The Best New London Bars To Book Now
Bennie Curnow
Viajante87
Notting Hill
Notting Hill recently welcomed Viajante87. Created by the team behind Los Mochis next door, the Mexican-Japanese bar has its own mixology lab in the basement creating experimental and zero-waste drinks. Guests can sit on swanky banquettes and velvet stools with unique interiors – think Tokyo meets Tulum – to enjoy agave-based cocktails. Highlights include the ‘Frida’ made with Altos tequila reposado, citrus sherbet, plum and champagne; and the ‘Mango Zapoteca’ with Crystal Head Blue Agave vodka, mango and sesame. You can also choose from the team’s fusion snacks, like steamed edamame with chipotle chilli garlic, fried chicken wings with habanero-gochujang, and ‘Falafelito’ (fried chickpeas with coriander, parsley and lime). Every weekend, DJs mix tribal house beats with soul classics.
87 Notting Hill Gate, Notting Hill, W11 3JZ
Visit ViajanteBar.com
Henny's Wine Bar
Balham
Tooting Broadway Market’s Henny’s Wine Bar has moved to a permanent site in Balham. With some of the best interiors on this list, the bar specialises in Beaujolais wines and the team want to introduce a new generation of drinkers to organic and biodynamic bottles. The bar has a weekly changing menu with a small wine list, so there’s always something new to try. There’s also a good selection of craft beers on tap, as well as a classic negroni sbagliato made with Campari, vermouth and prosecco. Henny's has also teamed up with Yard Sale Pizza so you can order wood-fired pizzas with slow-cooked tomato sauce and mozzarella straight to your table. Keep an eye out for tastings, life-drawing workshops and art classes in the coming months.
195C Balham High Road, Balham, SW12 9BE
Visit HennysWine.com
Naked & Famous
Notting Hill
You’ve probably seen Greek restaurant Zēphyr’s cool interiors doing the rounds on TikTok. The Portobello Road restaurant recently opened an agave bar in the basement with warm 70s-inspired interiors and cool bubble seating. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 6pm, the bar has a buzzy vibe, whether you’re heading there on the weekend or fancy an extra drink after a midweek dinner upstairs. We like the signature ‘Naked & Famous’ cocktail made with mezcal, tequila blanco, herbal liqueur and agave, but you can also choose from other agave-based cocktails made with sustainable spirits, as well as low-intervention wines and champagnes.
100 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, W11 2QD
Visit Zephyr.London
Mr Fogg’s Pawnbrokers
Soho
The team behind Cahoots, Bunga Bunga and Mr Fogg's Apothecary has opened its eighth outpost on Dean Street. Mr Fogg’s Pawnbrokers is inspired by Soho’s rich history and Victorian pawn shops, with eclectic cocktails served in vessels from vases to jewellery boxes. There are three areas, each with its own bar: the Pawnbrokers Counter decorated with Victorian keepsakes; the Strong Room, with jewels, gold, and antiques in glass cabinets; and the Textiles Room, where the bar is made of vintage carpets and rugs. Drinks menus are printed in tiny fonts, so you’ll have to use a jeweller’s loupe to read them – all part of the experience. Expect to find cocktails like the ‘Priceless Heirloom’ served in a vase and made with Bombay Sapphire gin, Essentiae lemon verbena liqueur, raspberry shrub, lime juice, and rose lemonade; and the ‘Sanuk Through Customs’ with kaffir lime leaf-infused Smirnoff Black No. 55 vodka, pear purée, ginger and lemongrass cordial, apple juice and fresh lime.
50 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 5BQ
Visit Mr-Foggs.com
Emmanuelle
Clerkenwell
The Drunken Butler’s Yuma Hashemi is about to open a wine bar in Clerkenwell. Opposite its Persian sister restaurant Yuma, the bar will be a casual spot designed to help you explore small-scale winemakers from around the world. The ‘living room’ around the main bar will have a retro feel with vintage and antique furniture and curios. Expect to find a list full of new and old-world wines, as well as natural and biodynamic bottles, and champagnes. There will also be a separate negroni list made with vintage serves of gin, vermouth and Campari sourced from the 70s. Ideal for a first date, there are charcuterie snacks and small plates – and look out for tastings and masterclasses taking place over the next few months.
5A Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, EC1R 4SX
Follow @Emmanuelle_WineBar
Lucy Wong
Fitzrovia
If you like the idea of lots of sharing plates while you try a few cocktails, Lucy Wong in Fitzrovia is the new bar to have on your radar. Inspired by 1950s Hong Kong dim sum bars, the space has neon lights, Chinese lanterns and red and gold interiors. The cocktail menu comes with separate cards so you can learn about the history of the classics, and there’s a range of limited-edition drinks with an Asian twist: we’re excited about the ‘Dynamite Gimlet’ made with Roku gin, Italicus bergamot liqueur, ginger syrup and yuzu; and the ‘Eastern Sour’ with vodka, raspberry and thyme liqueur, raspberry, lime, rhubarb bitters and egg white. Sharing plates include Cantonese duck, dim sum baskets, Singapore noodles and veggie spring rolls.
33-34 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, W1T 1JN
Visit LucyWong.co.uk
Trullo Wine Bar
Islington
Islington’s Trullo has opened a wine bar next door to the restaurant. With a focus on international bottles outside of Italy, the drinks menu showcases some of Europe's best grapes and producers, with bottles from Slovenia to Spain served alongside an antipasti menu. Bottles will change with the season, but expect to find Marof Breg White (2018) and Domaine la Calmette (2021) on the menu now. Guests can sit in velvet banquettes, in the window or at the bar for small plates – a lovely start to the evening before moving to the restaurant next door.
300-302 St Paul’s Road, Islington, N1 2LH
Visit TrulloRestaurant.com
The Bar Downstairs at Mayha
Marylebone
Marylebone’s omakase experience restaurant Mayha has opened a bar in its basement. The space has room for just six guests as the resident mixologist creates cocktails paired with bites from the Japanese kitchen. Guests will be served five courses of raw dishes paired with five different cocktails. The menu will change with the seasons, but currently features scallop crudo (paired with a ‘Goose Spritz’ of fresh gooseberries, elderflower and champagne); and sun-dried tomato yellow tail (partnered with an ‘Okra Martini’ of honjozo sake, vodka and dry vermouth). If you just want a couple of drinks, choose from the signature menu which lists cocktails like the ‘Forest Martini’ made with dry gin, vermouth and fresh citrus.
43 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, W1U 6LS
Visit MayhaLondon.com
Want to try a new bar or restaurant? Ask the SL Community for recommendations here.
Stephen Joyce
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