Skip to content
Top 50 Bars Asia

Best bars in the United Kingdom

Eight ranked rooms in the United Kingdom across London and Edinburgh, with addresses, booking rules, and what to order.

Eight ranked rooms in the United Kingdom hold a position on the current Europe list, led by London with 7. Every one is below with the detail that decides where you actually go: the city and district, the booking rule, what a visit costs, and the serves worth ordering.

In this selection

8 bars

Which cities to drink in

London (7 rooms) and Edinburgh (1 room). London carries the most entries, which makes it the usual starting point, though Connaught Bar in London is the country's highest-placed room.

The highest-ranked bars in the United Kingdom

Connaught Bar (London) at No.10, Satan's Whiskers (London) at No.11, and Tayer + Elementary (London) at No.12, on the current Europe list. Ranks are national only in the sense that they are earned against the whole Europe field, so a smaller city can outrank a bigger one.

Booking and what to expect

Of the 8 rooms in the United Kingdom, 1 requires a reservation, 1 mixes booked tables with walk-in seats, and 6 take walk-ins. Bookings run through OpenTable, and release windows differ between rooms, so check the profile before you fix a date. For a sense of spend, Panda & Sons lists about $12 per cocktail.

How we chose these bars

Each of these 8 rooms holds a position on our Europe ranking for the current season. Editors visit unannounced, more than once where a room has changed hands or rewritten its menu, and score on drinks, hospitality, consistency, and sense of place. We take no fee for inclusion, so nothing on this page can be bought. When a room in the United Kingdom loses its position, the profile stays up and the rank comes off.

Questions about bars in the United Kingdom

Cities, booking windows, and how the ranking works.

What is the best bar in the United Kingdom?

Connaught Bar in London, at No.10 on our Europe ranking for the current season. The profile lists its address, hours, reservation rule, and the serves it is known for.

How many bars in the United Kingdom are ranked?

Eight rooms across 2 cities, with 7 in London, all holding a position on the current Europe list. A room joins when it earns a place on merit, so the count moves with the scene rather than filling a national quota.

How far ahead should you book bars in the United Kingdom?

Of the 8 rooms in the United Kingdom, 1 requires a reservation, 1 mixes booked tables with walk-in seats, and 6 take walk-ins. Bookings run through OpenTable, and the busiest rooms release dates weeks ahead on a fixed schedule, so fix the hardest booking first and build the rest of the trip around it.

Which city in the United Kingdom has the best bars?

London has the most, with 7 ranked rooms, ahead of Edinburgh (1). Depth is not the whole story: the country's highest-placed room is Connaught Bar in London at No.10.

Nominate a bar for the next Asia list.

Tell our editorial desk about a room we should visit next season. Send the city, the bar, and what makes it worth the trip.

Email editorialMessage us