Outstanding cocktails aren’t hard to find in London. This city is the birthplace of the espresso martini, the vesper, the bramble, the Tom Collins. It’s a place overflowing with mixologists bringing in flavours from across the globe and who are concocting fantastic new creations.
So, it’s little wonder that, on a brand new ranking of the greatest bars in Europe, London was the most represented city of all. With seven bars featured on the Europe’s 50 Best Bars ranking, which was revealed in a ceremony on June 30, the Big Smoke was declared the ‘undisputed cocktail capital of Europe’.
The London places that made the cut range from lavish hotel bars to clandestine cocktail caves and long-time favourites to impressive newcomers. Here’s the lowdown on each one.
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Every London bar in Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026
Connaught Bar
With its martini trolley and marble floors, the ultra-swish bar at Mayfair’s Connaught hotel came 10th on the list and earned the title of the best bar in the UK. 50 Best said: ‘Connaught Bar continues to stand out through consistency, where every detail from the ice programme to the pacing of service reinforces its long-held reputation as one of London’s benchmark cocktail destinations.’
Satan’s Whiskers
In 11th place was Bethnal Green’s rather unassuming Satan’s Whiskers. 50 Best called it ‘refreshingly lowkey’ and ‘a space in which to relax rather than pose’ with a bar that has a ‘total mastery’ over classic cocktails.
Tayēr Elementary
Following closely behind in 12th place was Tayēr Elementary on Old Street. This place is a bar split into two: brighter all-day space Elementary at the front and moodier Tayēr at the back. 50 Best praised it for building the ‘blueprint for aggressively innovative drinks coped and replicated across the world’.
Waltz
One of Shoreditch’s newest bars, Waltz, ranked 23rd. This small Japanese joint opened in May last year and was commended by 50 Best for its ‘Japanese-forward, technique-driven seasonal serves and highly refined interpretations of classics’ such as the matcha old fashioned or sake gibson. It also won the Best New Opening award.
Kwãnt Mayfair
Coming in at number 40 was Kwãnt Mayfair, which reopened in a shiny new venue in 2023. Step inside for an innovative menu with focus on fermentation and unique distillates, as seen in its take on the martini, which is made with gin, langoustine distillate, fino sherry, Cocchi Americano and sea oil.
Three Sheets (Soho)
Just beneath Kwãnt in 41st place was Three Sheets Soho. Here you’ll find an ‘acutely curated selection of twists on classics’, from the French 75 to the Sazzaquack, a Chinese spice-infused sazerac.
Scarfes Bar
Just making it into the top 50 at number 46 was Scarfes Bar inside the Rosewood London in Holborn. It’s named after cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, whose satirical drawings inform everything from the decor to the drinks themselves. Besides the drinks, 50 Best said that the plush interiors and grand fireplace ‘plunge guests into a drawing room of another era’.
You can read more about each bar on the Europe’s 50 Best Bars website here.
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