This subterranean cocktail bar is held in very high standing – which is ironic, considering they don’t actually allow anyone to stand around and make the place look untidy. You enter via an unassuming door close to Old Street roundabout, before descending a set of stairs to a dusky, low-lit speakeasy replete with olive-green green leather, dark panelling and flickering candles. You’ll feel like you’ve timewarped back to Prohibition-era America. And when the atmosphere’s this naughty, why not indulge in a punchy cocktail or two? There’s regular live music – usually jazz, with an emphasis on the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s – and a snack menu that includes smoked almonds and salted pretzels, which will only make your thirstier. So, book ahead, take your seat and settle in.
Order this
Like at Dalston’s Three Sheets, the menu cocktail here is split into three. In this case, it’s Pre-Prohibition (1600-1918), Prohibition (1918-1932) and Post War (1940-2000). Bird (Pre-prohibition), a decadent combination of whiskey, pear liqueur and patchouli bitters, sums up this intoxicating place.
Time Out tip
In 2022, over a decade after the Hoxton venue’s launch, its founders opened a second branch by Carnaby Street in Soho, perhaps the only place a speakeasy might make even more sense. Nightjar: still outstanding.
RECOMMENDED: The best speakeasies in London.