Akoko

Akoko sits on Berners Street in Fitzrovia, a Michelin starred West African restaurant from Aji Akokomi that traces a menu across Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal. In the corner of the terracotta toned room is a small bar, and it is one of the most distinctive places in central London to start an evening. This is fine dining hospitality applied to a drink, not a casual drop in.

The bar exists to set up the tasting menu, so come with that in mind. If you want African wines you cannot find elsewhere and cocktails built around scotch bonnet and tropical fruit, few rooms in London match it. If you want a long unhurried night of drinking, the restaurant format will not suit.

The room is all textured terracotta walls, West African artwork and custom ceramics inspired by regional pottery. The Infatuation described the space as warm and intimate, and the bar corner carries that same low, considered light. It is a place to settle into one or two drinks, not to perch and people watch.

The bar also works as a primer for the kitchen's regional range. Aji Akokomi has spoken in interviews about wanting West African ingredients treated with the seriousness of any fine dining larder, and the drinks carry that same intent. The bar is where that argument starts, one glass before the first course arrives.

The signature move is the Akoko flight, a selection of African wines and regionally inspired cocktails matched to the kitchen's ingredients. The cocktail list runs classics with a twist, including a G and T carrying coconut and pineapple and a vodka soda spiked with scotch bonnet. The African wine list is the real find, since few London bars pour it at all. Let the bartender guide the pairing rather than ordering off pattern.

The crowd is a mix of food led diners, special occasion tables and people who follow London's restaurant scene closely. It fills only on the restaurant's service nights, Tuesday through Saturday, and the energy is quiet and attentive rather than loud. Dress leans smart.

Plan the wider evening with our London cocktail bars guide and the London bar guide. For a nearby pre or post dinner drink, pair Akoko with Bar Termini in Soho, the Connaught Bar in Mayfair, or Swift in Soho. On the move, use our cocktail bars near me hub.