Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Soho
Ronnie Scott's is the world's most famous jazz club — a 200-capacity Soho institution opened in 1959 that has presented jazz legends including Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix (who gave his last public performance here), Nina Simone, and Ella Fitzgerald. Still operating every night of the year and still considered the gold standard of jazz club programming, Ronnie Scott's represents London's enduring centrality to the global jazz world and remains the first venue any serious jazz musician or fan visits in the UK.
The Connaught Bar London
Mayfair
The Connaught Bar is the world's most decorated cocktail bar — a Mayfair institution that has held the World's Best Bar title multiple times and earned two Michelin stars under head bartender Ago Perrone. The silver-panelled Art Deco room designed by India Mahdavi, with its signature trolley service and the legendary Connaught Martini mixed tableside, represents the apex of the London bar scene and one of the most refined drinking experiences on earth.
Artesian at The Langham London
Marylebone
Artesian at The Langham holds the record for most consecutive World's Best Bar titles (four years, 2012-2015) — a grand hotel bar in Marylebone that defined the golden age of luxury London cocktail culture under bartenders Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale. The bar's extraordinary Chinese lacquer aesthetic, technical cocktail ambition, and Langham hotel heritage combining Edwardian grandeur with contemporary cocktail innovation make it one of the most decorated bars in history.
American Bar at The Savoy London
Strand
The American Bar at The Savoy is the most historically significant cocktail bar in the world — a 1903 institution that invented many of the classic cocktails in the modern canon (Hanky Panky, White Lady, Corpse Reviver) under legendary barmen Harry Craddock and Ada Coleman. The bar's Gold Book guest list reads as a who's who of 20th-century celebrity, from Frank Sinatra to Marilyn Monroe, and its continued operation as one of London's finest cocktail experiences ensures its living legacy.
Nightjar London
Shoreditch
Nightjar is London's most atmospheric cocktail bar — a 100-capacity Shoreditch speakeasy accessible down an unmarked staircase that channels the glamour of 1920s jazz-era drinking rooms with live jazz, expertly crafted era-themed cocktails, and a door policy requiring reservations. Consistently ranked among the world's top bars, Nightjar's combination of extraordinary cocktails, live acoustic jazz, and genuinely theatrical atmosphere makes it the most transportive bar experience in London.
Jazz Café London
Camden Town
Jazz Café is London's most beloved live jazz and soul venue — a 440-capacity Camden club that has presented the finest jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and Afrobeats artists since 1990 in a restaurant-club format that makes every show an intimate dining experience. The venue's extraordinary programming history — everyone from John Legend to Amy Winehouse to Lauryn Hill has played intimate shows here — and its Camden location at the heart of London's music heritage makes it essential for any serious music fan visiting the UK capital.
Lyaness London
South Bank / Sea Containers
Lyaness is London's most innovative cocktail bar — a 2023 World's Best Bar winner by head bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan) at the Sea Containers hotel on the South Bank, where cocktails are built around seven unique house-made ingredients each year rather than traditional spirits categories. The bar's extraordinary intellectual approach to cocktail design, combined with its panoramic Thames views, has made it the most-awarded bar in British history.