Where to drink in Soho
8 places to drink in Soho, each one on the Guide on merit.
Beasy
Cocktail bar
A speakeasy-style cocktail bar hidden in a former Soho barbershop, low-lit and late.
Head down to the basement late, when the living-room space turns into a soundsystem.
El Siete
Agave bar
A pink agave den under El Pastor on Brewer Street. Seven margaritas, seven agave cocktails, and no daylight.
Milroy's of Soho
Whisky bar
A 1964 whisky shop with a hidden basement bar, The Vault, behind a swinging bookcase: 55 seats, no stag parties, bartender-made bitters and syrups, an epic spirits list.
It now trades as 3 Greek Street, so search that name as well as Milroy's for hours or bookings.
Quo Vadis (the bar)
Restaurant bar · European
Everyone books the dining room. The move is the bar at lunch.
The ground-floor bar takes non-members, so drop in for the smoked eel sandwich without a membership.
Sacred Grounds
Coffee shop
A church-run coffee shop behind St Anne's in Soho, occupying the site of the area's first fire station. It has the only garden of any Soho coffee shop and hosts open mic nights, poetry slams and sign language club. The menu runs to filter coffee, vegan pastries and mushroom rolls.
SOMA
Indian-inspired cocktail bar
Dark, minimal and only 23 seats, with cocktails that taste of pickle and chaat done properly.
Only 23 seats behind an unmarked door, so book ahead rather than chancing the buzzer.
The Black Book
Wine bar
A basement wine bar from two Master Sommeliers, low-lit and late, and one of Soho's most sought-after tables after dark.
Two Master Sommeliers run it, the by-the-glass list is London's biggest, and it stays open late.
Under the Counter
Vinyl listening bar
A proper listening room for the patient ear, where the music leads and the cocktails keep up.
Go late and let the vinyl set the pace; the room only holds about 40, so book ahead at the weekend.
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