A cozy, elegant lounge with plush armchairs, a patterned rug, and a marble-topped bar lined with stools. Warm lighting, rich drapes, and an array of bottles create a luxurious, inviting atmosphere.

Restaurants & nightlife

London’s cosiest library bars

Shh... we couldn’t keep our list of London’s best bars for booze and books quiet for any longer.

Words by Amelia Allen

15th December 2025

7-minute read

We’ve filled bookworms in on where to find NYC’s cosiest independent bookstores and indie bookshops in Singapore, but today, we’re turning our attention to London’s cosiest library bars. Once upon a time, there were bars that mixed booze with bookshelves. Plot twist: these spots still exist (they're just so under the radar that you probably haven’t heard of them). This isn’t the start of a fairytale – it's the start of an article about library bars. But not just any library bars – London’s best. Read our recommendations below.

The Library Bar at The Ned London

Best for: limited-time entry to a members-only bar.

There’s a lesser-known, curtain-cloaked nook inside The Ned – one that’s a welcome escape from the suited-and-booted crowds in its green marble-clad banking hall. For one month only, this members-only space has opened its doors (or should we say curtains?) to the public after 5pm for its collaboration with The Macallan, running until 27th December. And instead of the usual Champagne and martinis, there are rare drams and one-off, whisky-splashed cocktails.

Insider tip: the Library Bar is strictly BYOB – bring your own book (not booze, don’t worry) – because the books are secured behind wooden latticework cupboards.

The City | thened.com

Luxurious hotel lounge with plush, colorful armchairs, a bar with bottles displayed on shelves, elegant lamps, patterned curtains, and warm lighting, featuring a large arched window and wood parquet flooring.

A cozy, elegant lounge with mustard-yellow and pink armchairs, marble-topped tables, books, red gift bags, and flower arrangements, softly lit by table lamps beneath tall windows with sheer curtains.

27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ

The Library Bar at The Lanesborough

Best for: sipping Champagne in a storybook-like setting.

If you’ve ever been inside The Lanesborough, you’ll know it’s like stepping inside the world of London’s Regency era (aka Bridgerton). With bartenders wearing waistcoats and bowties in The Library Bar, you half expect Lady Whistledown to waltz in as you look up from your book. And if reading isn’t your thing, there’s a different, more bubbly kind of library on tap: the Champagne Library, offering everything from Dom Pérignon to Laurent-Perrier. The Lanesborough, let us drink to thee.

Insider tip: look out for Lillibet – the hotel’s long-haired Siberian cat – who can often be found snoozing on The Library Bar’s piano stool (one of her favourite spots).

Knightsbridge | oetkerhotels.com

Elegant hotel lounge with green velvet chairs, wood-paneled walls, gold accents, a round table with a large flower arrangement, patterned carpet, and a cozy bookshelf nook with warm lighting.

A person holding a silver tray with two cocktails: one with a foamy, frothy top and a straw, the other a clear drink garnished with green olives.

Park Corner, SW1X 7TA

Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood London

Best for: one of the World’s 50 Best Bars.

Scarfes Bar is quite literally a work of art. Its walls are splattered with Gerald Scarfe’s colourful caricatures and more than 1,000 vintage books. With a grand fireplace and gorgeous velvet armchairs, it channels the vibe of a gentlemen’s club – that is, if that club had bartenders in white tuxedos whizzing around the room, whipping up creative cocktails that have landed it on the World’s 50 Best Bars list not once, but twice.

Insider tip: stick around from 4pm to midnight – this is when better-than-bar snacks, like beef tartare and crab rolls, begin making the rounds.

Covent Garden | rosewoodhotels.com

A highball glass filled with an amber cocktail, ice cubes, and garnished with a cherry, sits on a dimly lit bar beside a red bandana and a lamp. Glassware and bottles are visible in the blurred background.

A stylish, dimly lit lounge with plush armchairs, round wooden tables, bookshelves, and a fireplace. Large windows with blinds and artistic wall panels add to the cozy, sophisticated ambiance.

252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN

Swans Bar at Maison Assouline

Best for: literary lovers seeking quiet luxury.

There’s hardly anyone without a colourful Assouline coffee table book in their home, and there’s hardly anywhere as snug (or as much of a hidden gem) as the rainbow that is Swans Bar. Once a banking hall, the bookstore-slash-bar now welcomes bookworms with alphabetical carpets, glass cabinets of XL limited-edition volumes, and, of course, shelves overflowing with archives spanning everything from Barbie and Bentley to Cartier and Carbone.

