15 Best Bars in Covent Garden: Rooftop, Cocktails & More

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Covent Garden is a booming destination known for its culture from opera to theatreland and world-class dining places. The bar scene is extensive, with various famous cocktail bars, impeccable rooftop destinations and venues with comprehensive wine lists. Date night options are plenty, and you won’t miss a fun venue to host your party and celebrate your days with loved ones.

Quirky bars surround the region, from the eclectic Blind Spot known for its live music to Circus for its acrobatic burlesque acts. Please get to know The 10 Cases Bar, where you can try various wine lists on their 10 cases minimum cellar that keeps changing. If the old-world wines are your pick, then Covent Garden will shock and awe your taste buds.

Our list takes you through the best of the best regarding the bar scene in Covent Garden. Read on to get to know the various unique offerings of each destination. We will take you through the atmosphere and ambience of each location so that you know what bar best suits your needs.

Summary of best bars in Covenant Garden, London:

Best Bars in Covent Garden
Cocktail bars American Bar, The Lost Alpaca, Covent Garden cocktail club, Blame Gloria, Be at One Cocktail Bar.
Rooftop bars Radio Rooftop
Wine bars The 10 cases
Live music and performance bars Blame Gloria, Blind Spot
Overall Covenant Garden cocktail club

Best Bars in Covent Garden

Here are the best bars to visit when you step into the world-class excitement region of London:

1. The American Bar at The Savoy

The American Bar at The Savoy
Photo: @thesavoylondon
  • Address: The Savoy, Strand London WC2R 0EZ, United Kingdom
  • Phone: 020 7420 2117
  • Price range: Cocktails from £20 to £60
  • Atmosphere: 1920s décor with world-class ambience and James Bond-like
  • Known for: Longest running cocktail bar in London

The American Bar is the oldest cocktail bar in London, with its roots dating back to the beginning of the 1900s and the end of the 1890s. It is the longest-running cocktail bar in the whole city with a huge history of famous mixologists who have brought London some of the best cocktails of the century.

Entering the premises introduces you to a James Bond-like atmosphere reminiscent of 1920s décor. The seating is luxurious, and walls are plastered with famous bartenders, celebrities, and tokens of memorabilia of most of the famed happenings at the venue—a classic piano blasts the bar with live music and some jazz tunes all night.

The American Bar was named World’s Best Bar 2017 from the World’s Best Bars Awards and 2018 World’s Best Bar at the Takes of Cocktail Spirited Awards. It is said that Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway frequented this bar. Historic bartenders like Harry Craddock and Ada Coleman made several appearances to serve their innovative drinks in such a classy venue. This is where history gets made.

American Bar is a must-visit for drinks and style lovers as the inventive drinks include a mixture of past masters and bold inspirations of the future. Cocktails include the £20 Spring is in the Air, which is delicate, light, and herbaceous. Try the £60 rich and aromatic spicy Other Cocktail made from Glenfiddich 21-year-old whisky.

2. The 10 Cases

The 10 Cases
Photo: @10cases
  • Address: 16-18 Endell St, London WC2H 9BD
  • Phone: 020 7836 6801
  • Price range: £31 – £53 wine bottles
  • Atmosphere: Calm, relaxing, classy, and refreshing
  • Known for: Having only 10 cases of any type of wine at any given time.

The 10 Cases is a wine bar and bistro where you can visit to have a taste of modern Franco-European foods and get to choose wines from an extensive selection. The bar is known for having numerous wine options since they only store 10 cases of each type of wine. You are guaranteed to get something interesting every time you visit the venue.

Some of the best wine options include the Auxerrois, Weingut Dengler-Seyler, Pfalz, Germany 2020 and the Crato Branco, Morgado do Quintão, Algarve, Portugal 2020. Zweigelt, Rosé, Weingut Huber, Traisental, Austria 2020 is also on the list right after the Rkatsiteli, Quevri Wine Cellars, Kakheti, Georgia 2019.

