BAO Fitzrovia

BAO Fitzrovia sits on Windmill Street, the biggest site in the Taiwanese bun group that started in Soho and Netil Market. Most people come for the buns, but the reason it earns a place on a bar list is the basement, where a U shaped wooden bar is built into the heart of the room. That bar regularly hosts guest cocktails from bartenders out of the World's 50 Best Bars.

This is a bar for cocktail fans who also like to eat, and for solo drinkers who want a seat at a counter rather than a table. The drinks lean Taiwanese in spirit, the food is constant, and the energy is bright. If you want a hushed candlelit den, look elsewhere. If you want a counter seat and an interesting drink, claim a stool.

The building runs over two floors, with a light, oak countered ground floor and a basement that holds the action. City AM describes the downstairs U shaped bar as inspired by Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks, with pink marble tables and an open kitchen around it. It is a room built for sitting at the bar, not hiding in a corner.

The group's history adds context. BAO grew from a Soho counter and a Netil Market stall into this larger Fitzrovia site, and the basement bar is where it stretched its ambition beyond the buns. The guest cocktail series ties it into London's wider bar scene, bringing names from the global top lists into a room most people first visit for the food.

The bar's signature is the guest cocktail series, where visiting bartenders from top global bars take over the list for a run. Outside those takeovers, the house drinks lean Taiwanese, with sake, highballs and tea forward cocktails alongside the buns. The value is good for the quality on the glass. Check what guest list is running, and if none, lean into the house highballs.

A young Fitzrovia and Soho crowd fills the counters, mixing cocktail fans, after work groups and solo diners. The bar suits one or two people more than large groups. The dress is casual and the energy stays lively through the evening.

See more in our London cocktail bars guide and the London bar guide. For a nearby crawl, pair BAO with Bar Termini in Soho, Swift in Soho, or Cahoots in Soho. On the move, use our cocktail bars near me hub.