The best bars in the City of London

Sashay up to Sushisamba, where an outdoor terrace up at floor 38 welcomes revellers all year round. There’s a gorgeous orange tree planted in the middle for decoration, with a circular bar that snakes round it, although it remains unmanned on colder days and you’ll have to make do with ordering at either of two bars indoors. It’s a blessing this suntrap is so prettily turned out, since the view from this side of the Heron Tower isn’t much to shout from the rooftops about. Delicious but pricey cocktails somehow manage to balance Asian and Brazilian flavours very well indeed.

Get trollied at The Ned, The City’s plush playground with a sweet little martini bar parked to one side. Here, they’ll roll across a trolley to your table to mix up the mean drink. It’s a glitzy spot for splash-out drinks, especially for fans of classic cocktails.

If you don’t know your Bordeaux from your Burgundy, wine bars can be intimidating. Happily, that’s not the case at Humble Grape, which lives up to its name with an unpretentious approach to vino. This branch is down a cobbled passageway just off Fleet Street. Despite the modest exterior, it’s surprisingly vast inside, with dark wood panels and wine bottles lining the walls. The wine list puts things in layman’s terms for those who haven’t the foggiest about fermentation and beyond, and staff make quaffing wine a joy.

In this L-shaped bar, you’re greeted by a floor-to-ceiling view of the City and beyond. The Gherkin seems within nibbling distance, The Shard spikes up to your left and Tower Bridge looks like it’s made of Lego. Inside, a giant golden pineapple that adorns the wall from back bar to ceiling gives an air of playful opulence. The cocktails have subtle Asian influences and pun-heavy names.

Another glossy bar at The Ned – a hotel at the former Midland Bank – The Nickel Bar is less about exchange rates and more about hot dates. The marble-clad temple to money brought back to life by the Soho House group is a great spot for original cocktails accompanied by a live jazz trio on most nights. Banking has never been this sexy.

With over 1000 bottles of rare spirits, Merchant House is a bar that takes itself very seriously. An Edwardian-styled basement bar, settle yourself down on a leather armchair, order something with whiskey in it, and feel very smug indeed.

Up 24 flights at Tower 42 is Jason Atherton restaurant City Social. Its neighbouring bar packs in some posh seats that look out over a gorgeous City skyline, and a sundowner here is a joy to behold. Cocktails are very well put together, and bar snacks from a Michelin-starred kitchen is a scenario we can get behind. Especially with that sunset.

The cocktails are decent at Sky Pod, but you’ve probably come for the views, not the booze. In summer, an open-air terrace provides a less fettered outlook to the river and Tower Bridge and there’s plenty of flora up here, making it feel like a pretty posh greenhouse. For special occasion drinking, it’s still worth a go.

The City of London Distillery – one of many craft gin distilleries to launch during London’s ‘ginaissance’ – also doubles as a cocktail bar, tucked down the City’s back streets. Dapper staff serve a range of drinks with the distillery’s own gin at their core, and you can sip them in leather armchairs while you gaze on at the working copper stills – they’re a right pair of beauts.

This prohibition-inspired bolthole is hidden below ground. It’s a dimly lit space with exposed brick walls adorned with archive photographs. All the speakeasy traits are in place – from miscellaneous jazz music to staff in bow-ties and braces. Cocktails are spot-on, made up of inventive originals.

Madison seems to exist largely as a viewing platform. But what a view it is. A glass lift takes gawpers from the ground floor, sweeping up parallel with St Pauls’ east elevation. Once in the bar or its generous outdoor space, an unrivalled close-up is offered, too. The rest is all a bit rooftop bar, really – Ibiza-style tunes (especially come Friday night), fruity cocktails, furniture primed for lounging all afternoon, well-dressed bar staff. 

This slick, pocket-sized spot in the heart of London’s financial district is dedicated to craft beer. Aside from the pinstriped types yakking about the latest merger, it’s every bit the modish watering hole, decked out in polished tiles, upcycled gramophone lamps and a massive map of Victorian London. It’s London-only beers behind the bar and the ideal spot to sink a post-work bev – or even better, a liquid lunch. Well, this is the City after all.

If you’ve been to one of London Cocktail Club’s bars, you’ll know the drill well. Party tunes, party drinks and staff who know how to – you guessed it – party. They also know how to mix a good cocktail, and fast. This is quite a flashy branch for the group, with comfy sofas lining the brick walls of a carpeted underground cavern, which are in turn adorned with pictures of besuited animals. Happy hours are eagerly attended, with the place teaming until 8pm.