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Bars Near Me
The Connaught Bar, Mayfair
LOCATION: 9/10
FLAVOUR: 9/10
PRICING: 9/10
📶 Free Wi-Fi ♿ Wheelchair Access 🐕 Dog Friendly
👨👩👧 Family Friendly 🌿 Outdoor Seating 📅 Book Online
🌱 Vegan Options 🚇 Near Tube
Independently ranked by City Lynx Volunteers*
The Connaught Bar, Mayfair
The Connaught Bar, Mayfair
If James Bond had a regular after-work drinking spot, The Connaught Bar would probably be it. Hidden inside Mayfair’s legendary Connaught hotel, this is cocktail drinking turned into something of an art form — polished, theatrical and effortlessly sophisticated.
The bar combines shimmering silver details, textured walls and low lighting with the sort of service that makes ordering a drink feel like an occasion. The headline act is the famous Connaught Martini, prepared tableside from the bar’s distinctive martini trolley and personalised with your choice of bitters.
But don't mistake this for somewhere surviving purely on reputation. The cocktail menu is inventive, beautifully presented and constantly evolving, while the bartenders are among the most respected in London.
It isn't cheap, it isn't casual, and that's rather the point. Come dressed for Mayfair, order the martini and enjoy one of those rare London bars where the experience is every bit as memorable as the drink.
City Lynx verdict: One of London’s ultimate special-occasion cocktail bars — and somewhere every serious martini drinker should visit at least once.
City Lynx Quick Guide
Best for: Sophisticated cocktails and Mayfair glamour
City Lynx pick: The legendary Connaught Martini
Location: Carlos Place, Mayfair, London
Bar style: Elegant, intimate and effortlessly luxurious
Drinks: Signature cocktails, expertly made classics, fine wines and premium spirits
Don't miss: The tableside Martini Trolley experience
Atmosphere: Refined, glamorous and grown-up
Nearby: Bond Street, Mount Street, Berkeley Square and Hyde Park
Best for couples: Excellent
Best for groups: Better suited to smaller groups
Dress code: Smart and stylish
Price level: £££££
City Lynx tip: Sit at the bar if you can and order the Connaught Martini — the tableside preparation is part of the experience.
Menus, opening hours, seating and availability may vary.
Rating:
4.9
★★★★
The Thin White Duke
LOCATION: 6.7/10
FLAVOUR: 7/10
PRICING: 6/10
📶 Free Wi-Fi ♿ Wheelchair Access 🐕 Dog Friendly
👨👩👧 Family Friendly 🌿 Outdoor Seating 📅 Book Online
🌱 Vegan Options 🚇 Near Tube
Independently ranked by City Lynx Volunteers*
The Thin White Duke
The Thin White Duke, Soho
Part cocktail bar, part recording studio and unmistakably Soho, The Thin White Duke is the sort of place you could easily walk past without realising what’s hiding inside. Inspired by David Bowie’s famous alter ego, the bar mixes music, cocktails and a little rock-and-roll attitude without turning itself into a themed attraction.
Inside, things are intimate and atmospheric, with a stylishly understated interior that feels more like a musician’s private hangout than a conventional London cocktail bar. Music is central to the experience, but the drinks deserve equal billing, with carefully made cocktails and a menu designed for settling in rather than rushing off after one.
What makes The Thin White Duke particularly City Lynx-worthy is its personality. Soho isn't short of places to grab a drink, but this one feels genuinely different — creative, slightly eccentric and refreshingly removed from the big-name hotel-bar experience.
City Lynx verdict: A cool little Soho hideaway where cocktails and music share the stage. One for Bowie fans, music lovers and anyone looking for something a little different from the usual West End bar.
City Lynx Quick Guide
Best for: Cocktails, music and an alternative Soho atmosphere
City Lynx pick: One of the house signature cocktails
Location: Great Windmill Street, Soho, London
Bar style: Intimate, creative and rock-and-roll inspired
Drinks: Signature cocktails, classics, wines and spirits
Don't miss: The music-inspired surroundings and recording-studio connection
Atmosphere: Cool, relaxed and slightly eccentric
Nearby: Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby Street, Chinatown and Leicester Square
Best for couples: Excellent
Best for groups: Good for smaller groups
Dress code: Smart casual
Price level: £££
City Lynx tip: Visit later in the evening when Soho is in full swing — this is a bar best enjoyed when you've got nowhere else to rush off to.
Menus, opening hours, seating and availability may vary.
Rating:
4.8
★★★★
Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, South Bank
LOCATION: 8.2/10
FLAVOUR: 9.3/10
PRICING: 8/10
📶 Free Wi-Fi ♿ Wheelchair Access 🐕 Dog Friendly
👨👩👧 Family Friendly 🌿 Outdoor Seating 📅 Book Online
🌱 Vegan Options 🚇 Near Tube
Independently ranked by City Lynx Volunteers*
Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, South Bank
Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, South Bank
London has plenty of rooftop bars, but very few feel like you've accidentally discovered a garden floating above the city.
Sitting on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden swaps polished marble and velvet ropes for lawns, wildflowers, fruit trees and an impressive collection of more than 200 different kinds of plants. Against the concrete Brutalist backdrop of the South Bank, all that greenery creates a brilliant contrast — part rooftop bar, part secret urban garden.
Follow the yellow stairs up from the riverside and you'll find plenty of space to sit among the planting with a cold beer, wine or summer drink while looking out across London. The bar itself is deliberately understated; the real star here is the garden, particularly on a warm afternoon as the sun begins to drop over the Thames.
There's also a great story behind the greenery. The garden originally opened in 2011 as a partnership with the Eden Project, and it continues to be maintained by volunteers alongside Grounded Ecotherapy, a programme that uses gardening to support people including those experiencing homelessness and addiction recovery.
And in 2026, it received a pretty serious seal of approval. Time Out placed Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden at No. 1 on its list of London's best rooftop bars, awarding it five stars and highlighting its sprawling green space, Thames views and unusual combination of plants, flowers and fruit trees.
It's easy to understand why. This isn't really about dressing up for expensive cocktails 20 floors above London. It's about finding a patch of grass in the middle of the capital, grabbing a drink and watching the city carry on beneath you.
City Lynx verdict: London's concrete jungle gets a surprisingly literal patch of green. Relaxed, unusual and now a Time Out 2026 No. 1 rooftop bar — this is one South Bank hidden gem worth climbing the stairs for.
City Lynx Quick Guide
Best for: Relaxed rooftop drinks surrounded by greenery
City Lynx pick: Grab a drink and find a spot overlooking the Thames
Location: Southbank Centre, South Bank, London
Bar style: Laid-back rooftop garden with an urban, almost hidden-away feel
Drinks: Beer, wine, cocktails and refreshing summer drinks
Don't miss: Exploring the garden's lawns, wildflowers, fruit trees and extensive planting
Atmosphere: Green, relaxed, informal and surprisingly peaceful for central London
Nearby: London Eye, National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Waterloo and the River Thames
Best for couples: Excellent
Best for groups: Excellent
Dress code: Casual
Price level: ££
City Lynx tip: Visit on a warm late afternoon, grab a drink and stay for sunset — you'll quickly see why Time Out crowned it London's No. 1 rooftop bar for 2026.
Menus, opening hours, seating and availability may vary.