Editorial
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."
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.
Tom has spent years exploring underground bars globally and has a genuine obsession with discovery, history, and the bars that choose to stay hidden. He believes the best drinking experiences require effort to find. Based in London with frequent trips to subterranean venues worldwide.
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