Lush Guide to the Best Bars in the City of London

Although the City of London is technically only a mile square, some of the best bars in all of London are hiding away in its windy streets.

It can get a little confusing. The “City of London” is the heart of and forms the oldest part of London. It was founded by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago! From there, the rest of London grew into the city we know and love. There are all types of drinking establishments in its famed square mile, from wine bars to cocktail joints to ye olde pubs.

Here is what is on my Lush Guide a rum den, a whisky bar built around a literal log, London’s own gin distillery, an Italian trattoria with the best aperitivo in town, and two of the oldest pubs in the city.

Where exactly is the City of London

On the south, it starts from Temple Tube, then travels across the Embankment, past London Bridge, then onto Tower Bridge. The northern border is more or less from Chancery Lane to Liverpool Street Station in East London. Bank Underground Station and St Paul’s Cathedral are right in the middle. If you look on a map, or your phone, you will see it makes one big circle, one mile squared!

For my Lush guide, I am concentrating on the standalone cocktail bars and a few iconic pubs you just cannot miss.

Before You Go

Most of these spots are basement bars, so expect a staircase or two, worth knowing if mobility is a concern. The square mile runs on office hours, so evenings are liveliest Tuesday through Friday and much quieter on weekends. If you want to actually make gin at City of London Distillery, book your tour ahead of time, those slots fill up fast.

Black Parrot

Black Parrot

Don’t get scared if the man behind the bar snaps at you. He snapped at us. You have to take a seat or he just will not serve you. For a tiny bar with a massive shuffleboard table taking up most of it, it can be tough to find a seat, but it is worth the wait for that bar stool. He just wants to make sure every guest is comfortable and has enough room to enjoy their cocktail in peace. There is nothing wrong with that.

You have walked into the Black Parrot, a tiny piece of ye olde heaven for rum lovers. Tucked into a tiny alley off Fleet Street and Blackfriars Bridge Road, it is a true find. It is all about rum here, really, all the greats are represented, Foursquare, Doorly’s Trois Rivieres, and hundreds of others.

If you are not into sipping rum neat, you are in for a real treat. The cocktails are fabulous and the drinks menu is a work of art. One of my favorite drinks on the menu is the Dove Orchid, a holy combination of rum, fresh passionfruit, lime, and pink peppercorn syrup, wow. Get there early so you can grab your seat! It is worth being snapped at with cocktails this good.

Black Parrot, 8 Bride Ct, London EC4Y 8DU 

Black Rock

As much as Black Parrot is a haven for rum lovers, Black Rock is a destination for all you whisk(e)y lovers. Right behind Liverpool Street Station, you could easily miss Black Rock if you did not know it was there. Down a hidden staircase, you open the door to find a log! Yes, a big log taking up the centre of the tiny bar, acting as a table.

This log has been cut in half and turned into a super chic communal table. Take one of the seats around the table and you will discover the log has been filled with whisky, with taps at each end. How divine is that!

You can order a dram of the liquid inside, or if you are more of a whiskey cocktail lover, no problem, just order one of their amazing signature whiskey cocktails. Do not go here if you are looking for a clear spirit!

Black Rock, 9 Christopher Street, London EC2A 2BS

City of London Distillery

Down another staircase, this time in the shadow of St. Bride’s Church, is the City of London Distillery, which you can hear all about on my Lush Life episode with General Manager William Borrell. Let’s just say they take their gin very seriously, and in the part of town that invented what we know of as London Dry Gin, that is very important.

It was the first gin distillery in the City of London in 200 years, and they are one of the few businesses allowed to use the livery of the City of London, which you can find on every bottle. You can also take a tour of the distillery and make your own gin there.

If gin is not your tipple of choice, do not worry, they have other spirits to whet your appetite, but I would go for the gin. They make it there! I think even Hogarth’s sentiments toward gin would have been different had the City of London Distillery been around in the 18th century.

City of London Distillery, 22-24 Bride Lane, EC4Y 8DT

Trattoria Brutto

I was not going to write about a restaurant bar, but I just cannot help myself when it comes to what Brutto has to offer. There are not many places in London where you can find Select. For those Venice lovers among us, you know exactly what that is. For those who think there are only two red spirits, Aperol and Campari, allow me to introduce you to Select. Actually, you can get a better introduction at Brutto than from me. Try their Select Spritz or their Brutto Negroni and see if you ever go back to the other red stuff!

They also have owner Russell Norman’s spirit Nostrano to try in a cocktail or as a digestif. Find out all about it on my Lush Life episode with co-creator Luca Di Vita.

Trattoria Brutto, 35-37 Greenhill Rents, London EC1M 6BN – Negroni

Pubs

The City of London holds some of the oldest pubs in the city, and if you have not even taken a glance inside, you have to stop and check them out.

The Blackfriar is one of my favorites and an absolute dream. Right outside Blackfriars Tube station, you cannot miss this triangular Art Nouveau building, first built in 1875 on the site of an actual monastery. Step inside for the copper reliefs and mosaics of jolly monks, they cover practically every surface, and grab a spot in the marble alcove if you can. The City has hurried past this pub for 150 years, and it still has not lost a bit of its charm.

The Blackfriar, 174 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4EG

If you are in London, it should be a law that you have to head down to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It is one of the oldest pubs in the city, built in the 17th century, and a longtime favorite of Charles Dickens. Wood beams, low ceilings, and a warren of little rooms make it feel like you have stepped straight into Dickens’s London, because in a way, you have.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, 145 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BU

Food for When You Leave the Bar

There are too many great options nearby to list them all, but a walk down any of the streets off Cheapside or Cornhill will turn up something good, this is the City, after all, everyone here needs somewhere to go after work.

Where to Start

If you can only manage one stop, make it Black Parrot, get there early, grab that bar stool, and order the Dove Orchid. Everything else on this list is walking distance from there, so let the evening wander.

Planning a proper crawl ? London Cocktail Tours can show you around Soho’s greatest bars.

Thanks so much to The City of London for sponsoring this post. Although it’s sponsored, every opinion is my own!

The “Square Smile ” campaign is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of returning to the City and face-to-face interaction as firms increasingly give their staff more flexibility on where they locate through hybrid working.  It showcases the City’s vibrant offerings – ranging from world-class culture, heritage, cuisine, entertainment, retail, architecture, BARS, and so much more. Visit www.squaresmile.london for great ideas of places to visit, to see, discover, and drink.