The best King’s Cross bars

Sweeties’s theme is ‘new wave glamour meets glorious misbehaviour’ – and while we’re not entirely sure what that means, there’s certainly something to be said about the sheer naughtiness this place radiates. Another drink, even though you said you’d only stay for one? Go on. A cheeky smile at the guy across the room? Don’t mind if I do. The snappy drinks menu was created by mixologists Jack Sotti and Todd Austin, and is pretty much spot-on. Enjoy floor-to-ceiling glass, with 10th floor views that make King's Cross somehow look glamorous.

This King’s Cross spot comes from the same team behind Spiritland, and while the two places share a musical ethos, Supermax isn’t as nerdy, instead embracing good, old-fashioned, cheesy fun. You'll find it underneat Happy Face pizza, and it serves up tasty vermouth-led cocktails.

Adjoining The Midland Grand Dining Room, the Gothic Bar is less Sisters of Mercy (though its high ceilings would certainly accommodate a gigantic backcombed 1980s bouffant) and more Florence and the Machine’s walk-in wardrobe. Drinks too are a step up from the goth’s favourite of snakebite and black, with eau de vie-addled Martinis the signature sip.

This spot is one for the music nerds, a ‘listening bar’ and recording studio near Granary Square with a focus on sound quality as well as quality music. It may seem pretentious, but it’s actually a down-to-earth bar where you can get your groove on while you work your way through a modern list of drinks – beers served as schooners, cocktails named after killer LPs and a skin contact section on the wine list.

A wine bar brought to you by the team behind Barrafina, The Drop has a gentler Spanish vibe to it, a cute oyster cart at the door setting the tone. Pick from one of three brick-filled arches in which to sit and sip. Rather than focus on Spanish vino, the bar champions low-intervention vineyards around the world, with emphasis on emerging regions – so select wine from the likes of Greece, Tenerife and Georgia and pair with comforting pies, tarts, pâté and cheese.

For cocktails and a bit of high-flying in the area, The Booking Office 1869 wins. Another part of the vast St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, it’s a tall-ceilinged place to drink, with dark wood and soaring arches – and yes, it used to be the station's booking office, nut now it feels more like a hardboiled 1940s Los Angeles detective's after-hours office. 

No, you haven’t stepped into the Transport Museum. This bar and its seeminly 1970s TfL-inspired interior is at London’s Standard Hotel and it’s one of London’s coolest hangouts – although the menu is all-American. IPAs abound and cocktails come across seriously NYC.

The Big Chill House has been going for years and is an icon of the area, even if it’s possibly had its heyday. Housed in a large, difficult building, it can feel a little tumbleweedy on quiet nights; it’s best to head here when DJs are spinning on Fridays and Saturdays. Food includes on-trend tacos and an upstairs patio comes into its own in the summer.

Wooden flooring, royal blue walls, feature tiles and a log-burning stove make it a seriously cosy drinking spot, but it also suits summer with a neat terrace at the rear. House cocktails are classics, some with a gentle twist.

Take things Continental in King’s Cross. Vermuteria is an all-day café-bar with a focus on vermouth (in case the name didn’t already give the game up. Rows of Italian, French and more obscure bottles of the fortified and aromatised wine line up behind the bar, or you can drink the stuff on tap. Small plates are also a little taste of the Med – we suggest making a trip on a warm day and enjoying it all on a cute Coal Drop’s Yard-facing terrace.

Don’t let fatuous claims about this being the longest bar in Europe spoil what is a lovely pre-travel experience: glass of champagne in hand and tickets at the ready. Underneath William Barlow’s vast curving roof, a wonder of the Victorian age, Searcy’s serves a vast and laudable list of over 100 wines. Perfect for pre-Eurostar sipping.

Good and affordable wines by the glass are the main draw at Vinoteca; bargain-hunters will particularly like the handful that are ‘fresh from keg and box’. An outside terrace gets rammed with people in summer, yet service is usually on the ball. So stop by for an uplifting rosé or stay for dinner and grab a bottle to share.

A studenty crowd is drawn to Simmons, with its eye-catching design and retro music. But in truth, it’s probably the insane happy hour that reels them in, when most prices drop to just £2.50 a drink. Oof.