Beer on a budget: London's best cheap bars
Nursing that half pint all night can be a thing of the past.
"Cheap bars". Not a description that inspires much confidence... whether it's the clientele that's cheap or the service, the decor or the produce: it's never going to lead to anywhere good.
Or so you might think...
But apparently not all good things have to come in expensive packages.
In actual fact there are some great boozers across London with great atmospheres, great drink and great grub... and they don't have to be bank breakers. So take a look at our list of the best cheap bars in London and get as much mileage out of that tenna as possible.
Nursing that half pint all night can be a thing of the past.
Thirst
53 Greek Street W1D 3DR
Thirst on Greek Street is a modern DJ bar that attracts a mixed clientele from around Soho. It also has a killer happy hour between 5pm and 7:30pm daily. That means over two hours of half-price cocktails, which is both chic and thrifty.
The Ridley Road Market Bar has a very specific premise that keeps its drinks cheap - they just serve it from the can. Red Stripe at £2.50 a can means you’re paying the equivalent of less than £3.00 a pint and all the while you’re in one of the liveliest bars in Dalston. Perfect.
Bar Kick
127 Shoreditch High Street E1 6JE
Happy hour everyday between 4pm and 7pm means that if you time your trip right Café Kick is one of the best places in Shoreditch to get a cheap drink. At just £2 for a bottle of house lager (often Quilmes) it’s a deal in this part of town.
The John Snow in Soho is part of the Northern Brewery Samuel Smith’s chain of pubs, which means cheap, cheap, cheap. Alpine Lager, Taddy Lager and stout for around £2.50 a pint and all in the heart of one of London’s most eclectic neighbourhoods.
If you were ever a student then chances are once upon a time you thought that Revolution bars were the best things since affordable tuition fees. Well, they might not be all that special but for steals and deals on shots, cocktails and bottled beer you can’t go wrong.
You’re in Central London, you’re short on cash, what do you do? You find a JD Wetherspoon, that’s what! The Montagu Pike on Charing Cross Road is a classic Wetherspoon pub, which means cheap shots, badly named ‘cocktails’, alcopops and great value lager. With £10 in your pocket, there’s nowhere better.
Nowhere in London has the kind of offers that tempt bargain hunters to Moonlighting on a Wednesday night. Located on Greek Street, Moonlighting has been running its Cheapskates night for over a decade. Its popularity is unsurprising, what with £1 drinks and a music policy of indie, electro, old skool and classics at the heart of it.
INDO
133 Whitechapel Road E1 1DT
Whitechapel Road is fairly light on competition for cheap bars but were there other bars around, we have no doubt that Indo would be beating them down. It’s cheap – and unfortunately around £3.70 a pint is cheap in London these days – and it has a sublime music policy. Good pizza too.
Cocktails, tapas and Broxton, it’s the perfect match if ever we heard it. What’s more it can be cheap too! Get on down to the bar in Brixton Market where £5 cocktails accompany a delightfully makeshift interior.
