The best new bars in London: 2019

Swat up on your mezcal knowledge at Doña

The all-female team behind sultry cocktail bar Doña know just what to do with a bottle of mezcal. In fact, they know how to brew the smoky Mexican spirit, too, and use their own brand – Dangerous Don Mezcal – to lace several of their drinks. The basement bar on Newington High Street is the love child of Dangerous Don founder Thea Cumming and the brains behind London Mezcal Week Lucie Massey. Together, they’ve created a bar that’s romantic (plush interiors in hues or red and pink), quirky (with lampshades askew and retro glassware) and spiritual (it's scented with incense and there are vague plans to host yoga classes in the bar during the day).

Doña’s cocktail menu is short and confident. Of those we tried, the Molly – a muddling of mezcal, blackberry, lime and agave – was sour and refreshing. But the titular Doña, a mix of Dangerous Don Mezcal, Virtuous Ginger, Supasawa, agave and coffee beans – was bizarre, the latter ingredient sticking out like an unpleasantly sore thumb. The best, a mezcal margarita, is not even the menu. It’s short, sharp, rimmed with chili salt and pure joy to drink. Whatever else you try, go off grid and order this.

Step into the future at Mama Fuego’s Triangle Bar

More than a little hype has surrounded the opening of Mama Fuego on the Greenwich Peninsula. For starters, the restaurant and bar is located within the area’s brand new neighbourhood, The Tide. Secondly, it sounds like something from the future with its promise of elevated walkways and sunken gardens. With the designers of NYC’s High Line at the helm, and Damien Hirst supplying decorative sculptures, Mama Fuego is set to become a go-to for design and fashion lovers looking to let their hair down.

On the second floor of the ‘complex’ is the Triangle Bar, a space kitted out in vintage 60s and 70s decor, complete with a tap-room bar, gin distillery and antique piano. Expect craft cocktails, live music and late-night fun.

Get serious about whisky at the new branch of Milroy’s

A temporary closure aside, Milroy’s in Soho is the oldest whisky shop in London – and houses on-site cocktail bar, the Vault, too. Now, the team is expanding, opening a second whisky shop and cocktail den in Spitalfields. The new site is spread across four floors and boasts an offering spread beyond that of the original: here there’s a tasting room and private members’ club (called the Dram House), complete with a cigar terrace. Here, you’ll find a seriously impressive collection of over 1,000 bottles from across the world.

Sip cocktails for a good cause: Tequila Mockingbird

Rather than trying to establish themselves north of the river, where cocktail bars are two a penny in many pockets and neighbourhoods, the team behind award-winning Tequila Mockingbird immediately flew south, building nests in Putney, Tooting and Clapham Junction. Now, they’ve spread their wings again, opening a fourth bar in Brixton. The menu here is playful: light on the classics (save for margaritas and martinis), heavy on their own experimental concoctions – some of which might raise your eyebrows as well as your spirits. For now, guests can soak it all up with the likes of burgers, wings and fries, but the team are launching a bottomless brunch at the Brixton branch later this year.

There’s also three specials on the menu, each in honour of local hero David Bowie. The ‘Ziggy Stardust’: rum, strawberry liqueur, pink guava puree, bubble-gum syrup and lime juice is sure to please the overtly sweet-toothed sipper. What’s more, £1 from each of these specials goes towards new music equipment for local schools in Brixton. Charitable cocktails? Count us in.

See mixology as true craftsmanship at Tayēr Elementary

When it’s announced that London’s celebrated mixologist Alex Kratena, of the acclaimed Artesian Bar, is opening a new joint, we’re all ears. And when we learn that bar snack specialists TaTa Eatery (famed for their Instagrammable Katsu sandwiches) are behind the menu, we’re all mouths, too. The bar in question is Tayēr Elementary, a two part venue which Kratena has partnered with Monica Berg of Oslo bar Himkok to open.

At the front you have Elementary, the interiors of which are described by its owners as a blend of ‘Scandi functionality, Japanese minimalism and a little bit of punk’. Here, unusual but perfected takes on classic cocktails are served. The back bar, Tayēr, is a space which only true cocktail connoisseurs can appreciate: not so much a bar but a futuristic workstation, in the middle of which a collection of potion bottle liquors lay in wait to be poured into the bar’s menu of unnamed cocktails. Take your place around the counter and watch as your chosen ingredients are muddled together by an expert hand.

