From Jane Eyre to Bridget Jones and now Wuthering Heights, the trials and tribulations of dating are well documented. The dating world is not, however, “a minefield”. With minefields, there’s always a slim chance you’ll come out unscathed.
Still, the pursuit of love drives us all onward, washing us from one mortifying encounter to another – hysterical post-date phone calls and all. After all, it’s fun. While you can’t choose the quality of date, you can do your best to ensure the venue is a winner.
Bruno Pucci
Find Twice Shy on Hogarth Place, possibly sparking thoughts of William Hogarth’s famous piece, “Gin Lane.” It is nowhere near. Rest assured, there will be no falling over here — it is a cocktail bar designed for sophisticated evenings. The list is simple, combining a spirit with a predominant flavour, but each cocktail is measured, balanced and brilliant, made by bartenders with solid technique. The jasmine and whisky number blends whisky, jasmine tea, apple vinegar and bubbles, while the lychee and yoghurt mixes vodka, lychee liquor, and — yes — yoghurt. Trust us, it bangs. There’s a big emphasis on amaro, too, and good focaccia sandwiches thanks to the mostly Italian bar team.
Haydon Perrior
Off Shaftesbury Avenue is a homage to a bohemian Nineties drinking den, an arty space below an old church with a music programme commissioned by curator and musician Tic Zogson. The bar has a short but considered drinks menu and a rotating selection of wines from the cellars of Brunswick House; you might know it: the expansive Vauxhall restaurant from chef Jackson Boxer. Here, he has collaborated with brother Frank, whose rooftop Peckham space has long been coveted.
It’s like they custom built this place for dates: the whole premise is – surely the name was a tip off – wine and charcuterie. Once inside, you’ll be sat in candlelit surroundings. It’s romantic, but not showy, and the wine is fairly priced, too. There’s a sister venue over in Bloomsbury, but this original spot is still the best; the sort of place that becomes “our place”.
Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London
Settle in by the fire and Scarfes Bar will do the romancing for you. It’s like an oversize library in a grand old house, but thankfully easily gets busy enough to keep a buzz up. You come here to impress: the place is all art deco details, beautiful old books and live music throughout the week. The gentlemen’s club vibe fortunately isn’t taken too far, and the cocktail list is surprisingly fresh, and doesn’t rely on straight classics. Beautifully luxurious, tremendous atmosphere and the live music is always first rate.
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This downstairs bar in Kingly Court operates with a sheen of Sixties cool: it is all velvet and brushed brass and soft lights. Named as the country’s 12th best bar in the recent Top 50 list, this is one for old-world romance, for cocktails and caught glances. It feels a world away from rattling Soho above, a moment of calm, and while it runs a membership scheme, welcomes walk-ins. Open all week and until very late — 3am — Monday through to Saturday, and merely till late — 1am — on Sundays, it’s built for long, lingering evenings. As the name suggests, there’s a welcome, suggestive air of impropriety.
Otherwise known as ‘The Bar With No Name’, this Islington favourite comes from the well regarded Tony Conigliaro. It has a terrific atmosphere, in the most part because it’s mostly always busy, but there’s also a piano in one corner that often gets a hammering. It’s a stylish place, with stylish drinks, but be warned it’s small – cosy? – so you might not be able to squeeze in, or stay for ages.
The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
Sometimes a date deserves nothing less than some East End quirkiness. The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town has been delivering this in spades for years: wander into the Breakfast Club, ask to see the Mayor and you’ll be led through a Smeg fridge – we kid you not – to a kitsch British riff on a speakeasy. It’s a laugh here, they have a decent playlist, and the drinks slip down well enough. Still, you come for all the talking points: it’ll stop your date being awkward.
A bowling alley has no right having a bar this good, but there we go, they’ve done it. It has a strange Vegas vibe to it: low-lighting and pink all around, but the drinks are good and priced fairly. Just because bowling was your go-to date at 13 doesn’t mean it’s not any good these days too, and now you can add plenty of tasty, tasty alcohol – maybe enough to get you in the karaoke booth?
The Supernatural Wine Company
If your date is big on wine, don’t pass this place up. It’s rightly popular within the industry for the choice available, which includes some rarities among the French-heavy list. They’ve upped their food game considerably, too. Would it matter if you were stood up?
Beaufort Bar at the Savoy
Not one if you’re hoping to keep things relaxed: the Beaufort is overwhelmingly, but marvellously, romantic. The room itself, with its palatial lavishings of gold on black, sets the tone. The bar sits, mirrors glimmering, on the old cabaret stage where Gershwin once performed. Naturally, there’s live entertainment every evening now, too, so you can sit back quietly in your finery and avoid any conversation about who’s paying for what. Drinks are as pricey as you’d expect, but if you’re looking for something special, it’s hard to beat.
This tiny, tiny corner tapas bar is, for us, the highlight of everything Spanish chef José Pizarro has done in London. It’s fantastically simple: you go for tapas and sherry, because that’s pretty much all you’ll get. Food changes daily, and is reliably gorgeous. It’s very cosy here, but have a back-up plan because there’s every chance you won’t get a seat.
