Come rain or elusive English shine, there’s never a moment when the bar at the Charlotte Street Hotel isn’t buzzing with fitted suits and the spike-heeled Fitzrovia set. Stripy footstools and cushy Navajo-style printed chairs are permanently inhabited, but stand around the bar long enough and you may eventually nab a spot. Winking bartenders whip up signature cocktails with flamboyance – try the fun and fruity mango fandango (a rum-based drink shaken with muddled blueberries and mango purée, topped with passion-fruit juice) or the English rose (strawberries and rose liqueur, finished with Champagne). If you start seeing double, pad out the evening with shareable tapas, generous platters of Italian charcuterie, cheese and even sashimi to nibble with friends.