins’ made with Bombay Sapphire gin, lime leaves, fresh lime and soda. There’s also an extensive selection of champagnes and Indian beers to choose from, as well as a bar menu so you can sample dishes served upstairs in the restaurant like tempura shrimp with chilli mayonnaise, chicken tikka and cheese naan, and paneer naanza.
The Old Westminster Library, Great Smith Street, Westminster, SW1P 3BU
Visit CinnamonClub.com
Holy Bar
Set to open on 4th February, Holy Bar is the latest venture from Irina Linovich, founder of vegan restaurant Holy Carrot. The bar has dark and moody interiors, with interesting curios around every corner – inspired by the surrealism of Salvador Dali and Peter Pan’s Neverland, guests are encouraged to embrace all things weird and wonderful. Expect to be welcomed with candles, crystals and burning sage, while chandeliers and stain-glasses windows provide the perfect backdrop for crystal therapy and tarot card readings on selected nights. On the menu, you’ll find a selection of botanical cocktails made with Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, each representing a different tarot card – ‘The Sun’, for example, is made with dark and white rum, ginger liqueur, Fernet Branca Menta, lime juice and homemade carob soda. There’s also an interesting menu of vegan dishes and small plates on offer, including ‘fish and chips’ made from nori-wrapped tofu in tempura with Jerusalem artichoke fries, edamame and wild rocket hummus, and ‘buffalo calamari’ made with heart of palms.
Urban Retreat, 2-4 Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge, SW1X 0LH
Visit HolyCarrot.co.uk
The Light Bar, Shoreditch
The original Light Bar was scheduled to be demolished in 2012. Luckily, it was protected as part of Hackney’s Shoreditch Conservation Area, and has just opened its doors after an epic seven-year renovation. The new Light Bar has already established itself as a Shoreditch hotspot with a buzzing vibe on Friday and Saturday nights. Spread across three spacious floors in an old Victorian power station, there’s now a restaurant and several bars designed by Macaulay Sinclair (who has worked with Dishoom, Hawksmoor and The Alchemist). Inside, there’s a distinctive industrial feel to showcase the building’s original mechanical pulley system, sash windows and exposed steelwork. The bar serves low-intervention wines, craft beers, and house cocktails made with seasonal British ingredients, from a classic negroni to the refreshing ‘Girlcore’ made with Belvedere vodka, sloe gin, fig, berries, champagne cordial and soda. The Light Bar also serves up a cracking Sunday roast, plus an all-day menu for pub classics and bar snacks like fried padron peppers and warm sausage rolls.
233 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch, E1 6PJ
Visit LightBarLondon.com
La Goccia Bar
Regular readers will know we love Italian restaurant La Goccia in Covent Garden, so we were excited to hear it’s opening a neighbouring bar on 10th February. Aiming to bring the outdoors inside, the bar has colourful nature-inspired interiors with plush velvet sofas, indoor plants, leopard print stools, and contemporary art from Petersham Nurseries founder Francesco Boglione’s personal collection. The bar is even made of real leaves, hand-dipped in bronze, while bar stools have legs shaped to look like knobbly branches. Guests can order drinks from a ‘Winter in the Woods’ cocktail menu featuring warming spices and seasonal fruits, like the ‘Applestar’ made with gin, apples, star anise and almonds, or the ‘Smoked Orange’ containing Aperol, Amaro and Mexican mezcal. There’s also a selection of small plates from La Goccia, like baby squid, prosciutto croquettes, and cauliflower with salsa verde mayo, as well as desserts like caramel tart with buttermilk gelato and hazelnuts. La Goccia’s mulled wine poached pears with custard and crumble always get rave reviews.
Floral Court, Covent Garden, WC2E 9FB
Visit PetershamNurseries.com
Upstairs At Langan’s Brasserie, Mayfair
Langan’s Brasserie has opened a late-night bar and lounge for members on the top floor of its restaurant. Open until 3am from Tuesdays to Sundays, guests can dance the night away to the house band and DJs while enjoying cocktails and small plates from the bar. The space takes inspiration from the iconic Studio 54, with crimson walls, red velvet sofas and a bespoke bar made with ceramic spheres and covered in red marble. There’s even a gloss red ceiling which reflects the cool 70-style lighting to take guests back to the disco era. In terms of drinks, the cocktail list pays homage to guests who visited the brasserie in the 80s, like Mick Jagger, and has plenty of classic options. Guests can also order dishes from the restaurant downstairs, like truffle croque monsieur, yellowfin tuna, filet mignon, plus a selection from the raw seafood bar.
Stratton Street, Mayfair, W1J 8LB
Visit LangansBrasserie.com
Silverleaf At Pan Pacific London
Pan Pacific London was one of the capital’s best hotel openings last year. In addition to the Singaporean Ginger Lily, the hotel has just opened a second bar, Silverleaf. Created by the team behind Milroy’s and Callooh Callay, the space has Tom Dixon lighting and furniture, with moody interiors for late-night cocktails. The drinks menu has also been designed by the interior brand – expect beautiful glassware and cocktails that feature only two or three ingredients like the ‘Watermelon + Umami’ made with Tanqueray gin, watermelon and umami; and the ‘Heartleaf Martini’ containing Haku vodka, Seaside Distillate and dry vermouth. Silverleaf also has an adjacent bar, tucked away in a separate corner with space for up to 12 guests.
80 Houndsditch, Liverpool Street, EC3A 7AB
Visit PanPacific.com
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