29 bars worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Kingdom guides.
The Connaught Bar ★ 4.9 · London
mayfair · Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
Agostino Perrone's hotel cocktail bar inside The Connaught in Mayfair London, opened 2008, runs the trolley-poured Connaught Martini and has topped the World's 50 Best Bars list twice.
Tip: The trolley-Martini is the marquee order; £24 a glass. Book a fortnight ahead through the hotel; jacket required after 19:00.
Tayer + Elementary ★ 4.8 · London
shoreditch · 152 Old Street, London EC1V 9BW
Monica Berg and Alex Kratena's two-room cocktail bar on Old Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2019, runs Elementary (the front bar) and Tayer (the back), top-ranked on the world bar lists.
Tip: Walk-up only at Elementary in front. Tayer in the back books a week ahead. The menu changes every season and shows the production process.
Panda and Sons ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
new-town · 79 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 4NF
Iain McPherson's Panda and Sons on Queen Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2013, a speakeasy cocktail bar in a basement disguised as a barber-shop entrance.
Tip: Enter through the barber-shop door at street level. Bookings open 30 days ahead; cocktail menu changes seasonally.
Lyaness ★ 4.7 · London
covent-garden · 20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD
Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan)'s cocktail bar inside the Sea Containers hotel on the South Bank in London, opened 2019, runs an ingredient-driven menu that turns over twice yearly.
Tip: Walk-up at the bar most weeknights; weekend tables book a week ahead. Six house ingredients drive the menu each season.
Swift Soho ★ 4.7 · London
soho · 12 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4TQ
Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston's two-floor cocktail bar on Old Compton Street in Soho London, opened 2016, runs an upstairs Irish-coffee bar and a basement late-night cocktail room.
Tip: Upstairs takes walk-ins from 17:30. The basement runs to 02:00 with a deeper whiskey list. The Borough sibling has the same kitchen.
The American Bar at The Savoy ★ 4.7 · London
covent-garden · Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
The Savoy hotel's American Bar on the Strand in central London, trading since 1893 and the world's oldest surviving cocktail bar of name, codified the modern cocktail through Ada Coleman.
Tip: Walk-up only between 11:30 and 19:00; book a week ahead for evenings. The Beaufort Bar across the lobby has the more modern programme.
The Bow Bar ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
old-town · 80 West Bow, Edinburgh EH1 2HH
The Bow Bar on West Bow in Edinburgh Old Town, opened in the 1860s and refurbished in the 1990s as a classic Scottish pub, with 250 single malt whiskies and 8.
Tip: No cocktails, no music, no kids. Cask ale list rotates daily; ask the bar what is on tonight.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
leith · The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BZ
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in The Vaults on Giles Street in Leith, opened 1983, the world reference for single-cask whisky with a members bar and tasting room.
Tip: Non-members can buy a day pass for GBP 15 and bring a guest; ask at the door. The Queen Street branch is the New Town sibling.
Dukes Bar ★ 4.6 · London
mayfair · 35 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NY
Salvatore Calabrese's hotel cocktail bar inside Dukes London in St James's, trading since 1908, claims to have inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond Vesper Martini in the 1950s.
Tip: The trolley-Vesper is the marquee order; £28 a glass. Three-Martini limit per guest, sensibly enforced. Closed-jacket recommended.
Satan's Whiskers ★ 4.6 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 343 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9RA
Daniel Bovey's east-London cocktail bar on Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green London, opened 2014, runs a daily-changing menu of classic and modern cocktails printed at 17:00.
Tip: Walk-up only. Tuesday-Thursday from 17:00 is the easy slot. The daily menu turns over fully; favourites change weekly.
Happiness Forgets ★ 4.6 · London
shoreditch · 8-9 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU
Alastair Burgess's basement cocktail bar on Hoxton Square in Shoreditch London, opened 2010, runs a small handwritten menu of cocktails ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars list since 2014.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the room takes 35 covers and burns through. No music, low light, conversation-first design.
Three Sheets ★ 4.6 · London
hackney · 510B Kingsland Road, London E8 4AE
Max and Noel Venning's neighbourhood cocktail bar on Kingsland Road in Dalston London, opened 2016, runs a daily-mixed-on-site cocktail menu and a small wine list.
Tip: Walk-up only Tue-Thu. Friday-Saturday books a week ahead. The brothers source ingredients to make every house spirit from scratch.
Coupette ★ 4.6 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 423 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AN
Chris Moore's French-influenced cocktail bar on Bethnal Green Road in east London, opened 2018, runs a Calvados-heavy menu and ranks regularly on the World's 50 Best Bars list.
Tip: Counter seats walk in any night. Booking a fortnight ahead through their site secures a table. The cocktail flight is the easy ask.
The Devil's Advocate ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
old-town · 9 Advocate's Close, Edinburgh EH1 1ND
The Devil's Advocate in Advocate's Close off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened 2013 in a former Victorian pump house, a stone-walled whisky and cocktail bar.
Tip: Find the bar by going down the steep close from the High Street; the street-level entrance is unmarked.
