Paris may be known as the city of love, but London might just be hot on its heels, thanks to a crop of achingly romantic bars. Candle-lit corners, red rooms draped in velvet and the gentle clink of crystal coupes set the scene for stolen glances and whispered confessions. These are the spots SPHERE is yearning for.
The Most Romantic Bars in London
Words by
Clara Taylor and Izzy Schaw Miller
18th March 2026
From first dates to wedding anniversaries, these are the best cocktail bars in London and the city’s most romantic spots.
The Red Room at The Connaught - Mayfair
The Red Room at The Connaught, Mayfair.
Hidden within The Connaught – an absolute London institution – is the Red Room, an intimate wine bar. Here you can truly peek behind the velvet curtain, and you’ll find that the room isn’t red at all, more of a pink blush. The red theme instead plays out in the details: artwork from four female artists, the base of the bar and stained glass windows. The wine list is unsurprisingly stellar, curated from The Connaught’s legendary cellars, and packed full of vintages. Even the cocktails are wine-inspired, so everything pairs perfectly with the artisanal cheese and charcuteries on offer.
Head to the award-winning Red Room maybourne.com
Naked & Famous - Notting Hill
Naked & Famous, below Zephyr in Notting Hill.
The Pachamama team, rightly so, gets their flowers for the fantastic food available at their pan-Mediterranean eateries. Beneath Zephyr, the Greek restaurant in Notting Hill, sits Naked & Famous. It’s undoubtedly sexy. A 70s-inspired cocktail lounge bathed in orange light, there are only 35 covers, so it feels like an exclusive, innermost sanctum for the area’s stylish sippers. Mezcal and tequila are the bar’s speciality, so there are spicy margs aplenty, as well as other signatures like a paloma and the bar’s namesake, which features herbal, bitters, mezcal joven, tequila blanco, citrus and agave.
Visit nakedandfamousbar.com in Notting Hill
Goodbye Horses - De Beauvoir Town
The bar at Goodbye Horses. ©Adam King.
Despite taking its name from that chilling scene in The Silence of the Lambs, Goodbye Horses has a surprisingly light and breezy vibe. Set in a Victorian building on a leafy street in De Beauvoir Town, this natural wine bar is all romanticism and whimsy. The bar itself is made from oak, with barstools to match, and above it hangs a rice-paper-esque canvas bearing folklore-inspired paintings by artist Lucy Stein. To the left, shelves are lined with some 4,000 vinyl records, which play on a restored vintage system. Organic and biodynamic grapes litter the wine list, while seasonal small plates make up most of the food offering.
Walk-ins only at goodbyehorses.london
Luna - Bermondsey
Self-described as a local wine bar and bottle shop, Luna is located on the cobbled streets of the historic Shad Thames. Perfect for a relaxed date, the layout is intimate and the space cosy, split over two levels and with an open kitchen. The wine list features bottles from celebrated vignerons and is presented by a friendly and informed staff. Without an air of pretentiousness, Luna invites you to simply sit back and let the evening unfold. You can also enjoy a selection of small plates – the London classic. Personal favourites of mine from the recent menu are the cheese and marmite flatbread (to die for) and the shallot tarte tatin.
You can book a table at Luna at lunawinebar.co.uk
The Mulwray - Soho
The Mulwray, Soho.
For me, Soho can be hit or miss when it comes to romantic date spots. Yes, there’s a healthy choice of decent restaurants and certainly plenty of vibey bars, but the crowds! So. Many. People. On the edge of all this, tucked away above The Blue Posts, is The Mulwray – a natural wine bar, celebrating bottles from the old world and new. The cabinet here is focused on niche varieties plucked from lesser-known regions and growers. Thanks to the louvred shutters, elegant wall sconces and ochre fabrics, Central London feels a world away.
Make a reservation at theblueposts.co.uk
La Camionera - Hackney
La Camionera arrived with a social media splash in 2024 as one of London’s few lesbian bars, with the queer community coming out in their hordes, spilling out onto the streets of Broadway Market to celebrate its opening. Inside, there’s something incredibly retro about the space, seen in the tiled wall details, jewelled lamps or diner napkin dispensers. The venue’s wine selection is obviously displayed on shelves, boasting something for everyone, with or without alcohol. Outside, there are old school chrome café tables and chairs, each topped with wine bottles coated in candle wax dripping. Without question, La Camionera is a welcome and long-overdue addition to London nightlife.
Fridays and Saturdays are walk-ins only at lacamionera.com
Stable Wines - Islington
Stable Wines in Islington.
The same team behind Goodbye Horses this winter opened Stable Wines, a wine shop with a subterranean bar. You can see the correlation between the two bars, with the sense of whimsy successfully carried over and matching rice paper structures hanging from the ceilings. As you enter, you’re drawn downstairs into a former bank vault, which provides a low-lit, cavernous vibe, perfect for conversations in close quarters. According to Stable Wines, the wine list is “zero-zero”, meaning nothing is removed or added when they’re being made. We recommend pairing these with some oysters, served elegantly on a silver platter, or the group’s signature cheese toastie.
