For cynical Londoners, organised romance hardly ever aligns with the town’s nonchalant courting scene, the place displaying curiosity is commonly seen as uncool. Valentine’s Day can really feel like a particular sphere of hell for anybody with an avoidant attachment model or a deep dislike of compelled business romance. Nonetheless, there’s one thing price salvaging within the thought of setting apart time to replicate on the love in your life, whether or not that’s a companion, mates, or just a very good drink in the fitting place. Whereas there are the basic haunts that by no means disappoint, from the Savoy’s American Bar to Claridge’s, The Connaught Bar, and Dukes, we’ve curated a choice of intimate London bars to take pleasure in on 14 February or save for a date night time later within the yr.
5 of London’s most romantic bars
Bauhaus Warehaus
(Picture credit score: Lucy Sparks)
If you’re a cocktail connoisseur, you’ll possible have been following the work of mixologist Rémy Savage. After establishing himself on the London scene in 2017, he turned head bartender at The Langham lodge’s Artesian, earlier than occurring to open his personal conceptual, art-movement-inspired bars. These embrace Nouveau in Paris, Summary in Lyon, and arguably his most groundbreaking venture thus far, London’s A Bar with Shapes for a Title, symbolised by a yellow triangle, a crimson sq., and a blue circle. The bar is a cult favorite and is at the moment ranked 35 on The World’s 50 Greatest Bars record, celebrated for its exact cocktails, colour-coordinated workers uniforms, and utilitarian furnishings and fittings that collectively create a Bauhaus-inspired expertise.
With its reputation, Savage notes that they make a minimum of 1,000 cocktails on a busy day. To keep away from queues and make use of leftover manufacturing from Shapes, he opened Bauhaus Warehaus, which presents the identical liquid ideas delivered in a extra accessible format. Regardless of being a manufacturing facility, Warehaus is an inspiring place to drink and unwind, nestled amongst cabinets of bottles, colour-coordinated crates, and stainless-steel surfaces, providing a particular house to take a seat again and luxuriate in.
Bauhaus Warehaus is situated at 538 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AH
La Camionera
(Picture credit score: Pictures by Rachel Ferriman. Courtesy of Studio Popelo)
Named after Spanish slang for butch lesbians, translating to ‘feminine truck driver’, La Camionera in east London is reviving the town’s legacy of lesbian areas. It started as a one-night pop-up on Broadway Market in 2024. After receiving an abundance of help, the bar has since laid down roots within the backstreets of Homerton. The design was executed by Studio Popelo and Moist Studio, who created an area that echoes Mediterranean minimalism and is constructed across the thought of fostering dialog relatively than providing a pub or membership ambiance. Within the night, the house turns into moody and romantic, offering the right backdrop for first dates, speed-dating occasions, studying nights, and life-drawing periods.
La Camionera is situated at 243 Properly St, E9 6RG
Aspect Hustle
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of NoMad London)
Nestled inside the former Bow Avenue Police Station, stated to have housed Oscar Wilde, the Kray twins, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, and Dame Vivienne Westwood, Aspect Hustle on the NoMad London presents informal eating in a complicated setting. The inside is centred round a placing marble-topped bar, complemented by comfy cubicles. Impressed by Southern California and Mexico, the bar has a deeply rooted Latin American spirit. Its specialities are tequila-based cocktails, seasonal margaritas, and mezcal Previous Fashioneds. A concise menu contains home guacamole and salsa, padrón peppers, seabass ceviche, and quesadillas, amongst different dishes.
Aspect Hustle is situated inside NoMad London, 28 Bow St, WC2E 7AW
Soma 2.0
(Picture credit score: Pictures by Felix Speller. Courtesy of Soma 2.0)
Following the opening of its Soho location, Soma 2.0 is now a must-visit when in Canary Wharf. With a menu impressed by Indian flavours, the London bar is playfully subtle, with each design resolution fastidiously thought-about. Cake Structure has created a sultry ambiance all through, that includes an industrial aesthetic of uncovered concrete, brightened by bespoke yellow and crimson geometric lighting fixtures. There are a number of seating areas, and company can sit on the bar, which boasts delicate pinstripe patterns and creates an ideal vantage level from which to benefit from the artwork of cocktail-making. The drinks take a ‘much less is extra’ method, starting from the candy and savoury ‘Mango’, which mixes Japanese Toki whisky, lacto inexperienced mango, Ancho Reyes Verde liqueur, and honey, to the coastal-inspired ‘Samphire’, a non-alcoholic mix of samphire tea, Himalayan salt, ginger, and inexperienced chilli.
Soma 2.0 is situated at 6 Frobisher Psge, Canary Wharf Property, E14 5HA
House Discuss
(Picture credit score: Pictures by Ollie Tomlinson)
House Discuss is a venue that provides greater than a well-made drink. Designed by Charlotte Taylor, the bar’s inside is glossy and complicated, moody and sensual. Heat tones present a grounding ingredient, whereas delicate, plush seating provides to the sense of consolation. The general ambiance is laid-back and welcoming, creating an atmosphere the place one can linger for prolonged intervals with ease. The hang-out is initially a hi-fi listening bar, and the design displays this, making certain sound stays clear and immersive. It’s divided into distinct areas to go well with totally different moods, whether or not for intimate moments, centered listening, or having fun with the music and dancing. There’s a high quality stability between creating a completely enveloping audio expertise and permitting pockets of house for dialog, and right here it’s mastered.
House Discuss is situated at 18-20 St John St, EC1M 4AY
Steady Wines
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Steady Wines)
Situated simply off Essex Highway, Steady Wines is a brand new intimate wine bar and store from Alex Younger and George de Vos, the pair behind cult favourites Goodbye Horses and the ice cream and wine bar The Dreamery. Upon getting into, guests step right into a basic wine store with a counter displaying a choice of pure, progressive bottles. Downstairs, nevertheless, lies the bar’s most magnetic house. Winding down the staircase, company are welcomed right into a subterranean bar and eating room outlined by cosy corners, arches, and a warming, low-lit ambiance that invitations hushed dialog. Complementing the wine menu is a choice of artisanal cured meats, cheeses, and an assortment of small plates.
Steady Wines is situated at 344a Essex Rd, N1 3PD
Fancy a dinner date as an alternative? Right here is the place to dine on Valentine’s Day in London
