Reverend JW Simpson

Reverend JW Simpson sits in the basement of 32 Goodge Street, a few steps from Goodge Street station in Fitzrovia. The conceit is the building's own history, a flat once occupied by a parish reverend until 1986, and the bar leans into it with mismatched lamps, old portraits, and a front room that feels like someone's eccentric living room. Time Out files it under quirky Fitzrovia basements for good reason.

This is a sit-down bar, not a stand-and-shout one. Service is entirely seated, the lighting is low, and the seasonal menu trades on inventive presentation rather than volume. The Infatuation has reviewed it as a date-friendly spot where the drinks do the talking. If you want a loud night with bottle service, this is the wrong door. If you want a considered cocktail in a room with a story, it is one of the neighbourhood's most-recommended.

Two connected basement spaces sit below street level. The front is the louder, lamp-lit lounge that greets you off the stairs, while regulars on the London bar forums point to the smaller back room as the better seat for a quiet conversation. Decor is deliberately cluttered and homey, closer to a curiosity shop than a polished hotel bar, and the whole place holds only a few dozen guests at a time.

The menu changes with the season and rewards trusting the bartender. Cocktails land around the £13 mark, built with care rather than theatrics, and the list usually carries a couple of lighter, lower-ABV options for early in the evening. DesignMyNight and Time Out both flag the inventive presentation as the draw, so order from the seasonal list rather than defaulting to a standard classic.

One practical note that trips up first-timers. Because service is seated, you wait for a table rather than crowd the bar, so on a busy Friday it pays to book. Tap water and snacks are easy to flag down between rounds, and the staff are happy to steer you if you tell them what spirit you favour.

Building a Fitzrovia or West End night? Read our guide to the best cocktail bars in London, or go gin-led with our best gin bars in London. Searching nearby? Start at our cocktail bars near me hub or the London cocktail bars page.