Bistro at The 10 Cases is filled with enticing menu items that are well paired with classic wines and well-aged drinks. Some of the options include the braised cannellini beans with pesto, artichokes, and goat’s curd. You may want to try their steak frites with chimichurri and lyonnaise onions.

Walking into the venue introduces you to wine shelves filled with various wine bottles to get you excited for what a classy experience you are about to have. The windows are floor to ceiling, providing you with an interrupted view of the life outside. This is a great spot for the perfect wine lover date.

3. Blame Gloria

Blame Gloria 1
Photo: @blamegloria
Blame Gloria 2
Photo: @blamegloria
  • Address: 20 Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9HP
  • Phone: 020 8191 7665
  • Price range: £8 – £20 on a cocktail
  • Atmosphere: Fun, rowdy and lively.
  • Known for: Disco brunch, diva brunch, drag brunches, and cocktail bar

Blame Gloria is one of London’s booming and most exciting brunch destinations. It is a bar that boasts old-school music with a mix of current pop hits and various songs from different genres. The venue is large enough to accommodate 250 people with a less-so-strict smart casual dress code.

This is a mayhem venue full of a lot of fun ambience and lively crowds that will keep your ears ringing for a while. It is a great place to hang out and party all night with your friends. The underground locations mean you won’t miss a loud beat of your favourite classic tunes as you sip on the cheerful drinks on offer all night.

Cocktails are the order of the day, especially during the brunches. Gloria guests love the Sugar Daddy signature cocktail that is sweet and cherry with its mix of Disaronno Amaretto, Chivas Regal, and a mixture of juices and fruits. Hot AF is another favourite which is very hot from its spicy Margarita style content.

Also Read: Best Brunch Places in Covent Garden

4. Radio Rooftop

Radio Rooftop
Photo: @radiorooftoplondon
  • Address: ME London, 336-337 Strand, London WC2R 1HA
  • Phone: 020 7379 6606
  • Price range: £20 Platinum Jubilee cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Calm, eccentric, and relaxing
  • Known for: Rooftop bar with a great view of London’s skyline

Some refer to Radio Rooftop as the Italian sports car of London bars. It is the one shiny car that everyone can’t help but want to have. Radio Rooftop is the perfect place for someone looking to splurge just to get the amazing London skyline and River Thames views. You can get to see London staples from the rooftop like St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard, Oxo Tower, and the London Eye.

The bar offers all-day dining and all-night drinking, where you can reserve your seats to dine on the sunrise and sunset spectacle. Mediterranean menu is what Radio offers with items like seasonal grille pawns, Aubergine rigatoni, Chilean seabass, and lamb cutlets.

A Platinum Jubilee Cocktail menu is made in honour of each decade her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has ruled the United Kingdom. The oldest cocktail celebrates her 1950s to 1960s rule and is labelled the Crown and Glory, made from floral gin. The newest cocktail celebrates her recent rain and is labelled Lon Live the Queen made from classic Negroni and smoked with a dubonnet Twist.

5. Eve Bar

Eve Bar
Photo: @evebarldn
  • Address: 34-35 Southampton Street, WC2E 7HG London
  • Phone: 020 7199 8373
  • Price range: £15 – £19 Cocktails
  • Atmosphere: lively and hedonistic
  • Known for: impressive cocktails from a master mixologist

The renowned mixologist, Sam Orrock, is the master mixologist and bar manager at Eve Bar. He boasts a lot of new innovative cocktails that make Eve a high sort after cocktail venue. The Adam Handling-owned bar is part of the Frog restaurant in Covenant Garden, located in the basement areas. Eve Bar’s motto is bold and encouraging, “Resist Everything Except Temptation.”

Impressive cocktails on the menu include the sour and bitter rum tea punch that is made from Bacardi. Purple Rain is one of the most popular selections with its rich, bubbly and tropical flavours made from discarded grape skin vodka. Five bartenders in the venue keep making innovative drinks with no restrictions on breaking the exciting boundaries.