Step back in time at Locket’s wine bar by Wiltons

Wiltons is among the London's longest standing restaurants, having been in business since 1742. It's spent decades in the shadows, quietly serving the city's stately and their guests, but this autumn, the restaurant group is opening a new café and wine bar on St James’s Street – marking their first new venture in over 70 years. The new 60-seater venue – named after Locket Hambro, the daughter of Wiltons Group co-owner Jamie Hambro – is housed in the Grade II-listed Smithson Plaza (formerly the Economist Plaza), and will be a café by day and wine bar by night. We’re expecting the interiors to conform to the traditional luxe style of the group’s long-standing restaurant.

Hunker down amongst the murals at the Berkeley Bar & Terrace

The Berkeley Hotel's new bar and terrace is a thing of beauty. A strawberries and cream-hued snug boasts a many-faced mural painted by artist TM Davy, whilst the entirety of smooth woodwork has been sourced from a single, 300-year-old walnut tree felled in a storm.

Drinks are equally as impressive, from the vintage champagne found tucked away in a French cellar to the £700 single dram of rare whisky.

Bite into the Big Apple at Double Standard

Double Standard bar at the new London outpost of the Standard hotel group is, food wise, where American dive bar meets British pub. The show-stopping burgers of the Standard’s executive chef Adam Rawson can be sampled here, along with classic cocktails and craft beers. Look wise, however, this stylish, design-led space is about as far from pub or dive bar as you can get, with its pastel-hued tiles, geometric furnishings and clusters of elegant seating areas.

Embrace Parisian elegance at the Duck Nest

Rustic pub meets chic, Parisian bar at the Duck Nest, a new cocktail bar by French restaurant Monsieur Le Duck. Housed above the restaurant, the walls of the wooden-floored room art lined with art nouveau, while plush cushions lend the space its boudoir vibe. Settle in here for decadent cocktails and the lilting sounds of French jazz. Hosting an event? The bar can also be booked, accomodating 60 standing guests or 20 who are seated and dining.

Feel fancy at The Bar at Sloane Place

Enjoy a taste of the finery found at boutique hotel and restaurant Sloane Place by popping in for a drink or bite to eat at its adjoining venue: The Bar at Sloane Place. The site is the latest offering from award-winning executive chef Bernhard Mayer and Matt Hobbs, former Managing Director of The Groucho Club. Its bar – which offers an all-day dining menu, extensive drinks list and weekend tunes mixed live by a DJ – is headed up by Mayer himself along with head mixologist Wilfried Comoe (Plateau).

Expect bar snacks along the lines of crispy squid, padron peppers or beef teriyaki gyozas, while drinks include champagne cocktails and the sumptuous-sounding Pear Whisky Sour: Famous Grouse, Poire William, pear puree, lime juice, sugar syrup and angostura bitters.

Dance the night away at Bloom

Pitching up on what was once the site of Mahiki Kensington is Bloom: a far more casual nightclub with no strict guest list policy or dress code. The club is the latest opening from Incipio Group, the team behind rooftop bars Pergola Paddington and Olympia. Bloom can hold up to 350 guests and has two bars plus a secret dance floor. Whether the club continues to attract the spillover crowd from socialite hotspot Mahiki Mayfair is yet to be seen.

Commit liquor-fuelled crimes at Murder Inc.

Head to Hanway Street in Fitzrovia for an evening of deadly cocktails served with a side of heinous crimes. Taking its inspiration from the ‘gangster noir of the 1940s and 50s’, new bar Murder Inc. is the latest venture from the team behind The Cocktail Trading Company. The 60-capacity bar has been styled to evoke a mixture of industrial New York and mid-century glamour. While some of the death-themed names might make you cringe, drinks here are laced with quirk and sophistication, such as ‘Death In The Afternoon’: an on-tap blend of Pernod Absinthe, agave-ginger sherbet and Moët Champagne.

