11 Quirky London Bars You Have to Visit
These are no ordinary watering holes. Think taxidermy unicorns, nineties music and lots and lots of crazy cocktails. These are London’s quirkiest bars.
1. Satan's Whiskers
Bar, Cocktail Bar, Pub Grub
2. Burlock
Bar, Pub Grub
3. WM Barker and Co
Charcuterie, Cocktail Bar, Pub Grub
4. Oriole
Bar, Cocktail Bar, Market, European
5. The Bootlegger
Bar, European
Powder Keg Diplomacy
Another period piece, although which era isn’t exactly clear. The bar staff dress in flat caps and waistcoats and the vintage touches across the room bring to mind an eclectic mix of the Victorian, Edwardian and Colonial. As well as a very individual set of complex and carefully thought-out cocktails, there is delicious food on offer and live music on a Sunday night. A real blast from the past.
Powder Keg Diplomacy, 147 St John’s Hill, London, +44 20 7450 6457
6. The Escapologist
Bar, Cocktail Bar, Italian
With a grand hall behind a secret door and a secret vault, this underground Victorian-themed bar is not about understatement. The story behind the name comes from a Victorian scallywag whose last wish before being hanged was to have a drink in one of London’s brew houses. Believe it or not, he managed to escape and along with gaining his freedom, he provided this dimly lit gentleman’s club style bar with an intriguing name. There’s an excellent selection of cocktails and a daily happy hour between 5pm and 7pm. When you need to sober up, it’s time to grab one of their tasty (non Victorian) pizzas.
7. Last Tuesday Society
Bar, Cocktail Bar, British
Last Tuesday Society | Courtesy of LTS © Oskar Proctor
You could walk past this place and never realise what it is. With crazy knick-knacks, taxidermy and freaky oddities, it’s as if the The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art and Natural History has outgrown its space and started to spill artifacts up into the bar. Not for the faint of heart, there’s a whole menu devoted to absinthe, two pages of cocktails and a selection of wine and beer. While you’d find it hard to cobble together a whole meal here, there are a tasty selection of bar snacks and nibbles to stop you falling off your stool.
8. Little Nans
Bar, Pub Grub
9. Cirque
Bar, European
10. Ridley Road Market Bar
Bar, Market, African
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