LDNGuide
The Best Bars In Soho That Are Actually Nice
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Soho is a lot of fun packed into a small area. When it comes to drinking, you could easily follow your nose and go to wherever is busiest and has the least jeans and sheux on show. But, rather than settle for anywhere, have a drink somewhere truly worthwhile instead. Done right, Soho’s bars are everything you imagine them to be: slick, underground, moody and—when everything’s feeling it—a little bit messy.
If you're looking for the best bars across the rest of London, or West End pubs that are actually nice, we've got you covered too.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Soma is the best bar in Soho. It has a lot in common with this area’s other popular drinking dens: it’s underground, it’s relatively small, and it’s got well-dressed clientele. But the thing that sets Soma apart are the smoky, inventive takes on classic cocktails. It’s from the people behind Indian restaurant Kricket and you can expect ingredients like kumquat and green chilli in the drinks. Everything from the long, slick bar to the early hours closing time make it impossible to leave.
When you want a grown-up, well-made cocktail, go to Three Sheets. The moody, narrow space is all flickering candles, dark green booths, and humming conversation. Like its Dalston sibling, the classics are made excellently and the house drinks are creative. Their pisco sour incorporates aromatic poire, and the Sazzaquack channels a sazerac’s strong, syrupy flavour. When the sun’s out, tables spill out front, primed for a clock-off-work-early dirty martini.
photo credit: Atelier Coupette
Atelier Coupette is a small Soho bar ideal for trying several cocktails without bankrupting yourself in the process. Pours are smaller and prices are lower so you can explore the menu and try several tasty, creative drinks. There are also great options for non-drinkers, like the carob and coconut vermouth with yerba mate. Choose a table towards the back for a buzzy visit with a group of friends, or pitch up at the intimate counter if you fancy a chat with the bartenders.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Trisha’s is a faintly dingy public members’ club that looks like the kind of place the Soprano crew would meet, and come weekends there’s a sticky atmosphere in this Greek Street institution that attracts characters and voyeurs alike. A line forms from the blue door outside, the bouncer decides your fate, and from there, thirsty sardines pack the basement room to slosh gin and tonics and trade tales true and false.
photo credit: Bar Americain
Bar Américain is an honest-to-goodness cocktail bar for grown-ups. Walking down the stairs at Brasserie Zédel near Piccadilly, it feels like you’ve turned up in a bar in 1930s Paris, complete with framed old pictures and comfy seats all over the place. The bartenders serve classics and will make your drink flawlessly, and while you can arguably get a better cocktail elsewhere in Soho, the atmosphere here is hard to beat. We wouldn’t judge you for nipping next door for a late-night dessert at the brasserie either.
Looking for a Soho bar that’s perfect for birthdays, first dates, third dates, and one last drink at 2am? You’ve found it. Disrepute is a deeply glamorous underground bar that is just as sophisticated as it is practical. The service is always attentive, the leather banquette seating is always packed with doey-eyed couples, and the bubbles are always flowing. In Kingly Court and open until 3am every night apart from Sundays, it has that best-kept-secret feel but trust us, it gets busy so book ahead if you’re rolling with a group.
Nightjar Carnaby is a cocktail bar that serves drinks that come with candy floss but isn’t one of those terrible bars that serves overpriced drinks that come with candy floss. This speakeasy-type spot is soundtracked by live piano tunes, has that particularly sexy genre of low lighting, and serves quality cocktails that are creative and fun. The smoky bourbon Toronto number with orange blossom candy floss might even make you use the word ‘genius’. Plus it’s open all week.
In Soho, it can be difficult to find a spontaneous place to drink good cocktails (classics, not the ones with umbrellas in them) without having to withstand a scene, or having your face pressed into a stranger’s armpit. Swift is an oasis of civility among the chaos of Old Compton Street, even on a Saturday night. The ground floor bar has an art deco feel and there’s loads of polished glass to make you feel sophisticated. It’s perfect for early evening martinis and they have a great selection of mocktails. Downstairs there's a whiskey lounge with comfy leather booths for you and a few mates to bed into for the night.
photo credit: The Arts Theatre Club
When the piano doubles as a custom DJ booth, you know you’re set for a good time. The Arts Theatre Club has been open on Frith Street since Soho’s peak days of urban naughtiness and it looks like your best mate’s vintage basement flat. If, of course, your best mate was Anita Pallenberg. From the kitsch sharing teapots to the plush red seating, it’s a whole lot of fun and the selection of daiquiris definitely don’t hurt either. Just be warned that the mood shifts from tipsy giggles to full-blown ‘60s club come 11pm and the party doesn’t quit until 3am.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
The French House has been around for donkey’s years. Although bits and bobs have changed about this Dean Street pub since 1891, much of the experience is steeped in tradition, from only serving half pints to the no screens rule. The French is all about consumption and conservation, and once you’ve squeezed into the picture frame-filled bar area, got yourself a drink, and found yourself a spot, you might not ever want to leave.
Bar Termini is a very good bar to know, mostly because the cocktails are excellent and there’s always a bumping atmosphere that’s apt for the area. The bartenders wear aprons so you can bet they’re serious about mixing you a nice drink, and there’s a dedicated negroni menu you should definitely order from. In case you get peckish, there are also little plates of posh Italian ham and cheese. The downside is that it’s ridiculously popular and can feel cramped, but as long as you treat it as a warm-up act and not as the place you’re settling into for the whole evening, you’ll have a great time.
