The guide
The best hidden bars in London
Unmarked doors, password-only rooms and below-stairs lounges. These are the speakeasies and secret cocktail spots that locals guard like a recipe — all curated, visited and mapped for your next night out.
What counts as a hidden bar?
A proper London hidden bar isn't just dark and small. It's a place you have to find. Sometimes that means a phone booth inside a hot-dog shop. Sometimes a bookshelf that swings open. Sometimes nothing more than a doorbell on an unmarked townhouse in Mayfair. The reward, every time, is the same: a quieter room, sharper drinks, and the feeling that you're in on something.
We've drawn this guide from Bar Map's hidden gems and speakeasy tags, focusing on rooms that earn the label — not just bars that happen to be downstairs.
How to find them
- Book ahead. Most hidden bars cap capacity. A 7pm walk-in on a Friday rarely works.
- Dress like you mean it. Soho speakeasies are relaxed; Mayfair rooms are not.
- Arrive sober. The door staff at a hidden bar is the whole queue and the whole bouncer.
- Ask the bartender. The menu is rarely the best drink in the room.
Our pick of London's hidden bars
We're updating this list — check back soon.
Build your own hidden-bar crawl
Save your favourites, drop them onto a map, and send the route straight to Google Maps. It's how locals plan a night.