Captain’s quarters: the K bar balances somewhere between the feel of an upmarket member’s club and a grand old ship
K bar feels majestic – and there is no other word for it – because drinking here is a little like being in the captain’s quarters of the Titanic, albeit without the sinking feeling. The oak, the velvet, the brass, the marble tops: there is glamour here, luxury whiffs of Penhaligon’s perfume and the rest. It ticks over nicely, but you’ll likely not get a table, so it’s built for a last-minute, upmarket date.
Gordon’s will not fail: the terrace gets a little crowded when the weather is fine, but it’s still a marvellous place to knock back some wine and talk. However, it’s the caves indoors which are the real temptation: dark, intimate, it’s a place to forget the rest of the world for a while. Wine is king here, but if you’re eating, a paired cheese board always goes down well. They also serve some hot plates, but we prefer the cold bites.
This tiny little spot in Soho seats barely a handful of people, which automatically gives it a sense of romantic intimacy. There’s no standing room, either, so it never gets sweaty, horrible or crowded: finish an evening here either with a coffee or, better yet, a Negroni (make it two, they’re small serves here). It’ll add a little gentle Italian glamour to any date, just don’t expect to spend the entire night here.
This underground favourite couldn’t be more central, living in Leicester Square, and despite having sat there since 1972, most Londoners wander past without realising it exists. The 300-long wine list covers just about everything, but doesn’t go too heavy on the tasting notes: you’re encouraged to find your own thing. You could never call the Cork & Bottle grand, but it charms immediately, and you’ll want to find your own corner to come back to time over.
Beaujolais
Le Beaujolais might be one of London’s most romantic wine bars. Downstairs is a members only French bistro, but on the ground floor, all are welcome, and so anyone in the mood for a historic dose of London, tucked away between Soho and Covent Garden, ought to visit. Since 1972, Le Beaujolais has provided lively drinking quarters and keenly priced French wines. Each region is given credence and there are typical and enjoyable snacks for those who need to quell zealotry on the booze.
Addie Chinn
Swift is one of London’s most accomplished cocktail bars, where classics are made excellently and the signature drinks refined. Choose the Soho branch — not that the bars in Shoreditch, London Bridge or Borough are unsatisfying — because there the buzz is omnipresent and glorious and on Valentine’s Day, it is the best one for a date. Have a sgroppino, by the way: a refreshing Italian drink where lemon sorbet and vodka are combined. And watch this space because it’s long overdue a hype moment.
Steven Joyce
East London is full of new-age cocktail bars, those that helped drive the negroni trend a decade ago and later steered millennials towards higher-end tequila. Satan’s Whiskers is among the best of them, a busy, dim-lit spot in Bethnal Green, one very much geared towards modern romance. Expect freneticism and big booze, a heavy playlist, and enjoy the daily changing menu that often shoots and scores.
All My Gods
For those who’d rather swap candlelight for neon, Sinatra for Ozzy, All My Gods would be appropriate. Tucked into a railway arch on Paradise Row, this rock ’n’ roll dive pairs irreverent energy with serious drinks. The room glows with neon, flags and tongue-in-cheek iconography, while the soundtrack leans loud and unapologetic; not the place for hushed confessions but ideal for chemistry that thrives on chaos.
blinds
Blinds wears its pedigree lightly. Housed in a former blinds shop on Hackney Road, it’s a wine bar of exposed brick, a forward-thinking list of low-intervention bottles and a sense that this is exactly what modern London drinking should look like. Small plates include pâté en croûte, burrata and sardines in oil and are best enjoyed alongside Jura pinots, Loire muscadets and a chilled red or two.
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Bistrotheque feels like East London at its most comfortable. What began as a restaurant over 20 years ago has long had a bar that’s just as worth a stop — a light-filled, breezy space where people linger with house wine and simple food rather than rush for the next round. £8 glasses of mostly traditional European wines and £12 cocktails slide easily into a slower kind of date vibe, especially on a Sunday when the whole place feels even less hurried.
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A Victorian boozer reborn for the 2020s, Elephant Hackney feels like a neighbourhood find rather than a freighted “destination” bar. Dates would be good below the spectacular salvaged skylight, which casts pools of light over wooden tables, David Shrigley prints and Neapolitan pizzas. The cocktails here are fun and there’s even Grolsch on tap, rarely seen these days.
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Mayfair’s buzzy new, ultra-chic diner from the team behind The Dover is hidden behind a curtained entrance on Dover Street. To that end, there might be nowhere better for an intimate date. Find a booth or sit at the sleek metal countertops and revel in low lighting, 90s R&B and a menu dedicated entirely to margaritas. It’s a place to bed into, to revel in the charms of nothingness. Unbelievably good burger, too.
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A true East London boozer reimagined for modern times, this is the sort of place you’d happily stumble into on a slow London evening before staying for hours on end. With its grand Victorian façade, warmly worn wood bar and lively chatter bouncing off the walls, the food is solid, the beers well poured and the wine list is adventurous for a pub without being annoying.