London date night bars combine grand-hotel polish with Hoxton-basement intimacy.
Part of our 20 Best Date Night Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
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The 10 best date night bars in London
01 · London
Mayfair
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Hotel bar · Trolley martini
Mayfair hotel bar with the trolley martini service.
Order: Connaught Martini, the trolley pour
02 · London
Strand
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Hotel bar · 1893
Britain's oldest serious cocktail bar.
Order: Hanky Panky
03 · London
Shoreditch
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Live jazz · Theatrical
Live jazz nightly. Drinks are Prohibition-era theatre.
Order: Old Cuban
04 · London
Hoxton
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Basement · Tiny
Below a burger restaurant on Hoxton Square.
Order: Perfect Storm (rum, ginger, mint)
05 · London
Mayfair
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Phileas Fogg's home
Phileas Fogg-themed Victorian drawing-room bar.
Order: A Tipperary
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06 · London
Smithfield
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Live music · Theatrical
Sister venue to Nightjar.
Order: Ortolan Sour
07 · London
St James's
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Hotel bar · Old guard
Inside Dukes Hotel.
Order: Dukes Martini, pour-and-stir tableside
08 · London
Soho
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Counter · Modern
Modern Soho cocktail bar.
Order: Whatever's on the seasonal menu
09 · London
Soho
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Hidden basement · Reservations
Hidden Soho basement cocktail bar.
Order: Bartender's choice
10 · London
Soho
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1940s tube station theme
Themed as a 1940s London Underground station.
Order: A wartime-themed signature
More London date nightThe full London date-night index by neighbourhood.
See the full list
How to choose a date night bar in London
The 10 above are where the room helps the night go right.