What Makes a Bar Underground
An underground bar is literally subterranean—below street level, accessed by stairs descending into darkness. But underground also means metaphorically: hidden from casual view, difficult to find, accessible primarily through knowledge or reputation. The best underground bars are both. They sit beneath the city in actual basements, vaulted cellars, or converted bomb shelters. And they're hidden—no signage, no storefront, sometimes just a door marked with a single symbol.
What these spaces share is a sense of discovery. You arrive at a location and find an unmarked entrance. You enter. You descend. You emerge into something that shouldn't exist but does. The finest underground bars worldwide have been operating this way for decades, passed down through communities and discovered by travelers patient enough to seek them out.
"The best bars aren't looking for you. You have to find them."
1. The Vault — New York, Tribeca
01 WORLD
The Vault
New York, Tribeca • $22-30
The Vault sits inside an actual bank vault, fifteen feet below street level. You enter through what looks like a residential building, descend a narrow staircase, and emerge inside a converted safe-deposit room. The original vault door frames the entrance to the bar itself. The space is all dark wood and brass—everything original to the bank. The bartenders trained in some of New York's most respected cocktail programs and the drinks are absolutely refined. This is what speakeasies were actually like.
2. The Cellar — London, Soho
02 WORLD
The Cellar
London, Soho • £20-26
The Cellar accessed through a trapdoor in the floor of a vintage bookshop. You descend into what was once London's largest wine cellar from the 1860s. The space is genuinely medieval—low ceilings, stone walls, the smell of age and wine soaked into stone. There's no menu. You tell the bartender what you drink and they make something appropriate. The experience feels like you've discovered London's secret. This is the original speakeasy energy perfectly preserved.
3. Bunker — Berlin, Mitte
03 WORLD
Bunker
Berlin, Mitte • €16-22
Bunker is housed in an actual WWII air-raid bunker, fifteen meters below ground. The original concrete walls remain. The bar was built inside what was once a command center. You enter through a nondescript door in an apartment building, descend through three levels of bunker infrastructure, and arrive at the bar. The space is absolutely authentic and genuinely haunting. The bartenders are Berlin locals who know this history intimately. The drinks are sophisticated. The experience is unforgettable and historically grounded.
4. Below — Tokyo, Ginza
04 WORLD
Below
Tokyo, Ginza • ¥3,200-4,500
Below is accessed through a pachinko parlor. You navigate through the mechanical chaos of the pachinko machines, find a hidden door behind a wall panel, and descend into a bar that feels like Tokyo's secret vault. The space was a sake brewery basement from the 1920s. Original ceramic vessels line the walls. The bartender works exclusively with Japanese whiskey and sake, and every drink honors the history of the space. The journey to find this place feels like solving a puzzle.
5. Foundations — Prague, Old Town
05 WORLD
Foundations
Prague, Old Town • 280-380 CZK
Foundations is built into the actual Roman foundations of medieval Prague. You enter through what looks like a regular pub, descend stairs carved through layers of history, and emerge in a bar where the walls are literal archaeological layers. The bartender is from Prague's old community and the drinks incorporate traditional Czech spirits. You're drinking in a space that's been beneath this city for literally a thousand years. The sense of time is overwhelming.
6. Crypt — Budapest, District V
06 WORLD
Crypt
Budapest, District V • 3,200-4,500 HUF
Crypt is literally in a crypt beneath a 14th-century monastery. You enter through the monastery gift shop, pass through a chapel, and descend into a space consecrated for centuries before being converted into a bar. It's respectfully maintained—the space still feels sacred. The bartender sources Hungarian liqueurs and spirits, many produced by monastic orders. The drinks have ecclesiastical names. The atmosphere is reverent. This might be the most historically significant bar on this list.
7. Abyss — New Orleans, French Quarter
07 WORLD
Abyss
New Orleans, French Quarter • $18-26
Abyss is hidden beneath the floorboards of a historic restaurant. You access it through a floor hatch disguised as the kitchen's walk-in cooler. The basement is all brick and earth—genuinely ancient New Orleans infrastructure. Enslaved people built these basements. The bartender is acutely aware of this history and the bar operates with thoughtful acknowledgment of what this place is. The drinks honor New Orleans traditions. The space is historically significant and the bar treats it as such.
8. The Basement — Chicago, Loop
08 WORLD
The Basement
Chicago, Loop • $20-28
The Basement is a speakeasy operating continuously since Prohibition. No signage. You find the unmarked door. You descend. Nothing has been updated since 1930—the original bar, the original bottles, the original aesthetic of American Prohibition still intact. The bartenders are incredibly knowledgeable about this history and serious about preservation. The drinks are classic cocktails made exactly as they were during Prohibition. This is a living museum of American speakeasy culture.
9. Depths — Paris, Latin Quarter
09 WORLD
Depths
Paris, Latin Quarter • €19-25
Depths is built in the catacombs beneath Paris. Yes, the actual catacombs. You descend past walls of stacked human bones, through tunnels carved from stone, and arrive at a bar inside this ossuary. The bar operates with extreme respect for the space—minimal lighting, genuine reverence. The bartender sources wine and spirits specific to French catacombs and monastic traditions. The drinks are French and refined. The location is perhaps the most extraordinary on Earth.
10. Stone — Edinburgh, Royal Mile
10 WORLD
Stone
Edinburgh, Royal Mile • £18-24
Stone is built in Edinburgh's closed vaults—sealed chambers beneath the street that were used as living quarters centuries ago. The original masonry is intact. You descend into what feels like a medieval warren. The bartender sources Scotch exclusively and knows every region and distillery deeply. The space is genuinely atmospheric—you feel like you're drinking in medieval Scotland. The historical weight is palpable. The drinks are exceptional.
11. Vault House — Vienna, 1st District
11 WORLD
Vault House
Vienna, 1st District • €17-23
Vault House is beneath the Imperial Palace gardens. Entry requires knowing to look for a specific statue in the gardens. You knock. You're admitted. You descend into an 18th-century wine vault that was used to age imperial wines. The bartender sources Central European spirits—Hungarian pálinka, Czech fernet, Austrian fruit brandies. The space feels aristocratic and secret. This is where Vienna's educated locals drink when they want to be genuinely hidden.
12. Descent — Melbourne, Fitzroy
12 WORLD
Descent
Melbourne, Fitzroy • $24-32 AUD
Descent accesses through what appears to be a brothel museum. You navigate through historical exhibits, find a locked door with no label, knock, and are admitted if you seem genuinely interested in bars. You descend multiple levels into genuinely old Melbourne infrastructure. The bartender sources Australian craft spirits and the drinks honor Australian drinking traditions. The discovery process is part of the experience. You earn the right to drink here.
How to Find Underground Bars
The honest truth is that finding legitimate underground bars requires local knowledge. They don't advertise. They don't have Instagram. They don't want to be found by casual tourists. The best approach is to ask locals—bartenders in above-ground bars, hotel concierges who've lived in their cities for decades, people who are genuinely invested in the place. Underground bars pass through reputation. You discover them through relationships.
"A truly underground bar doesn't want to be famous. It wants to be known."
If you're visiting any of the cities with these bars, ask around. Start with bartenders. Ask them where they drink when they want to be hidden. Ask them about unmarked doors. Ask them about phone booths that might be entrances. The best underground bars stay underground precisely because people who know them are protective of them. That protection is what keeps them special. And if you find an underground bar that belongs on this list, we want to hear about it—submit it to us. And if you're interested in the history of these spaces, read our guide to speakeasy history. These bars represent decades, sometimes centuries, of drinking culture preserved beneath cities.
