Those who wish to imbibe themselves of an evening past midnight in London may do so. Despite what some might say, the capital is a haven to late-nighters, a place replete with basement bars and pubs hanging on to historic licences. Ones drawn up decades ago when people were more fun.
There’s a fight on, absolutely — jobsworth councillors and busybody Zone 1 residents are always moaning about something (buy earplugs; you’re minted, move somewhere else!) but the drinkers go on, and we might only say: godspeed.
As is our way, we’ve kept the list to a tight ten. And so a nod here to the Prince of Peckham pub, Balan’s (open until 6am, no less), the cocktail bar at Sketch and — sigh — the Dolphin. All are worth their salt but have such a set, diehard scene and often impenetrable queues.
Bar With Shapes For A Name
warehaus
Every day from 5pm, this experimental cocktail bar comes alive. It’s on Kingsland Road, between Shoreditch High Street and Haggerston — London’s cocktail centrepoint — but the crowd is always far more mixed than you might imagine. New-age Hackney professionals sit alongside relative old-timers, while tourists visit for the craft and international nous. The place is all about Bauhaus, the pared-back design it brings; staff are understated in their smocks; inelegant music is loud as pre-bottled, lab-made cocktails are poured. But there are classics too and these days nobody impresses the shtick as much. In essence, it’s just a place to drink superb manhattans, while seated, past midnight. Expect to queue on the weekend, but who the hell goes out then?
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Founded by Lou and Caterina Polledri in 1949, this is a Soho institution in every sense, serving patrons each day until 4am. It’s a prime location for a coffee — the macchiato is what Fergus Henderson orders if you want to follow legends — and was always one of Anthony Bourdain’s first stops when in London. Here is a place draped in red and green neon, a distinctly chaotic reference point in Soho, ever-busy and rambunctiously charming. Service is frenetic but measured: the negronis are expertly made, masterful concoctions, whether an aperitif before dinner nearby or a nightcap to close. If you need some salvation, have a ciabatta sandwich, a relic of Little Italy, alongside.
Giuseppe’s Italian
Giuseppe’s
Easily missed, Giuseppe’s. But many will have seen the mad old Italian restaurant of the same name, a Borough stalwart almost 40 years old; Ciao Bella-esque and still family run. In a part of London shaped by modernity, the place is defiant: see its bright tricolour flag and its tagliatelle al salmone. The restaurant also happens to be a bar open until 4am. In an alleyway by Borough Market, through a little black door, is a world of glitter balls and disco lights, of dancefloors circled by fridges and ancient wine racks. The tiles are old and the bar creaks beneath cheap vodka; signs are distinctly Live Laugh Love, though Italian by design, and wooden beams hang low above men in horrific shirts and women wearing heels that bamboozle.
Lexington
This is a quite relaxed boozer with a retro American feel. It’s open plan, with a jukebox, low-hanging chandeliers and swishy red curtains, and if people aren’t dancing on the old wooden floor, they’ll probably be drinking whiskey on one of the plump Chesterfield sofas. There’s often music to punctuate any evening. To drink? US speciality beers, any number of bourbons, and it feels quite unassuming and low-level. This is to its credit: just a decent bunch of people who don’t mind or care about any scene, merely the chance to hear a band or two or take some swing dance classes.
handout
Combining these two old Soho drinking dens might be moderately reductive, but the fact is they go hand-in-hand. Trisha’s, there serving softly famous types for more than 80 years, is famous. It’s one of London’s great basement bars and still under the stewardship of Trish Bergonzi. Occasionally her son Danny is there too. Gerry’s, just round the corner and down the road, is similar: both technically members’ clubs but with an allocation each night for all comers. Go to both for live jazz and dancing, lots of vodka and riotous evenings. Gerry’s is open an hour or so later: 3am instead of 2. You see? Begin at one, end at another. Everything will be absolutely fine, honest.
52 Dean Street, W1D, 020 7437 4160
Tola
It’s a mighty curiosity that Tola isn’t better known. The place is full of energy and culture and boasts a Funktion One sound system which reverberates into the ungodly hours almost every night. Music is deep and heavy — this is not the place for a date, nor somewhere to go after a big dinner. Those who want a more relaxed affair can find a spot nearer the windows, away from the dancefloor, or have a Yard Sale pizza on the terrace upstairs. Still, expect a degree of chaos, hustle and bustle, as Peckham buzzes.
wentworth andersen
Long a favourite of the west London set, namely those with a trust fund or who don’t really need to get up for work in the morning, the Globe acts as a sprightly bookend to nights at the Tiroler Hut and the Cow (see also: the eminent Sporting Clube de Londres, one of London’s best venues, end of). You might be hard-pressed to get in here when busy. It’s small and underground and the bouncers can be difficult if you’re new or appear too fresh. Your best bet is to become friends with a hot blonde who’s been going since forever.
Meatliquor isn’t only home to London’s original smashburgers (they’re nothing new, guys, relax), it’s a haven to many of a late-night persuasion, especially those who work in the hospitality industry and fancy a drink after closing. Alongside Bloodsports (2am) in Covent Garden, the branch of Meatliquor near Oxford Circus operates into the early morning (3am in this case) and is always full of characters. Food — as well as burgers, hotdogs, chicken wings, fried pickles and chilli cheese fries — is served late and drinks are expertly made: have a dynamite margarita or a long island iced coffee if you need a little lift.
noodle and beer
Hardcore martini drinkers scoff at fruity iterations. The lychee martini at Mr Chow’s in west London, for example (one of Marco Pierre White’s favourite drinks) or the pear martini here at Noodle & Beer. It’s a little sweeter, sure, and not quite as strong. Doesn’t mean it’s any less inebriating because it slips down like an Arsenal player in the penalty box. This is a wonderful Chinatown place — the basement cocktail bar is sultry, moody, with Sichuan noodles as fiery as you like. Have a lager to begin and bed in, bring a good group; there’s the capacity at Noodle & Beer to have a truly fabulous evening.
the truck
The name does a lot of the legwork: “El Camion and the Pink Chihuahua”. The first half of the name denotes the food, with a menu inspired by Baja California, the Mexican state that sits just below the US and is sandwiched between the Gulf of California and the Pacific. Beneath the restaurant is the Pink Chihuahua, the cocktail bar, a place for a lot of mezcal, tequila and silliness. It’s a mad place, full of colour, disco lights and music, and is yet another example of the sort of place that doesn’t try too hard, doesn’t have a scene as such. You either end up there or you don’t. It’s not that deep.