London's speakeasy bars scene runs deeper than most visitors realise. The city's hidden drinking dens range from Prohibition-era recreations to conceptual art projects masquerading as cocktail bars. Our editors have made every wrong turn so you do not have to.
London's Best Speakeasies: The Hidden Classics
Cahoots
Accessible through an unmarked door in Soho, the bar recreates a wartime London Underground station with period-perfect detail. The cocktail names are all wartime references and the staff dress accordingly. More fun than technically serious, but the drinks are good and the experience is unforgettable on a first visit.
Nightjar
Arguably the best speakeasy in London for cocktail quality. The basement bar seats 80 and hosts live jazz from Thursday to Saturday. The cocktail menu is organized by era and each cocktail is a small production. Book ahead. The door is unmarked. That is by design.
Discount Suit Company
A genuinely affordable East London speakeasy behind an unassuming shopfront. The cocktail list is shorter than the competition but everything on it works. Goes from quiet to raucous by 10pm on a Friday. One of the city's best-value hidden bars.
London Hidden Bars That Reward the Curious
Evans & Peel Detective Agency
You call ahead, they assign you a case number, you arrive for a "detective appointment." The cocktails inside are exceptional but the theatrical entrance — through what appears to be a private investigator's office — is London's best bar experience.
Swift
The ground floor is a standard bar. Downstairs is a different proposition — a low-lit, high-quality speakeasy with serious cocktails and an exceptional whisky selection. Go straight downstairs and do not tell anyone about the shortcut through the main bar.
Blind Pig
The cocktail bar above Social Eating House. The entrance is genuinely difficult to find which is part of the point. The bar runs 40 cocktails seasonally and the quality matches Social's Michelin-starred kitchen next door.
More London Speakeasies Worth the Hunt
Callooh Callay
The cocktail list here is organized by mood rather than spirit. The entrance is through a wardrobe in the front bar. The staff take their time with each drink and the atmosphere is relaxed enough to spend an entire evening without noticing the time.
Hix Oyster & Chop House Bar
The bar tucked behind Mark Hix's restaurant in Farringdon. The cocktails are resolutely classic and executed with precision. The bourbon selection is the strongest in the area and the bar snacks from the restaurant kitchen arrive without asking.
The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
Enter through a Smeg fridge in The Breakfast Club on Artillery Lane. A genuinely fun concept that never takes itself too seriously. The cocktails are approachable, the prices are reasonable, and it is always a good story the morning after.
The Vault
Below The Washington Mayfair hotel. The bar serves classics alongside a rotating guest menu and the wine list is exceptional. For the nights when you want a speakeasy that nobody else in the group will have been to before.
