A sharp rap on a plain door. The sibilance of a secret code. The creak as a bookcase swings open, causing the hubbub of a hidden crowd to spill onto the street.
Speakeasies are back in business. They're fun to find and even more fun to drink in, and London is certainly not short of them. The capital is peppered with bars that are tucked away, hard to locate, or near impossible to get a table at (unless you have a well-connected lifestyle manager, of course).
In our list, we've selected speakeasies that are as sophisticated as they are secretive. Read on to discover the luxury behind London's closed doors, bookcases, and staircases…
Nightjar, Carnaby
The second iteration of Shoreditch's ever-popular Nightjar is concealed beneath Carnaby's Kingly Court, with live jazz every evening. Drinks are inspired by three cocktail-making periods – pre-prohibition, prohibition, and post-war – and each is served with aplomb. Think Tiki cups topped with whisky-soaked-then-blowtorched cake (Barrel Aged Zombie), edible flowers (Honeymoon), or a huge, smoking penguin filled with a tea-based tincture (Yorkshire Punch, to share).
How to find it: enter Kingly Court from Carnaby Street and look for the unmarked door on your left.
49–51 Carnaby St, W1F 9PY
Manetta's Bar, Mayfair
Manetta's has been buried beneath Flemings Hotel since the 1930s and, once found, is a veritable treasure chest of rose gold and plush red seats. It used to be the hangout for art and literature scholars. Such heritage is captured in a literary cocktail list (Atypical Christie is an apt choice) and portraits of scribblers such as James Joyce and Gertrude Stein on the walls.
Find it: head down Clarges Street and look for a sign that says Ormer Mayfair by Sofian. Follow the gated stairway down to find the secret entrance.
7–12 Half Moon St, W1J 7BH
Octo, Amazonico
You can't get much more exclusive than the secret club at one of Mayfair's hardest-to-book restaurants. In contrast to the main restaurant's vibrant, verdant interiors, the downstairs club heads underwater, with curvy walls and a seashell bar that feels like The Little Mermaid goes luxe. Alongside classic Amazónico cocktails, Octo also slings a few bespoke creations – like the Sueno Martinez, its take on an espresso martini that, quite literally, arrives in a puff of smoke.
How to find it: locate the discreet doorway at the back of the restaurant and then head down the golden staircase.
10 Berkeley Sq, W1J 6BR
The Vault, Soho
It's certainly a challenge to breeze through a shop full of whisky without getting sidetracked. If you manage to do that at Milroy's – London's oldest whisky shop – and head straight to the back, you can descend into The Vault cellar bar. Raw brick and candlelight set the mood here, with plenty of dark corners to settle into. Whisky cocktails are a must, but there are plenty of other original drinks to try that have been skilfully mixed with house-made infusions.
Find it: head to the back of Milroys, and push open what seems to be a bookcase – but is, in fact, a hidden door...
3 Greek St, W1D 4NX
Opium, Chinatown
By now, it feels as though everyone has heard of Opium – or has at least seen the snaking queues that give away its Chinatown location. However, there's another bar concealed within its Shanghai-inspired depths. Secreted behind a red velvet curtain, Peony is small and floral-themed, with just a handful of seats that invite an air of exclusivity. Cocktails are both style and substance; we love the Opium No.10, which arrives in a smoking bronze mug.
How to find it: first, find the unmarked green door on Gerrard Street. Then, ask staff to guide you up the labyrinthine stairs to discover Peony.
15–16 Gerrard St, W1D 6JE
Bandra Bhai, Fitzrovia
Bandra Bhai is a playful tribute to India's smugglers, who disguised their secret dealings as other businesses, like a photo studio or an Indian-inspired cocktail bar… The décor is riotous and slightly kitsch, with more than a bit of animal print, OTT wallpaper, and framed photos of Indian disco stars, but the cocktails are on point. Each is named after its main ingredient; we love Date, which mingles Cognac, date syrup, and Champagne.
How to find it: pre-load on light crab sukkah and creamy curry at upstairs Pali Hill, before heading down the stairs towards the loos. Look for the jaunty-looking sexologist sign (yes, really) and push open the door.
79–81 Mortimer St, W1W 7SJ
Cache Cache, Covent Garden
The things you find in Covent Garden's piazza – open-air restaurants, the odd opera singer, a bar concealed beneath a Middle Eastern restaurant. One of the most exclusive speakeasies on this list, there's no guarantee you'll get a seat at Cache Cache; request a table via WhatsApp, and the team will decide whether or not you fit the bill. Once inside, you're met with a mirror-and-neon riot of techno and bongo drums, filled with a Mayfair-like crowd sipping gold-leaf cocktails and eating sushi and steak.
How to find it: once you've secured a reservation, head to the bathrooms beneath Bun and Buns. Knock on the large silver mirror at the back, which – should you be in luck – will swing open.
5 The Piazza, WC2E 8RA
The Whisky Room at The Londoner
If you whisk aside a hidden door in The Londoner, you’ll find yourself in one of London’s most exclusive whisky lounges. And we mean exclusive: only hotel guests can access The Whisky Room, which is part of the hotel’s residents-only suite of spaces. It’s been designed to feel like a cut whisky tumbler, with smoky shades, mirrored ceilings and walls, and – of course – a selection of expertly curated bottles – including a Macallan 1960.
How to find it: make your way to the hotel’s powder rooms and keep an eye out for a secret door…
38 Leicester Sq, London WC2H 7DX
Scales Mayfair
Drink with Sasha. No, that’s not an instruction – it’s the name of the bottle shop that this polished little bar is hidden inside. The store itself is big on rare, unusual, and premium spirits, and the same applies to its speakeasy, which also goes big on sustainability. The team has concocted a cocktail lab behind a curtain in the bar proper, where they use things like centrifuges to extract flavours and recycle kitchen scraps into a creative selection of drinks – like the Apple, which mixes vodka, shiso leaf, green apple, and bergamot.
How to find it: make your way to the Duke Street store and ask the staff for Scales – they’ll lead you through an inconspicuous fire door.
