Top bars for celebrity spotting in London
We up your chance of running into a fully-fledged celeb
Nothing good can come from following famous people into bars and then trying to take pictures of them whilst they're not looking. Unless they've asked you to. You hear that Strictly Come Dancing's James Jordan? (He's always sending us emails... "I'll be stocking up on fancy grub like Vienetta later today if you're snapper's around?")
But yes, if your legs go all of a tremble when a bona fide resident of Celebville is within snapping distance then you'd best take a look at our list of "most-likely-to-spot-a-celeb" venues below and get that taser - sorry, cameraphone - on charge.
The Soho Hotel is one of those places where anyone can come over all exclusive as a flight of fancy pushes them through the doors towards the £15 cocktails that always impress. Sean Bean will probably sit next to you and regale you with old Sharpe stories (again…) or you might even get what’s known in the game as a ‘Hollywood’, like Josh Hartnett. You just never know.
The Ultra hip Broadway Market cocktail bar was recently graced by the presence of Natalie Portman – probably celebrating her neu-engagement to the mystical Klaxons front man. If not her then there are plenty of rock star lookalikes to gawp at, plus mean cocktails and even meaner burritos.
Who’d have thought a cosy neighbourhood pub would act as a beeline to the stars? It’s always the quiet ones and with Michael Fassbender, Will Young and Dominic Cooper all spotted in the gastro hideout, The Prince Arthur makes a big celeb spotting noise.
Cafe Oto
22 Ashwin Street E8 3DL
Cafes & Tea Rooms
Opening Times
Sometimes far out isn’t far enough, but in the case of Dalston’s Café Oto you’ve gone way the hell out there, so far in fact that the mainstream’s just a haze. Heavily Japanese influenced, it’s a café, bar and all round excellent art and performance space and lo-fi celeb haven. We’ve lost count of the times Jarvis Cocker’s told us about how much he LOVED BBC 6 Music and Simon Callow’s tried to improve our Shakespearean acting. ‘To go or not to go?’ Go.
If there’s one thing celebrities know how to do it’s dressing up and looking fine. At the Royal Opera House Bar they can sail in under the pretence of seeing a show and simply display their dapper suited selves to anyone who’ll look – David Walliams is a regular, although he did attend Swan Lake having been spotted.
If it’s Made in Chelsea you want then Café De Paris is the place to find them. The perfect place for long silences and scripted reality, if you hang around long enough you might even make the next series. In fact, Café De Paris is also one of London’s most historical venues and actually rather delightful.
Since 1985 The Groucho has been hosting the cream of the fashion, film and TV world in its Dean Street location. It’s a members’ club so you’ll need to fins a Soho creative with a large bank balance to get you on the guest list; from then on it’s star spotting paradise. Just act cool
The creative endeavours of the Notting Hill Arts Club are still attracting the odd famous faces there to support label mates and industry pals. The weekly hip-hop night YoYo is still going strong after over a decade and at the least you’ll find Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts at the Thursday night soirees.
Once beloved by washed up soap stars, they’ve now decamped to do Daz adverts and left the Phoenix to the stars of the comedy world. PAPPED: David Mitchell, Simon Amstell and David Cross of Arrested Development. This place is vital and if you’re really serious about the business of show you should be in its basement right now swigging wine to the sound of Maurice the manager’s Never-Ending Show Tunes Playlist (just make sure you get in before the eight o’clock members only cut off).