Experience a subterranean glass of wine at stablewines.com
Sprout - Earl's Court
Templeton Gardens, Sprout in Earl's Court.
There’s something inherently romantic about a hotel bar. Films have told us time and time again that perched on a barstool, in between the amber light and a slow pour, the outside world ceases to exist. At Sprout, situated in the elegant townhouse hotel Templeton Gardens, that feeling clings to the air. The drinks here have been designed using a “keystone cocktail” approach, where each is centred around a defining element. Take the market stall menu, which features drinks like the sweet pea spritz - pod pea vodka and Yorkshire sweet pea cordial, finished with honey roasted pea husks and served with sparkling wine. Or the tomato collins created with a San Marzano tomato consommé served with a pop of strawberry wine, Courvoisier VSOP, Aperol and garnished with a tomato jelly. Mood-boosting alcohol free tonics crafted in collaboration with herbalists are also on offer, for the sober-curious amongst you.
Tables at Sprout can be secured at miirohotels.com
The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy - The Strand
“Celebrations, flirtations, indulgences, seductions; the most thrilling things happen after dark” is how the Beaufort Bar’s statement menu, Nocturne, begins. At one of London’s most iconic hotels, the bar celebrates glitz and opulence as it pays homage to its royal palace roots and historic ties to the French Montmorency-Beaufort Champagne region. Bringing a lucky someone here will incontestably impress them as you marvel in the magnetic jet gold and black theatrical backdrop. Try some of the finest and rarest champagne blends and oyster or caviar indulgences, and experience a glamorous, sultry nighttime atmosphere with DJs playing until 1 am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. What’s more is you can spread the love across the world, as for every cocktail enjoyed from the bar’s sustainable offering – including the renowned Golden Apple Champagne Cocktail featuring Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut – a tree is planted in an Asian reforestation programme.
Find out more at thesavoylondon.com
The Lounge at Bar des Prés - Mayfair
It’s French Hollywood energy at this underground lounge.
If you fancy whisking your date away to a 50s French-movie-style bar, then Michelin-starred Bar des Prés may be the ticket. Dubbed as the ‘French Jamie Oliver’, Cyril Lignac expanded his Parisian repertoire of acclaimed restaurants and patisseries with Bar des Prés in Mayfair in 2021, his first international venture. The eatery’s lounge features dim lights, a colourful cubic carpet and intimate velvet armchairs, all centred around a dark wooden bar, making for a suave members-club-feel rendezvous. The wine list is both exquisite and extensive – the French, after all, do know what they are doing when it comes to choosing a bottle – and a live DJ playing house music in the background brings some vibrancy to the evening. Sample delicious snacks, such as the crunchy crab and avocado galette with Madras curry, designed by Lignac as a rebellious marrying of French and Asian cuisines.
Sample Cyril Lignac's Bar de Prés at bardespres.com
Bar Kinky - Charlotte Street
For an avant-garde beverage and backdrop.
If flirty and fun is what you’re feeling, head to Bar Kinky, a futuristic basement cocktail den illuminated by orange and violet light installations, with clusters of discreet seating for those wanting to keep a low profile. The bar is hidden underneath Georgian-inspired restaurant Kinkally, from founder Diana Militski. Channel your party spirit and groove to the pulsing techno music in the background while trying 'bossy', a take on the classic Margarita but with hazelnut and beurre noisette or 'Mastery', a Gimlet with gin, sesame and tonka beans. The bar’s menu is led by mixologist Andrew Pruts, part of the team behind Insider, which reached number 13 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, so prepare to be wowed.
Tables at Bar Kinky can be reserved at kinkally.co.uk
The Nest at Treehouse London - Marylebone
Nestle up in this cosy treetop.
Gazing over a beautiful view may be the ultimate romantic’s dream, especially when enjoyed over an Aperol Spritz or Pimm’s in the beaming (or not so beaming) sun. NEST, a year-round treehouse-inspired rooftop bar, has a homely, convivial setting, perfect for admiring the stellar panoramic views of London. Sitting atop the sustainability-focused Treehouse Hotel, the bar recently introduced zero-waste cocktails to its menu – like Discarded Banana Peel Rum or Discarded Grape Skin Vodka. So, you and your date can enjoy the playful drinks, unparalleled views and tunes from the DJ spinning decks in the lounge while knowing you have given would-be food waste a second life.
Nab your spot at treehousehotels.com
The Parlour at Zetter’s Townhouse - Clerkenwell
Hidden behind an unassuming townhouse in Clerkenwell, Zetter’s cocktail lounge and its colourful cosiness takes you by surprise. Step inside the quaint green door and you’ll find an eccentric, quintessentially British drawing room, adorned in quirky ornaments, eighteenth-century books, ancient cabinets and taxidermy. You’re in the right place if weird and wonderful is up your – or your date’s – street. Centred around exotic ingredients from travels by a fictional Aunt Wilhelmina, the cocktail menu is as fun as the surroundings. Creations include the Bandook, infused with Gunpowder that fires in front of your eyes and the Kung Fu Pandan, inspired by an Indonesian leaf to produce delicately perfumed flavours.
Book The Parlour at Zetter's Townhouse here thezetter.com