Escape to a bygone era at Rockwell

In the heart of the West End, Rockwell bar in The Trafalgar St James Hotel is perfectly situated for pre and post theatre cocktails. The bright botanical interiors transport you away from the hubbub of central London and evoke the exotic fauna and travelling menageries of the 17th and 18th centuries. As such, expect to find yourself surrounded by herbaceous plants, unusual artwork and quirky details. The bar is headed up by Marco Ercolano, whose CV boasts the Rivoli Bar at the Ritz and Mr Fogg’s. Ercolano’s menu muddles Britsh spirits with exotic imports of the day. Everything, even the jam used to sweeten a cocktail, is made on site and the emphasis on natural flavours means nothing is too sickly sweet. Make a night of it with a selection of bar snacks and small plates, from flat breads and sliders to zesty cerviche tacos.

Drink in true ‘Lyan’ style: Lyaness

When news broke that Ryan ‘Lyan’ Chetiyawardana was to close his award-winning bar Dandelyan – recently voted number one by the World’s 50 Best Bars website – cocktail enthusiasts across the city and beyond were shocked. But relief came when it was announced that the renowned mixologist and bar owner was to open a new bar with a fresh concept housed in the same site at the Sea Containers on South Bank.

Called Lyaness – a playful take on Chetiyawardana’s own nickname – the new bar has a 21-drink menu based on seven house-made ingredients: Infinite Banana, Purple Pineapple, King Monkey Nut, ONYX, Aromatised Milk Wine, Old Fashioned Whisky and Ultra Raspberry. (Don't worry, the names mean little to us, either.) Initial images show electric blue interiors designed by Jacu Strauss, who also designed those of Lyaness’s predecessor.

Taste farm-to-table tipples at The Shouk, Farmer J

Farmer J is a restaurant which prides itself on serving ‘honest food that rolls with the seasons’, sourced locally where possible. The King William Street branch (others can be found on Leadenhall Street and Canada Place) has recently launched a cocktail bar, The Shouk, where a similar commitment to fresh ingredients is served alongside (and indeed mixed in to) the drinks. Try the Tahini Martini, a vegan cocktail comprising of tahini, vodka and dates; or the Strawberry Mule – kombucha, vodka, strawberries, basil and ginger. A selection of plates from the bar’s Mediterranean-inspired Graze menu are available to help soak up the spirits, including grilled chorizo served with yoghurt and chimichurri dip; and Farmer J’s signature polenta-spiced sweet potatoes.

Sing your praise of Tooting’s new cocktail bar: Top of the Pop

Poptata brought ‘street fries’ to Tooting Market not so long ago and now the team – who also have outlets in Portobello Market, Boxpark Shoreditch and Boxpark Croydon – are opening a sister bar: Top of the Pop. As the name suggests, the new bar sits atop the trendy chip shop. The offering here, though, is craft beers, wines and playful cocktails at a reasonable price point – such as the £8 Feisty Sour: fortified amaretto, grapefruit juice, lime juice and smokey syrup.

Sip world-class cocktails: Kwānt

Erik Lorincz’s stint at The Savoy saw its American Bar named the best in the world at 'The World’s 50 Best Bar Awards' in 2017. Having left The Savoy in April of 2018 to work on Birdy, his range of high-tech bar tools, Lorincz is now back behind the bar but in a newly-refurbished cocktail den beneath Momo in Mayfair. Having ditched the suggested name of ‘El Bar’, the space is in fact called Kwānt (pronounced ‘quaint’). Hunker down amidst the tropical decor and wooden panelling to enjoy one of 24 cocktails (or five mocktails), many of which have been mixed using herbs grown in-house.

Concoctions include the titular KWĀNT (£15): Roku Gin mixed with St Germain elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice and matcha tea.

Get holy about spirits at Chapel Down Gin Works

Chapel Down Gin Works isn’t much to look at from the outside. The former petrol station is perched on the edge of busy York Way and looks like it’s been given a slapdash makeover to fit in with the industrial-chic buildings surrounding it. But this microbrewery boasts two bars, a restaurant and views – at least on one side – over Regent’s Canal. The bar comes to London from the acclaimed Chapel Down vineyard in Kent. The speciality here is, of course, gin – which comes infused with an array of unusual ingredients (coriander seeds among them). The bar is a smart spot for after work drinks, while the restaurant below serves a selection of small and large plates.