Adam is a world-famous chef who became a finalist in the 2013 MasterChef: The Professionals competition. His restaurants are receivers of the three stars award from the AA. His food presentations and preparations are well-received to the point of him getting the job of cooking for G7 world leaders at the 2021 G7 Summit. Visit the Frog by Adam Handling upstairs to taste the constantly evolving British-style cuisines.

6. Blind Spot

Blind Spot
Photo: @stmartinslanesocial
  • Address: 45 St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4HX
  • Phone: 020 7300 5588
  • Price range: £13 – £16 Cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Upbeat and lively
  • Known for: Live music, gig, and jazz nights

Blind Spot is the no-brainer pick when you want to take out your friend who wants a good night in a place that speaks to the well-travelled. The venue is hidden behind the façade of a boutique tea counter.

A door with a golden hand for a handle that opens you to a beautiful speakeasy affair. The venue is popular for its swing and jazz nights, where guests can indulge in nights of debauchery and hedonism over a few British Empire-inspired cocktails.

7. Freud Café Bar

Freud Café Bar
Photo: @frevdbarlondon
  • Address: 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL
  • Phone: 020 249 1100
  • Price range: £7 – £9 for cocktails and beers under £5
  • Atmosphere: Classic and old school
  • Known for: Historic bar with a never-changing scene

Serving epic cocktails since 1986, Freud is a favourite local bar beneath the pavement of Shaftesbury Avenue. It is a quirky bar with its bunker-style design, small bar, and less than enough tables.

Customers love this bar because of its never-changing scenery and classic vibe. The main bar has not been renovated for decades, but they make up for the lack of change with impressive cocktails.

8. The Lost Alpaca Bar

The Lost Alpaca Bar
Photo: @floralbylima
  • Address: 14 Garrick Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9BJ
  • Phone: 020 7240 5778
  • Price range: £6 – £9 cocktails
  • Atmosphere: calm and serene
  • Known for: Live music and cocktail specials

Lost Alpaca is situated in the downstairs area of the LIMA restaurant. It is where you can go to get the famous 2-4-1 on select cocktails from 5 pm to 7 pm every Tuesday to Thursday. There is live music from 7 pm to 9 pm to keep you entertained in a calm and serene environment.

Get your lunch at Lima with options like the £19 two-course meal or the £24 three-course meal from Wednesday to Friday. The unique and relaxing ambience of the restaurant is the perfect place to take a break from work and meet up with friends.

9. Vyta

Vyta
Photo: @vytacoventgarden
  • Address: 21 The Market, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8rd
  • Phone: 020 7654 3030
  • Price range: £15 – £16 cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Italian ambience with impressive décor and delectable menu items
  • Known for: A classic Italian venue with an extensive cocktail bar, great for brunch

Vyta’s cocktails include the Amaretto sour with Disaronno, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white. Visit this Italian venue in the heart of London to drink other exciting cocktails like the whisky sour on the lovely lounge bar. The design of the bar is full of experimentation and eclecticism, from the wooden walls to the lacquered surfaces and metal accented spaces that scream unconventional Italian style.

There is available dining where you can have a brunch or dive into the piazza experience of their menu. Main dishes include the fennel steak served with baby spinach, and the roasted baby chicken served with mustard from Cremona.

10. Covent Garden Social Club

Covent Garden Social Club
Photo: @coventgardensocialclub
  • Address: 6-7 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JB
  • Phone: 074 5803 1010
  • Price range: £9 – £13 cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Artistic and historic
  • Known for: Happy hour and vibrant scene

The talented mixologists at the Covent Garden Social Club will teach you how to make a high-quality cocktail for just £40. You can then stay on afterwards for the incredible happy hour special. The cocktail club is part of Covenant Garden Social Club, made of two bars, including the Theatre Club.

You will find the cocktail club in the Arts Theatre basement reminiscent of the prohibition era of New York City. Happy hour is available from 8 pm every day for just £12 and takes you through all the house cocktail options.

