Beautiful London Bars That Feed All The Senses

London is home to some of the best bars in the world. Between the award-winning cocktails, historical roots and five-star service at these venues, we’re rather spoilt for choice when it comes to tracking down a tipple. But when it comes to the most beautiful (and Instagrammable) bars, these have to be some of the best in London.

Alcohol Aesthete: London’s Chicest Bar Interiors

Carlotta

Carlotta

This Italian-American restaurant and bar needs little introduction. Since opening its doors in Marylebone back in 2023, Carlotta has been a hit thanks to its tasty dishes and impressive wine menu – but its interiors prove just as equally captivating. A retro-inspired trattoria, complete with 80s patterned carpets, curved leather booths, fabric draped walls and mirror-clad finishes. Most will have spotted its red-tinted, floor-to-ceiling glass bathrooms on TikTok, but the real showstopper is the bar: marble floors and bar tops are offset by a gold-lit bar, with red barstools adding to the warming palette of the venue’s interiors. It also makes an appearance in the most recent series of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen – so rest assured, it’s posh gangster approved.

77-78 Marylebone High St, London W1U 5JX | bigmammagroup.com

The Coral Room

The Coral Room

For a pre-theatre refuel (or a post-theatre nightcap) with a beautiful view, swing by The Coral Room. Perched on the edge of Soho – just a stone’s throw from Dominion Theatre – this colour-drenched cocktail bar sits inside The Bloomsbury Hotel, and boasts some of the prettiest interiors around. Designed by Martin Brudnizki (the same man behind the ornate rooms at private members’ club Annabel’s), The Coral Room was imagined as a 1920s speakeasy where country meets city. Boasting high ceilings and coral-red walls, the bar is decorated with a scattering of blue velvet sofas, warmly-lit Murano glass chandeliers and no less than 36 original artworks by Luke Edward Hall celebrating the artistic and literary heritage of Bloomsbury.

16-22 Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 3NN | thecoralroom.co.uk

Agaveria Lounge, Los Mochis

While summer sees most of Los Mochis’ diners flock to its scenic terrace – sushi with a city view? – come cool weather, it’s the bar stools at Agaveria Lounge that become a hot seat. Home to one of Europe’s most impressive collections of mezcal and tequila, as well as resident DJ sets in the evening, the bar is perfect for late night drinks or special occasions. Botanical interiors also make it feel like you’re lounging in a sky-high oasis: banana and agave plants cascade from the bar, backdropped by a golden glow, surrounded by plush seats and Mexican art dotted around the space. And then there’s the view – a sweep of London’s skyline that includes St Paul’s, The Shard and the London Eye.

9th Floor, 100 Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 2AT | losmochis.co.uk

The East Bar, Sketch

The East Bar, Sketch

London favourite sketch has had its fair share of makeovers, pop-ups and takeovers, but one thing is certain: it will always look stunning. Beyond the copper-coloured Gallery, fairy-tale Glade and three Michelin-starred Lecture Room and Library, you’ll find two Instagram-worthy destinations: the Parlour and the East Bar. The former, a street-facing bar serving up cocktails, daytime meals and light bites, currently boasts a new entrance designed by artist Camille Walala, featuring her signature bold colours, geometric patterns and playful optical illusions. The East Bar, meanwhile, can be found beneath sketch’s famous pod toilets. This futuristic cocktail lounge was created by sketch founder Mourad Mazouz and designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, and comes with a dropped bar (so the bartender can stay on eye level with seated guests).

9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 2XG | sketch.london

Connaught Bar

Connaught Bar, The Connaught

Brought to life by the late architect David Collins, Connaught Bar boasts cool-toned Art Deco-style interiors with tall embossed ceilings, grey marble floors, green croc-embossed sofas, hand-dyed leather panels and large-scale silver leaf mirrors. The star of the show, however, is the martini trolley: a specially-made black-and-chrome trolley that is wheeled table-side for a full view of the mixologists in practice. And if you happen to be there, make sure to also swing by the Red Room. Designed by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, the Connaught’s second bar is meant to feel like an art collector’s home, and features a stunning pink onyx bar counter.

16 Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL | maybourne.com

Nine Lives

Nine Lives

One of the coolest spots in London for a nightcap, Nine Lives is quite possibly the capital’s worst kept secret. Tucked away in a Victorian basement, this underground den reads as a cosy hideaway, with low lighting, mismatched seating, fluffy throws and live greenery hanging from the ceiling making the space feel truly hidden from the city’s streets. A vintage sound system filtering in soul and funk tracks only adds to the atmosphere. Come for the interiors, stay for the creative craft drinks and cocktails.

8 Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL | ninelivesbar.com

The Library Bar, The Lanesborough

The Library Bar, The Lanesborough

If you were to dream up the quintessentially British bar, it would most likely look like The Library Bar. With its Regency- interiors, dark wood-panelled walls, wing-backed chairs (perfect for sinking into with a glass of whiskey) and shelves packed full of leather-bound books, it really does resemble its namesake. A collection of rare bottles also sit on the shelves, some dating back to the 1770s – a reminder that this is indeed a bar – which the team dub ‘a liquid museum of spirits’. Fancy a taste of history?

Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA | oetkerhotels.com

The Painter’s Room

The Painter’s Room, Claridge’s

Eagle-eyed (and chronically online) readers will no doubt be familiar with Claridge’s pretty pink bar, The Painter’s Room. It’s a fairly new opening for the famous hotel – having opened its doors in 2021 – but its style very much continues the Art Deco narrative running through the rest of the building. The work of interior designer Bryan O’Sullivan, the bar was influenced by 1930s photos from the hotel archives. Bedecked with pale pink onyx and featuring an eye-catching skylight in peach-and-cream-coloured glass, The Painter’s Room resembles a particularly stunning jewellery box. And, lucky for us, the drinks are just as delicious as the sights.

Brook Street, London W1K 4HR | maybourne.com

Scarfes Bar

Scarfes Bar, The Rosewood

Another of London’s great British bars is Scarfes, tucked away inside The Rosewood hotel. While it might be C&TH’s favourite spot for interviewing household names, Scarfes Bar is best known for its famous cocktails and eccentric interiors – which make you feel like you’ve stepped into an ‘old boys’ members’ club, rather than a hotel bar. Order a drink at the impressively stocked bar (filled wall-to-wall and shelf-to-shelf with bottles), before sidling over to a prime seat by the roaring fire.

252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN | scarfesbar.com