Insider tip: settle in at the beautiful bar and ask bartender Felix for a Kyoto Serenity cocktail (it looks like a cherry blossom tree and arrives with mist).

St. James's | eu.assouline.com

A decorative candle holder shaped like a split head with a black cap holds a blue candle. A matching face piece and the book Napoli Amore rest on a wooden table next to a brown couch.

A stylish café with wooden tables and chairs, decorated with colorful bookshelves and framed art on the walls. Large windows let in natural light, and red menus are placed on each table.

196A Piccadilly, W1J 9EY

Electric House

Best for: exclusivity.

This wood-pannelled bar feels like crashing at your cool-aunt-you-never-see's cottage. Except its actually part of the Soho House group – so you have to be a member (of the family) to hang out here. You’ll spend your time switching between reading your favourite tome – and scanning the drinks menu for your next tipple on a seat with frill skirts. All the while, a fireplace sandwiched between stacks of logs crackles in the corner.

Insider tip: coinciding with the creative folk who flock here, keep an eye out for works by artists such as Conrad Shawcross hanging up on the walls.

Notting Hill | sohohouse.com

Cozy, wood-paneled lounge with tufted ottomans, velvet sofas, small tables with glassware, armchairs, potted plant, and warm wall sconces, creating an inviting, vintage-inspired atmosphere.

A cozy restaurant dining area with a wooden fireplace, bookshelves, stacked firewood, elegant table settings, and warm lighting from wall sconces.

191 Portobello Rd, W11 2ED

The Library at The Hero

Best for: a vibey, vinyl-splashed spot.

Downstairs, punters are polishing off Scotch eggs and pints of Portobello Pilsner, but those after a more sophisticated experience drift upstairs to sink into the library’s scallop-edged seats. Here, a record player spins vinyl, and hours happily slip by as you make yourself at home (and snap photos of every photogenic inch for your moodboard named ‘home inspo’). Whether you're here for the margaritas, music, or perusing the shelves, this is the perfect place for people-watching.

Insider tip: arrive before 8pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays to beat the buzz that builds for the vinyl DJs.

Notting Hill | theherow9.com

Cozy library corner with a green sectional sofa, round wooden tables, a lit candle, and bookshelves filled with colorful books, warmly lit by natural light from a nearby window.

A person pours a clear liquid from a bottle into a cocktail glass on a small round wooden table, with a green sofa and wooden wall in the background.

55 Shirland Rd, W9 2JD

The Library Lounge at The Standard

Best for: a cosy study space.

The Library Lounge isn’t your Standard space. The drinks menu is pages long, and there’s even an in-house librarian to help you pick the perfect book. It looks like the kind of library you loved as a child, with shelves upon shelves and sections labelled everything from mind, body, and spirit to mathematics. The crowd here lounges on loveseats, chows down on snacks like chilli- and rosemary-drenched Pimento olives, and loses track of time as a secret playlist purrs softly in the background.

Insider tip: by day, remote workers tap away on their laptops (non-hotel guests are limited to 1.5hrs with open screens). By 6pm, laptops disappear and the lights dim.

King's Cross | standardhotels.com

A cozy seating area with two wooden chairs, a round wooden coffee table with potted plants, and a glowing lamp. In the background, there is a large geometric red and white wall design.

A modern library lounge with a tan leather sofa, yellow coffee table, and bookshelves. The background features bold blue and red circular wall designs and pendant lamps with white shades, creating a vibrant, inviting atmosphere.

10 Argyle St, NW1 2ST

The Library at the NoMad London

Best for: pre-theatre drinks.

Bookmark this library bar for your next day as a digital NoMad: most visitors come for the vibes rather than the volumes, but that doesn’t stop them from curling into velvet armchairs with the NoMad Hotdog (bacon wrapped and black-truffled). There are, of course, guests reading the classics, but in true Covent Garden fashion, they close the chapter with a coconutty Honeybush Negroni.

Insider tip: pitstop here for a pre-theatre tipple or bite to eat (the NoMad is bang opposite the Royal Ballet and Opera).

Covent Garden | hilton.com

A cozy library room with dark wood shelves filled with books, a globe, and decorative objects. Red armchairs and round tables are arranged near a window with sheer white curtains. A vase of flowers sits on one table.

28 Bow St, 7AW

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