The Hoxton Square basement run by Alastair Burgess pairs a tight rotating cocktail list with a no-nonsense room policy that has kept it on the World's 50 Best Bars list more or less continuously since 2014.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead at 12:00 sharp, set a reminder. Walk-ins get the bar if anything.
Address: 8-9 Hoxton Square, Hoxton, London N1 6NU
Agostino Perrone's bar inside the Connaught in Mayfair has won World's Best Bar more than once and runs the table-side martini trolley service that the rest of the industry copies.
Tip: Order the martini trolley, the choice of vermouth and bitters at the table is the experience. Reservations open one month ahead.
Ryan Chetiyawardana's ingredient-led bar at Sea Containers is built around the seven Pinnacle Guide ingredients that change every year, and the menu reads like a chef's tasting more than a drinks list.
Tip: Sit at the bar, the conversation with the bartenders is the menu's commentary track. Saturday afternoons are the quietest slot.
The 1893 cocktail bar inside the Savoy is the oldest surviving American-style cocktail room in London, with the legacy of Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book still on every back-bar shelf.
Tip: Listen for the live piano from 18:30, the room transforms. The age limit is 14 plus accompanied, dress code is enforced.
The Wentworth Street basement opened in 2014 in a former tailor's stockroom, with a Northern Soul and rock and roll soundtrack and a price list that undercuts the rest of the central speakeasy scene.
Tip: Walk in early, the room is small and they do not take bookings past 19:00. Cash and card both work.
The 1979 club under the railway arches by Charing Cross remains the central gay nightclub in London, hosting both club nights and a live programme that runs from MUNA through G-A-Y Saturdays.
Tip: G-A-Y Saturday is the long-running pop room, Porn Idol on Thursdays is the institution night for first-timers.
The Grade II listed Victorian pub on Kennington Lane is the oldest surviving LGBTQ+ venue in the country, with the Friday Duckie cabaret since 1995 and a programme that protects what Vauxhall used to be.
Tip: Duckie on Saturdays is the institution. The Sunday Bingo Lingo and panto seasons sell out months ahead.