Nightlife
Originally published on Wednesday, 19th December 2007
Best of 2007: Top Ten Bars
As we settle into the blur of festive mulled wine and champagne that marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next, it seems an apt moment to look back and revel in our favourite new watering holes of 2007.
With cocktails costing an average £12 and rums fetching £7-£300, a tipple at the Langham's beautiful bar is hardly the cheapest. But then the drinks are fantastic and David Collins's ostentatious design is stunning.
1c Portland Place, W1 - 020 7636 1000
Daily 7:30am-1:30am
A no-frills bar with a refreshingly specific door policy ("no jeans, no c*nts"), The Black Gardenia resurrects the kind of '40s basement jazz joint that would have made Philip Marlowe proud.
93 Dean Street, W1 - 020 7494 4955
Tues-Sat 6pm-1am
With rooftop pool, private bowling lanes, reasonable prices and sterling service, if they could just sort their cocktails out, the East London wing of the Soho House members' bar empire would be sheer perfection.
Ebor Street, E1 - 020 7739 5040
Mon-Sat 7am-3am, Sun 7am-12am
Low, 1960s décor, communist wallpaper, a sardonic barkeep, and a menu of Eastern European cocktail twists from £5 make this easily missed gem perfect for late night conspiracy and bohemian debate.
1e Great Eastern Street, EC2 - 07720 707 000
Mon-Sat 6pm-12am, Sun 6-11pm
Sod the bowling. Get to work on the dedicated menu of nuanced Manhattan recipes and the tasting flights of aged bourbons while everyone else does the work instead.
Whiteleys, Porchester Gardens, W2 - 020 7313 8363
Mon-Thurs 4-11:30pm, Fri 12pm-12am, Sat 11am-12am, Sun 11am-10:30
Like a weekend on the Orient Express, the London sister of Amy Sacco's iconic NYC members' bar is an over-priced feat of exclusivity, martinis and palm trees. And like the legendary Orient, marvelously so.
45 St. Martin's Lane, WC2
Mon-Sat 9pm-3am
Think flattering, low light on dark mahogany, and luscious cocktails from expert bartenders, and you'll be ever so grateful the Jacques Garcia designed bar is ditching its members-only exclusivity.
47 Frith Street, W1 - 020 7439 0747
Mon-Sat 6pm-3am
Islington's been waiting for a bar like Barrio for some time now. Low-key, bright and intimate, it's an oasis of Latin charm with regular tequila tastings and a decent selection of cocktails.
45 Essex Road, N1 - 020 7688 2882
Sun-Thu 12pm-12am, Fri & Sat 12pm-3am
A good selection of draught beers, a billiards table, and an under-lit, Daft Punk dancefloor in the basement, ensures that this destination local covers all its bases remarkably well.
39a Hoxton Square, N1- 020 7739 3939
12pm-12am (Mon -11pm, Fri & Sat -1am)
A haven for high heels, bling and bubbles, shimmy past the notorious red rope and this Mayfair-style club in Soho is awash with bass-heavy DJs and slick waitresses in gilt hotpants.
1a Dean Street, W1 - 020 7287 9608
Wed-Sat 10pm-4am