The Bon Vivant ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
new-town · 55 Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DY
Stuart McCluskey's Bon Vivant on Thistle Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2008, a candlelit wine and cocktail room with rotating European wines.
Tip: By-the-glass wine list runs 24 deep; the same operator runs Companion and Hoot the Redeemer two doors down.
Hawksmoor Bar ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
new-town · 23 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA
Hawksmoor's bar on West Register Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2019 inside the former National Bank of Scotland Hall, a 30-seat cocktail bar.
Tip: Express menu before 18:30 runs three courses at GBP 28 from the bar; the cocktails are the same as the restaurant.
Discount Suit Company ★ 4.5 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 29A Wentworth Street, London E1 7TB
Justyna Kosinska's basement cocktail bar in a former 1900s tailor's storeroom on Wentworth Street in Spitalfields London, opened 2013, runs a focused house-mix cocktail menu.
Tip: Walk-up only. Doors open 18:00 weekdays; weekend queues run 30 minutes. Cash and card; tiny capacity below ground.
Scout ★ 4.5 · London
hackney · 93 Sclater Street, London E1 6HR
Matt Whiley's hyper-seasonal cocktail bar on Sclater Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2018, builds the menu around local UK ingredients and zero-waste production.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-up. The menu turns over by season; British produce defines the drinks list throughout the year.
Bar Termini ★ 4.5 · London
soho · 7 Old Compton Street, London W1D 5JE
Tony Conigliaro and Marco Arrigo's Italian-cafe-and-cocktail-bar on Old Compton Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs an aperitivo menu and the city's most photographed Negroni.
Tip: Walk-up at the counter and bar tables. Tiny room of 20 seats; the espresso bar runs all day, cocktails from 16:00.
The Zetter Townhouse Bar ★ 4.5 · London
clerkenwell · 49-50 St John's Square, London EC1V 4JJ
Tony Conigliaro's hotel cocktail bar inside the Zetter Townhouse on St John's Square in Clerkenwell London, opened 2011, runs a Victorian-styled drawing room and seasonally rotating menu.
Tip: Walk-up at counter; book a side table a week ahead. The Marylebone Zetter sibling on Seymour Street has the same kitchen.
Hoot the Redeemer ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
new-town · 7 Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH2 2DL
Stuart McCluskey's Hoot the Redeemer on Hanover Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2014, a funfair-themed basement cocktail bar with slushie machines.
Tip: The slushie cocktail menu is the volume play; this is a sit-down classic cocktail bar in disguise. Bookings recommended.
The Last Word Saloon ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
stockbridge · 44 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh EH3 5AL
The Last Word Saloon on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge Edinburgh, opened 2014, a wood-panelled cocktail bar named after the Prohibition-era drink.
Tip: Sister bars on the same street include The Bon Vivant's Companion; the basement seats fill from 21:00 on Friday.
Fishers Bar at The Shore ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
leith · 1 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6QW
Fishers Bistro on The Shore in Leith Edinburgh, opened 1991 in a former 1700s signal tower, a seafood bar serving native oysters and Edinburgh Gin.
Tip: Bar counter takes walk-ins; the upstairs dining room books out at weekends but the bar is the better seat anyway.
Silverleaf ★ 4.4 · London
shoreditch · 100 Liverpool Street, London EC2M 2RH
Inside the Pan Pacific Liverpool Street hotel in the City of London, opened 2021, Silverleaf runs tea-infused cocktails and a sleek brass-and-walnut bar room from a hotel team.
Tip: Walk-up at the counter; book the snug for groups of four. The tea-house design pairs every drink to a specific tea leaf.
The Gibson ★ 4.4 · London
shoreditch · 44 Old Street, London EC1V 9AQ
Marian Beke's cocktail bar on Old Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2014, named for the Gibson Martini and built around the pickled-onion garnish that defines the drink.
Tip: Walk-up at the counter; book the back for groups. The bar runs a long menu of variations on the classic Gibson template.
Amber Restaurant and Whisky Bar ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
old-town · 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE
Amber whisky bar and restaurant inside The Scotch Whisky Experience on Castlehill in Edinburgh, opened in 1988, a tasting bar pouring 470-plus single malts.
Tip: Book the Region Flight; five drams from five Scottish whisky regions with tutored tasting from a brand ambassador.
Civerinos Cocktail Counter ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
old-town · 5 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1 1QW
Civerinos pizza counter and bar on Hunter Square in Edinburgh Old Town, opened 2016, an all-Italian cocktail and amaro programme beside the slice counter, open.
Tip: Slice plus a negroni at the counter is the local move after midnight; the cocktail menu changes monthly.
The Witchery Bar ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
old-town · Boswell's Court, 352 Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NF
The Witchery bar in Boswell's Court at the top of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened 1979, a heritage candlelit room pouring cocktails and an extensive wine.
Tip: Ask for The Secret Garden, the second dining room down the stairs; the candle-lit version of the experience.
The Dome Cocktail Bar ★ 4.2 · Edinburgh
new-town · 14 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PF
The Dome cocktail bar on George Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened 1996 inside the former Commercial Bank building, a glass-domed grand-room space pouring.
Tip: The Christmas decoration installation in November to January is famously over-the-top; book a window seat ahead.