Gulp cocktails served in your nan’s best china: Little Nan’s at The Cavendish Arms

Quirky cocktail den Little Nan’s Bar is no longer unique to Deptford, or even to south east London (there’s a branch in Catford, too); its offering of wackily-named drinks, retro party food and mismatched furniture proved so popular the team opened a third bar in Fitzrovia in 2018, and now they’re heading south-west: setting up shop in The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell. Expect heady brews served in china tea pots and interiors that look like a cross between your nan’s living room and an 80s beach party.

Mix your morning cuppa with your post-work tipple: Teatulia

Covent Garden tea shop-cum-bar Teatulia serves cocktails infused with delicious organic teas from the district of Teatulia in Bangladesh. Prefer your tea straight up? For £3 a cup or £5 a pot, Teatulia offers ginger, jasmine and lemongrass teas, as well as tulsi, oolong and the mysteriously named ‘Bengal Builder’s’. Whatever you’re sipping, you can enjoy your drink with a good book, courtesy of the bar’s library, which is curated by a new celebrity personality each month.

See Little Yellow Door in its new home

Former Notting Hill’ pop-up bar The Little Yellow Door was the stuff of ledgend. If you haven't spent an evening behind said door, sipping cocktails or partying with the ‘flatmates’ who ran the place, you’ve probably heard stories about it from those who have. The original bar closed down a couple of years ago and the team opened a sister site, The Little Blue Door, in Fulham. Now, The Little Yellow Door is back in action, but in a new, permanent home on Notting Hill’s All Saints Road.

The concept – a fictional group of flatmates running a bar in their flat – has been carried over, while the new bar is split over two floors, with a cocktail bar upstairs and the Flatmates' Den, kitted out with retro games, vinyl players and a live DJ, beneath.

Mutter 80s ballads into a pint of craft beer: Mikkeller

80s pop sensation turned meme icon Rick Astley has joined forces with trendy Danish microbrewery Mikkeller to open a London outpost of the Copenhagen-based chain of the same name. Mikkeller was founded by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller back in 2006, and has since grown into a popular hangout for hipsters who love their hops. Now, fans of the concept can sip craft beer in a minimalist, Scandi-chic setting without leaving London. Astley’s Mikkeller can be found in Shoreditch and is pretty much a carbon copy of its Danish siblings with wooden interiors, exposed light bulbs and a chalkboard with scribblings of the day’s specials.

Crack open a canned cocktail: Genuine Liquorette

Below a diner in New York’s Little Italy is a liquor store with a self-service fridge, from which customers help themselves to beer and wine. Hop across the pond and a Victorian pub in London’s Fitzrovia has being refurbished into a cocktail bar, based – in some part – on the New York liquor store. Here, however, the focus is on ‘craft cocktails’. Customers select their chosen concoctions – which have been pre-mixed, canned and shelved in a self-service fridge – before shaking, stirring and mixing them under the guidance of the bar’s mixologists. Upstairs is a second bar that's bathed in a golden hue. Here, the offering is cocktails mixed the traditional way (i.e. by the resident barmen) and star-shaped, stone-baked pizzas.

Liquorette has recently launched a home delivery service. Those who live within a 2.5K radius of the bar can have its cocktails delivered to their door – cheers to that.

Taste liquid magic: Heads & Tails

What happens when industry wizards Will Partridge (Wax Jambu and Kilburn Ironworks) and Chris Dennis (Brixton’s gone-but-not-forgotten Sovereign Loss and Disrepute) join forces? London gets an exciting new cocktail bar, that’s what. Called Heads Tails, the bar has taken over former West Hampstead late-night spot: Lately. The venue is split over two levels, with ground floor bar Heads flooded with natural light and crowned with a high, lofty ceiling. Basement bar Tails, meanwhile, is dark and moody – low ceilings, atmospheric dark walls and plush, comfortable seating. The cocktails served mirror the space too, with Heads pouring long, light and refreshing concoctions, while Tails delivers drinks that are short, bold and heavy-on-the-spirits.