11. The Alchemist

The Alchemist
Photo: @thealchemistuk
  • Address: 63-66 St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4JS
  • Phone: 020 7240 2002
  • Price range: £10 – £15 cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Cozy décor with a lively ambience
  • Known for: amazing staff and theatrical cocktail presentations

The Alchemist will entice you with its theatrical cocktail presentations. It is the venue for the wow factor in terms of how highly regarded the staff is and how well they outdoor themselves in creating bubbly drinks with innovative designs.

Smoke billowing cocktails will add to the bubbly atmosphere in this cosy venue. A big up to the master mixologists.

12. The Escapologist

The Escapologist
Photo: @escapologistbar
  • Address: 35 Earlham Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9LD
  • Phone: 020 7240 5142
  • Price range: £10 – £13 cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Reminiscent of the Masonic era and 1800s-style bar and dining
  • Known for: Hosting some of the best brunches in town

Happy Hour at the Escapologists begins at 5 pm till 7 pm on Sunday and from 4 pm to 7 pm on Monday to Friday. The offer serves two cocktails for one on the mind-bending cocktail menu. The venue is well decorated with a roof painted with cosmic backgrounds that give you the illusion of being in outer space.

The brown interiors are well accented with wooden décor and classy brick walls. Time Out calls the Escapologist “One of London’s Coolest bars”. Get yourself a sample of the classic twisted cocktails, or opt for a private function in one of the rooms available for hire.

13. Beaufort Bar

Beaufort Bar
Photo: @luxurylondonofficial
  • Address: Strand, London, WC2R 0EZ
  • Phone: 020 7420 2117
  • Food: YES
  • Price range: £25 – £45 Beaufort bar signature cocktails
  • Atmosphere: romantic gold décor that insights an elegant ambience
  • Known for: signature drinks invented in the Beaufort Bar

You won’t find Beaufort Bar signature drinks anywhere else in the world. The team has curated a wide range of drinks that are unique and special like no other. They get their inspiration from history and Savoy famous personnel.

The bar does a great job at paying tribute to London’s history, performances, and heritage. Some of their special drinks include the Merlin Madness with Grey goose Vodka, the Mentalist with Patron Silver tequila, and the Composer made from Vestal Vodka, Italicus, Rhubarb, and champagne.

14. Mrs Riot

Mrs Riot
Photo: @postcards.from.haley
  • Address: 10 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8PS
  • Phone: 020 3004 4139
  • Price range: £10.5 – £14 cocktails
  • Atmosphere: Rowdy, hedonistic, and uplifting
  • Known for: live music and bottomless brunches

Mrs Riot is one of the best places in London for bottomless brunches and exciting drag queen shows. It is a venue made for all the hedonistic desires that London can offer, from the bottomless cocktail specials week after week and live performances that blow your mind and crack your ribs.

15. Be at One Cocktail Bar

Be at One Cocktail Bar
Photo: @beatonebar
  • Address: 23 Wellington Street, London, WC2E 7Da
  • Phone: 020 7240 9889
  • Food: NO
  • Price range: cocktails start from £10.60
  • Atmosphere: Eccentric, party vibes, and magical
  • Known for: over 100 cocktails on the menu

You are bound to spend a good portion of your time going through the cocktail menu when you first visit Be at One in Lyceum Covent Garden. It has everything you may want from the sweet drinks, to sour gins, and punchy vodkas. With over 100 different types of cocktails, Be at One is the best party starter venue for a great night.

Try their amazing signature long drinks like the Hendrick’s, Longtooth, Peach Tea, and Monkey 47 Sloe. Favourites include the slutty Cuban Pussy made from Havana Club Especial Rum. The June Bug is also another beloved made with a mix of Midori, Malibu, and banana liqueur.

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Final Thoughts

Other exciting bars in Covent Garden that are bound to give you your money’s worth include the Salvador and Amanda bar, Be at One, BrewDog Seven Dials, and the Plume Wine Bar, with various exciting wine selections.

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