The Best Bars in Clerkenwell and Farringdon

The Zetter Townhouse bar is styled as a Victorian collector's sitting room — taxidermy, curious artefacts, overstuffed furniture — and it works because the cocktail list is equally considered. The infused spirits programme draws on English botanicals and there is always a seasonal punch made in quantities that reward sharing. The space is small and the sofas fill quickly on weekday evenings; arrive before 6:30pm or book.

Order: Seasonal punch for two — always the most interesting thing on the menu

The Jerusalem Tavern is one of London's smallest and most atmospheric pubs — a converted eighteenth-century coffee house with exposed brick, old wood, and the exclusive pouring of St Peter's Brewery's ales. The selection runs from their fruit beers to the exceptional cream stout, all served in the brewery's distinctive oval bottles or on draught. The pub holds about thirty people comfortably. On weekday lunchtimes it is perfect; after work on Fridays it is perfectly chaotic.

Order: St Peter's Cream Stout — one of London's most underrated pub drinks

Exmouth Market's best pub has a rotating craft beer tap list and one of the most civilised outdoor seating areas in EC1 — the street is pedestrianised for the market and the tables spread comfortably into it. The kitchen does proper food through the evening and the service is brisk without being rushed. This is the pub that anchors Exmouth Market's drinking evening; most bar crawls in the area start or end here.

Order: Rotating guest IPA on keg — ask what is freshest

A speakeasy-style cocktail bar in a former tailor's shop in Farringdon — the sign above the door looks like a joke but the bar inside is serious. The cocktail list draws on American spirits with serious depth in the bourbon and rye sections. The space is deliberately close and dark, which generates the right atmosphere for the kind of drinking that benefits from not being able to see who else is in the room.

Order: High-proof Bourbon Old Fashioned — the benchmark here

Bar Thierry is a genuinely French wine bar in the mould of a Paris zinc — tall stools, marble-topped bar, natural wine list that changes twice weekly, small plates that prioritise quality over quantity. The room is narrow and the atmosphere gets progressively louder as the evening progresses. The wine list is the main event: biodynamic producers, Loire naturalists, and a Burgundy section that justifies serious attention. An excellent neighbourhood bar that most people in Clerkenwell do not know about.

Order: Loire natural white wine — the heart of the list

The Slaughtered Lamb has a ground floor pub and a basement craft beer bar — both worth visiting, for different reasons. The ground floor is a reliable Victorian pub with well-kept real ales; the basement has twenty-four keg taps, all of them dedicated to small UK and European craft breweries. The basement hosts regular tap takeovers and brewery events. The best craft beer selection in Clerkenwell, reliably restocked.

Order: Ask what tap takeover is running — there is almost always one in progress

Fergus Henderson's St John Restaurant is where nose-to-tail eating entered the mainstream, but the bar at the front is separately worth visiting as a drinks destination. The wine list is exceptional — primarily natural and low-intervention producers chosen with the same rigour applied to the food. The bar snacks — Welsh rarebit, bone marrow on toast — are among the best eating in London. Arrive at the bar without a reservation and eat your way through the menu.

Order: A glass of something orange or skin-contact from the wine list, with the Welsh rarebit

Fabric is primarily a club, but the bar areas during quieter evening sessions — particularly the early hours of weekend opening, around 11pm before it fills — are genuinely atmospheric. The bar programme is more considered than you would expect from a venue of this scale. Come for an early session when the music is still manageable and the bar team has time to be present. A very different proposition from its peak hours.

Order: Long cocktail — the bar handles volume best with spirit-forward drinks in long formats

The Hat and Tun is a Clerkenwell local that has kept its identity through significant neighbourhood change — a small Victorian pub with a loyal regular clientele, a rotating real ale selection, and the kind of atmosphere that develops organically rather than through interior design. The food is honest pub cooking. The garden at the back is a genuine secret in summer. A place worth knowing about for the evenings you want substance over spectacle.

Order: Current cask ale guest — always worth the ask

Vinoteca is a wine bar and shop that has been a Clerkenwell fixture since 2005 — long enough to have proven itself through multiple cycles of neighbourhood transformation. The list spans twelve countries and prioritises producers doing interesting things with classic and unusual varieties. The by-the-glass selection is consistently well-chosen and changes frequently enough to reward regular visits. For wine-focused evenings in EC1, this is our first recommendation.

Order: Ask for the current wine list and have the bar team walk you through two or three options