Best bars in Europe

A Bethnal Green neighbourhood bar serving classic cocktails from a menu that changes daily, with hip-hop on the soundtrack. Open from 5pm until late, with later finishes on Friday and Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome; reservations are recommended and taken only by telephone on +44 20 7739 8362.

Bethnal Green · Classic cocktails & hip-hop · site · IG

Line puts fermentation at the centre of its Athens bar, making fruit wines, beer and artisan bread in a former industrial space. Its cocktails use seasonal ingredients and fermentation by-products, with food designed around the same approach to reducing waste. Find it on Agathodemonos; check the venue’s reservation page for availability.

Fermentation-led cocktail bar · site · IG

Panda & Sons uses its Transcend menu to explore sub-zero flavour techniques. Its research space works with freeze dryers and ultra-low freezers, and table reservations are available.

New Town · Experimental cocktail bar · site · IG

Enter through Daroco’s dramatic dining room to reach Danico, its cocktail bar at 6 rue Vivienne. The drinks menu travels through regional flavours and playful techniques, served in a lively room that works well before or after dinner. It opens nightly and does not take reservations.

Palais-Royal / 2nd · Travel-inspired cocktail bar · site · IG

Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale’s Eixample bar combines familiar flavours with inventive textures and glassware designed around the drink. Drinkery House is the casual, social side of Sips; Esencia is a separate experience. Drinkery House opens Tuesday–Saturday, 6:30pm–2am, with online reservations and a smart-casual dress code.

Eixample · Contemporary cocktails · site · IG

Lyaness is an ingredient-led bar inside Sea Containers London, with Thames views, an electric-blue palette and the original green-marble bar. Current menus include Collaboration 2.0, Special Editions and food; bookings are recommended and walk-ins depend on availability.

South Bank · Ingredient-led hotel cocktail bar · site · IG

The Connaught Bar in Mayfair combines seasonal creations, vintage cocktails and a house-distilled gin with its signature martini trolley. Guests choose an aromatic bitters variation as their martini is prepared. The bar also serves canapés, wines and spirits. It operates without reservations, with published hours of 4pm–1am Monday–Saturday.

Mayfair · Hotel cocktail bar & martini trolley · site · IG

Angelita’s basement cocktail bar turns produce from the team’s Zamora garden into low-alcohol, low-sugar drinks with house-made ingredients. Cocktails are measured by weight, pre-diluted and served without ice in custom glassware; upstairs, the same address also houses a wine bar and restaurant.

Chueca / Gran Vía · Produce-led, no-ice gastro cocktail bar · site · IG

Bar Nouveau pairs an Art Nouveau-inspired ground-floor salon with concise cocktails built from contemporary producers. Downstairs, a six-cocktail tasting experience reworks the same aromas in a more structured format on weekends. The set menu is the bookable portion of the venue.

Marais / 3rd · Art Nouveau-inspired contemporary cocktails · site · IG

Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London currently serves a Heroes & Villains menu. Its two sides contrast elegant, restrained drinks with nostalgic, louder flavours, with live events also listed on its calendar. Most guests walk in; reservations are limited to hotel guests and parties of six or more.

Holborn · Luxury hotel cocktail bar · site · IG

Baba Au Rum is an Athens rum and cocktail society with a deep global spirits selection and house drinks built from locally sourced herbs and fruit. Its current lists range from rum-led classics to experimental and alcohol-free cocktails.

Historic Centre · Rum and cocktail bar · site · IG

Inside NoMad London’s former police-station building, Side Hustle pairs polished hotel-bar service with agave-focused cocktails and food shaped by Latin American and Southern Californian flavours. The sample menu centres on tacos, ceviche and snacks for sharing.

Covent Garden · Agave cocktails and Mexican-inspired bar food · site · IG

Moebius combines a cocktail bar, tapa bistrot, Sperimentale restaurant, live music and a record store on Via Alfredo Cappellini. The bar sits by the entrance, with seven counter seats facing a three-metre concrete spirits display. Use the official booking page to check which dining experience is available; the bar and Sperimentale have distinct menus and schedules.

Porta Venezia · Cocktails, dining & live music · site · IG

De Vie is a seasonal cocktail bar and comptoir on Rue Saint-Sauveur in Paris. Its five-step drinks tasting lasts about 90 minutes, includes snacks and offers an alcohol-free route; guests can also order drinks à la carte.

Montorgueil · Sustainable cocktail bar and restaurant · site · IG

Paradiso hides an immersive, curving cocktail room behind a refrigerator-style entrance in El Born. The drinks lean theatrical, with elaborate vessels and presentation, while the bar also serves classic bites.

El Born · Theatrical modern cocktails · site · IG

Waltz serves a full conceptual cocktail menu from its bar seats, which are kept for walk-ins. Tables can be reserved, making it useful for visitors who prefer a planned stop near Shoreditch.

Shoreditch · Concept-led cocktail bar · site · IG