Make the most of all that London nightlife has to offer by investigating the newest batch of the capital’s drinking dens. Our resident bar reviewer, Keith Barker-Main, is here to guide you through the best-rated bars and pubs he has visited over the past month. Scroll on for four freshly opened bars and pubs all vying to become your new favourite drinking spot.
Anthracite, King’s Cross (featured image)
What: Formerly bedroom suites, this jazzy lounge is the most recent of three bars at architect Lewis Cubbitt’s 1850s Italianate railway hotel. All coal black walls, honey and treacle-tone woods, flame blue upholstery and funky glass chandeliers, this is a dramatic space. Competent mixology is obvious at the bar, while snacks include oscietra caviar with blinis.
Where: Great Northern Hotel, King’s Cross St Pancras International Station, Pancras Road N1C 4TB
Image Credit:Joe Woodhouse
The Drop, King’s Cross
What: New from the Harts Group (Barrafina etc.), this unfussy, upbeat wine bar is at the heart of new ‘lifestyle quarter’ Coal Drops Yard. The 50-strong, largely European wine list features entertaining finds: gutsy Greeks; bosky orange wine and Pheasant’s Tears. Snacks meanwhile, see English onion soup, or guinea fowl and girolles pie.
Where: Unit 4, Coal Drops Yard, Woolstonecraft Street, N1C 4BT
Grays & Feather, Covent Garden
What: Whimsical new wave wine bar Grays & Feather is a showcase for owner/ importer Andrew Gray's passion, and top notch sparkling wines are the compelling tale here. Despite the absence of Champagne and a food menu which isn’t quite up to scratch yet, we were enticed by the likes of classy crémants, elegant Italian bubbles and Canadian cuvées.
Where: 26 Wellington Street, WC2E 7DD
The White Haus, Farringdon
What: Filled with an avalanche of Heidi-hi-kitsch props and vintage winter sports memorabilia on loan from the Ski Club of Great Britain, this three-storey ‘alpine chalet’ serves up Hot Toddies and the likes of a Salted Caramel Old-Fashioned. Chow down on dishes such as croque monsieur and chicken schnitzel Holstein, before indulging in fondue.
Where: 17 Farringdon Street, EC4A 4AB