If there’s just one British city where there is genuinely never a dull moment, it has to be – of course – London. Bar openings, for example, seem to constantly occur left, right and centre; and the excitement which typically accompanies brand new bars make it hard to decide which ones to check out first.
We’ve decided to do our bit to address that dilemma by singling out a small number of bars that have recently opened around these parts and we reckon you should check out in 2016.
37 Jewry
This gorgeous-looking bar had its glitzy opening on November 27 and is named after the Aldgate street, 37 Jewry Street, where it is located. Sit down on one of the plush sofas at 37 Jewry and you’ll feel like a member of royalty! The choice of cocktails here is also eclectic, and that’s just as well – as, from 3-7pm Monday to Friday, there’s a 3-for-1 cocktails offer to take advantage of. It’s an especially good venue for parties.
Cocktail Trading Company Smithfield
Now, how about this for a quirky way of paying for your drink: rather than put money on the table, hand over an old book, a piece of bric-a-brac or other odds and sods instead. That’s very much an encouraged option at Cocktail Trading Company Smithfield, which has opened in Farringdon.
Even the vessels to drink from can look bizarre; they can, for example, include snow globes, where flecks of coconut serve as the snowflakes. This bar is actually the second Cocktail Trading Company bar to open in the capital; the first was near Oxford Street, while it has been rumoured that the chain will be opening its third bar in Shoreditch at some point in 2016.
Below and Hidden
This cocktail bar is certainly usefully-named, as it is indeed below and hidden; it’s in the basement of the Farringdon-located Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings, which resembles a white wooden panelled Edwardian/Victorian conservatory. This restaurant is actually a good place to enjoy dinner before you head downstairs for Hidden and Below.
This bar feels intimate, and its walls offer an expansive light show that really comes to visual life in the late evening. As its name suggests, the bar isn’t straightforward to find. However, it’s well worth seeking out; to make things easier, we’ll report that it’s located at 42 Northampton Road and close to the Barbican station of the London Underground.