Nightlife in London is a whir of directions and missed turns at the best of times. There are bars scattered across all zones and districts, all of which burst into action for after-work drinks and weekend mayhem. Finding any specific bar is an adventure – let alone finding secret bars in London!
Recalibrating your Google Maps won’t help you find these spots; you’ll need sharp eyes and special instructions. If you want an exciting taste of British nightlife, look no further. Finding these seven best secret bars is London’s most rewarding adult treasure hunt.
1. The Club
If you haven’t heard of The Club, Amazonico restaurant will ring a bell. The Latin-American restaurant is a luxurious rainforest theme and one of the most popular places to dine for a fun meal in Mayfair. Don’t get caught up in the luxe dishes, jazz music, and rainforest décor, though, as its lesser-known secret bar is where to head.
Downstairs, past the kitchen and down a gilded golden staircase, sits The Club – an underwater-themed secret bar only opened to the public post-lockdown. Circular lights with green-blue textured glass cover the walls and ceiling, inspired by Mexican cenotes. There are underwater details everywhere, including sequins, aqua columns, and seashell studded walls.
You’ll find an exclusive drinks menu with cocktails and spirits unavailable to diners upstairs. The most popular cocktail is Sea-Tron, a delicious, citrusy mix of Ruinart champagne and Ciroc.
2. Blind Spot
Channel your inner Great Gatsby by heading to Blind Spot. Hidden in St Martin’s Lane Hotel next to a glass bookcase of boutique teas, the secret bar is entered via a door marked with a golden hand. Inside, the gold theme continues, and you can expect full 1920s grandeur.
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Blind Spot is in Covent Garden and is an entertaining bar to find with a trendy, speakeasy atmosphere. The ‘Spin The Globe’ cocktail menu is an adventurous way to start a night out in Covent Garden. You can choose from drinks inspired by different cities worldwide and featuring iconic, usually traditional ingredients.
Santorini sounds delicious (and unusual) with Bombay sapphire gin, ouzo, orange juice, honey, and Greek yoghurt. The brave amongst you could also try the Mumbai, which comes with spicy Kamasutra syrup and cinnamon rum.
3. CellarDoor
CellarDoor has the “outrageous” factor. This secret bar is a converted Victorian toilet block, now decked out in red velvet seating with regular drag and cabaret nights. For somewhere racy, hilarious, and tongue-in-cheek, CellarDoor is the secret bar for you.
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Spot CellarDoor by its panelled glass entrance. The bar is underground and accessed by steps leading down from street level on Wellington Street. On the edge of Covent Garden, just next to Waterloo Bridge, CellarDoor is quickly rushed past in London’s typical 5 pm tsunami of pedestrians. The bar takes the phrase ‘hidden in plain sight’ quite literally.
While outrageous in atmosphere and location, CellarDoor keeps its drinks menu classic. From cosmopolitans to pornstar martinis, you can be guaranteed a drink you’ll know and love.
4. Blind Pig
What would a list of the best secret bars in London be without a Soho addition? Blind Pig is easily our favourite Soho spot. Part speakeasy and part childhood nostalgia, Blind Pig is the ultimate secret bar for fun London nightlife.
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Like The Club, Blind Pig is hidden in a restaurant. To enter, walk into the Social Eating House and locate a wooden door with a pig door knocker. Through this door, you’ll find a flight of stairs and a hidden bar. The dark wood and leather furnishings give Blind Pig that prohibition-era atmosphere, which adds to the secretive experience.
Once you take a seat and order a drink, the childhood nostalgia comes in. Blind Pig serves children’s literature-inspired drinks. You could order a Pooh’s Hunny Pot, Harry Potter’s Best Bottled Butter Bitter, or Paddington’s Lost & Found – with marmalade sandwiches, of course.
5. Discount Suit Company
Discount Suit Company is an adventure and a half. To an unknowing eye, the tailor shop on Wentworth Street is quiet-looking but not otherwise suspicious. Little do most people know that inside the shop, an unmarked black door leads you to one of London’s best secret bars.
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Through the door, down some stairs, through a heavy black curtain, and you’ll enter Discount Suit Company. The bar is in a stone-walled basement with lantern lighting and low, exposed wooden ceiling beams.
Discount Suit Company does some delicious cocktails, so don’t miss out. Tailor Two Cities, Carrier Pigeon, and Kneecapper are all firm favourites. Discount Suit Company is an excellent choice to impress your company with local knowledge of London.
6. The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
Where would you hide a secret bar? Probably not in a fridge. However, in a fridge is precisely where you’ll find the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town. The Breakfast Club on Artillery Lane is home to one of the best (and worst-kept) secrets in London’s nightlife scene.
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To enter, you’ll have to tell a staff member that “you are here to see the Mayor”; the secret password and key to stepping through the fridge door. Inside, the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town is spacious with a slightly industrial feel. Expect a dimly lit stone basement with grey brick columns and exposed overhead pipes.
Order American cuisine or stick to drinks. The drinks menu is lengthy, with a long list of different wines, fizzes, cocktails, beers, and spirits. Thyme To Get Funky is a trusty choice if you like tequila-based cocktails.
7. BYOC
BYOC is the secret bar in London with no alcohol (yes, you read that correctly). You’ll need to bring a bottle of your preferred spirit when you visit this secret bar. On arrival, you are allocated a personal mixologist who whips up incredible cocktails based on your spirit choice.
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BYOC is a unique experience. For a creative, out-of-the-ordinary drink in London, it’s a great bar to visit. Bookings get a 2-hour slot, usually long enough for five rounds of cocktails and a few games of blackjack or vintage roulette. The atmosphere is truly prohibition-style – made even more furtive by the fact you’ve smuggled alcohol down Camden High Street.
To find BYOC, locate a suspiciously unsuspicious door on Camden High Street. Google Maps helps to pinpoint it.
Ready to find these secret bars in London?
Here are some final thoughts before you do.
Secrets in London don’t stay secret for long. Lots of these venues have limited capacity, so it’s a good idea to make a reservation where possible. Also, making a reservation makes finding the secret bar even more exciting. Beating the clock has an extra incentive when you could lose your spot.
Enjoy your time at these 7 best secret bars in London! You can view our other London guides for more inspiration on entertainment in the capital.
🤫🍹 Fancy exploring the UK in search of more secret bars? You might want to check out the best secret bars in Manchester…
