The best bars for a date in London

As sister venue to Hackney’s tiny wine bar Binch, Godet can easily be spotted by its peachy-pink exterior and checkered curtains. Not only are the vibes ridiculously cool, with a weekend DJ (at a reasonable volume), Godet have collabed with Ling Ling’s to serve up their epic Chinese and pan-Asian menu (think; hot and spicy tartare, Sichuan hibiscus octopus and turnip cakes, mala beef ragu with udon noodles, and steamed prawn, chicken and Thai basil wontons) to complement a small, but mighty selection of reds, whites and oranges. 

Warmer and fancier than the OG Dalston branch, Three Sheets Soho is all soft, inviting booths and dark wood. The Three Sheets bartenders are seasoned pros, who will make your martini however you like it, but the house Dirty Martini is worth a go even if you’re a purist. The Three Sheets Soho team have devised a menu which takes drinks you know well to sexier, more modern places. As such, the selection is never alienating, but pretty much always surprising. This place isn’t trying to compete directly with institutions like The Connaught or the American Bar. Instead, it’s doing something different, something more contemporary, more out there, and – dare I say it – quite a bit more exciting. 

Head down an alleyway it doesn’t look like you should be heading down and you’ll be greeted with the site of a teeny, tiny 12-seater bar situated in a 19th century atelier workshop. At once dramatic and extremely cosy, it would be perfect for an illicit liasion were you that kind of person. On our last visit we tasted a baklava old fashioned and saw God. Seats outside double the capacity, and there might not be a nicer place in the area to drink away a warm summer evening.

Name a more romantic dungeon in London. We’ll wait. Gordon’s was established in 1890, but the exposed brickwork, flickering candlelight and fixtures and fittings in the low basement vaults make it feel older still. Drink ports, sherries and Madeiras that fit nicely with the resolutely uncomplicated buffet-style cheeseboards on offer and fall in love (with the bar, at least). 

This is what wine bars should be; candle-lit, extremely cute and so cosy you’d be perfectly happing sleeping there overnight if you were accidently locked in. Opened by Michael Sager of Sager + Wilde in a former stables right by the roundabout in Vicky Park, Bruno boasts big French farmhouse energy. Walls are whitewashed (and lined with wine) and little wooden tables are perfect for a natural wine-powered date.

Le Beaujolais is about as far away as you can get from London’s new wave of natural wine bars. A central London mainstay since 1972, this robust timewarp comes complete with rustic  tables that are pleasantly well past their best, a chaotic seating arrangement, scrappy chalkboard menus and ties hanging from the ceiling, as if the last 1980s yuppie has only just been asked to leave. As such, it’s the perfect uncool cool spot for a date. 

Trying to woo a metalhead? You won't do better than a night in the perfectly divey Blondies. A petite rock'n'roll haven on the Lower Clapton Road, here you can sink house made margaritas while gazing into your lover's eyes and then smooching to the sweet sounds of Thin Lizzy. 

London pubs don't get much cosier than the French House. Try and secure the secret corner tucked away at the back of the small Soho room - perfect for a tryst over a couple of glasses of vino.

Bar Termini does two things: coffee (in the day) and cocktails (at night). Squeeze yourself in post 6pm for a marsala martini: Beefeater gin, sweet marsala, dry vermouth, almond bitters served straight-up. A model of simplicity and balance, this is one of the best cocktails in London. The tiny Bar Termini is a hot ticket; booking is advised but walk-ins are welcomed. 

A gorgeous bar, inside and out, get along to Bloomsbury Club Bar for cosy encounters. Indoors is a plush, wood-clad den with live jazz the backdrop to you putting on the moves. Or take things to the terrace – a twinkly, vine-clad space.

The French are meant to have written the book on love, so how about a trip to Brasserie Zédel’s Bar Américain. Here the lovely art deco decor sets a sophisticated tone and a short, simple list of classic cocktails means you can get straight down to business.

This sharply turned-out bar is on the first floor of a pub and is dressed as a gorgeous salon. Plush furniture definitely assists those looking to cosy up, while a stylish screen sections off half the room for more intimate gatherings. If the romance proves to be overkill, make a move to the downstairs pub for posh grub and pints instead.

Named after a tyranical teenage Roman Emperor who allegedly murdered the guests at one of their lavish dinner parties by smothering them with rose petals dropped from the ceiling, this secretive spot next to Dalston Junction station styles itself as a ‘Queer Clubhouse’, and is by quite some distance the fanciest LGBTQ+ venue in the city. With plenty of conspiratorial nooks and sumptuous, low-lit interiors featuring burlwood cabinets, this place has the rakish air of a branch of Soho House managed by Sebastian Flyte from Brideshead Revisited. 

This hideaway den in Soho is said to stand on the site where infamous 1960s politico John Profumo would bring his date Christine Keeler. Under its current guise as Disrepute, plush, crushed velvet furniture and plenty of booths for slinking into provide the setting for dates with a little less scandal, we hope.

Not your quintessential romantic bar, this one. It looks every bit a down-and-out dive bar. Inside though, it might be just the thing to impress the discerning hipster in your life. Featuring hip hop on the stereo, a smartly modish setting, vintage French posters on the wall and some of the best cocktails to be found in Bethnal Green’s booze scene.

Sometimes, simply batting your eyelashes isn’t enough. Show off your other batting skills at Doodle Bar on one of their many ping pong tables. You can also arm yourself with chalk and take to blackboards that cover the walls. Sketches of love hearts may be a bit keen, though.

Skip the odd upstairs restaurant and head to the deeply gothic downstairs bar, which comes complete with its very own crypt. Not quite a metal bar, this stranglely compelling Soho institution is a great place for a date, especially if both of you are willing to make a dent on a menu of 101 different kinds of shot (including a fair few with garlic). 

Who doesn't love a cheeky Tiki date? Inject some silliness into your night with piña colada cocktails and a modern take on Polynesian drinking. This Notting Hill favourite has been around since 2003 – a long-term relationship if ever there was one.