London's top restaurant bars

More than just a waiting area

Restaurant bars can be so much more than just a place to kill time whilst you wait for your table, they can also be pretty darned good in their own right.

For the best of this genre expect a great atmosphere, plush decor, cocktails and bubbly a-go-go and bar snacks so good you may even want to forfeit dinner.

Take a look at our list of the best restaurant bars in London...

Polpo Smithfield image
Polpo Smithfield
2-3 Cowcross Street EC1M 6DR
Farringdon 0.11 miles
Italian

The basement of this popular Venetian restaurant was once a storage unit for meat carcasses. Quick to spot an opportunity, Polpo’s owners decided to turn the tiny space into a bar offering Italian aperitifs like negroni and Aperol spritz.

Hawksmoor Seven Dials image
Hawksmoor Seven Dials
11 Langley Street WC2H 9JA
Covent Garden 0.05 miles
AIL
Users
British
Photos

As well as serving British cocktails from yesteryear, the bar at the Seven Dials branch of Hawksmoorserve the kimchi burger, which has reached cult-like status. If you’re not a fan of the tangy Korean dishtry the lobster roll or the French dip sandwich made with short rib beef and bone marrow gravy for dipping.

Anise image
Anise
9 Devonshire Square EC2M 4WY
Liverpool Street 0.18 miles
Bars
Photos

With its prime City location moments away from Liverpool Street and its own entrance separate from the restaurant, Anise is a very popular destination for after work drinks. Cocktails are mostly fruity or spiced, and small plates of things like tandoori salmon and chicken vindaloo sliders are on offer too.

Dabbous image
Dabbous
39 Whitfield Street W1T 2SF
Goodge Street 0.05 miles
AIL
Users
British
Photos

The seemingly eternal waiting list for a table at Dabbous means that many traipse downstairs to the bar instead. This is no bad thing, as along with smart cocktails made with Scandinavian spirits, aged bourbon and freshly made syrups, bar snacks like crispy chicken wings with fenugreek and toasted garlic areof a very high standard too.

The Cocktail Lounge at Zetter Townhouse image
The Cocktail Lounge at Zetter Townhouse
49 - 50 St Johns Square EC1V 4JJ
Farringdon 0.20 miles
AIL
Users
Bars
Opening Times
Photos

The cocktail bar attached to Bistrot Bruno Loubet is run by Tony Conigliaro, who is also behind 69 Colebrooke Row aka <a href=”http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/clubs_bars/venue-7995.php”>The Bar With No Name</a>. Ingenious drinks such as the Drie Van Drie with seaweed-infused whisky, liquorice and sherry have made this one of London’s topwatering holes.

Hakkasan Hanway Place image
Hakkasan Hanway Place
8 Hanway Place W1T 1HD
AIL
Users
Restaurant & Bar
Photos

Afterhours lounge Ling Ling is simply a section of Hakkasan’s dining area after 10 pm, Thursdays to Saturdays. A smartly dressed crowd turns up to sample the lengthy list of cocktails, sake, wine, champagne and spirits, plus there arelight bites including dim sum and Peking duck.

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Ceviche
17 Frith Street W1D 4RG
AIL
Users
South American
Opening Times
Photos

If in terms of pisco you’ve only ever tried a pisco sour, you might want to check out Ceviche’s bar, which is dedicated to the Peruvian national drink. New cocktails frequently appear on the menu, and they even make their own pisco infusions with fruits and herbs.

Texture image
Texture
34 Portman Street W1H 7BY
Marble Arch 0.10 miles
Mediterranean
Photos

A must for lovers of bubbly, whether you want to splurge £500 on 1981 Taittinger or a couple of glasses of Jacques Picard Brut will suffice. With over a hundred varieties Texture has one of the widest selections of champagne in the capital.