The best new bars in London: 2020

Swift, Shoreditch

Between its slick interiors, American-style service (quick, polite, friendly), ever buzzy atmosphere and stellar cocktail menu, it’s no wonder Swift made it onto the World's 50 Best Bars list just two years after opening in 2018. Now, the Soho favourite is opening a second branch in Shoreditch.

The bar has a similar look and feel to the ground floor of the original, boasting elegant furnishings, art deco touches and high chairs. Expanding the offering into an all-day affair, the venue serves artisan coffee and light bites during the day, including breakfast specials on St John’s sourdough and Neal’s Yard toasties. By night, it’s all about the cocktails, and frequenters of the Soho joint can look forward to menu favourites including Swift’s signature Irish coffee.

Part of the appeal of the original Swift is the downstairs bar, with its art-deco booths (which book up weeks in advance), late night vibes and live piano. While you won’t find an equivalent space at the Shoreditch bar, all of the above can be found a five-minute walk away at Nightjar, the cocktail bar also owned by Roisin Stimpson and Edmund Weil, who co-own swift with husband-and-wife team Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston.

Smokey Kudu

Whether you like yours ‘bold and boozy’, ‘spiced and aromatic’ or ‘fruity and zesty’, there’s something to appease the tastes of all cocktail connoisseurs at Smokey Kudu, a new sister bar to Peckham’s South African-inspired small-plate restaurant Kudu. With its cascading chandelier and altar-like centrepiece of towering bottles framing jarred infusions, Smokey Kudu looks ridiculously glamourous for its location in an archway beneath Queens Road Peckham station. But it works.

If you want to try something unusual, go for the Braai Negroni (‘braai’ being the South African term for barbecue). Made with mezcal, rooibos, sloe, amaro and thyme, it’s smoky, aromatic and herbal in equal measure. The Saffa-Rita, meanwhile, is a deliciously light and spicy take on a margarita, made with house-infused chili tequila, lime, Van der Hum (a South African liquor) and chakalaka salt.

Bar Tincture

With its zero-waste policy, Bar Tincture is putting in a strong bid to be the most on-trend bar of 2020. The bar comes courtesy of Carl Brown, formerly the mixologist behind the liquid portion of the menu at Dishoom. Harking back to the speakeasies of yesteryear, Bar Tincture is hidden beneath Neil Rankin’s all-vegan restaurant Simplicity Burger on Brick Lane. And with its moody lighting, green walls, booth seating and scattering of books, the bar looks a world apart from the burger joint above.

Drinks-wise, there are two menus: Modern Apothecary, for those who like their cocktails with a splash of the hard stuff, and Alternative Speakeasy for those who prefer theirs alcohol-free. A common theme across all tipples is the inclusion of seasonal tinctures, which might be made with pear, blackberry, parsnip or another natural ingredient, depending on what time of year you visit.

TSQ Playhouse

A bar to accompany the recently refurbished Thai Square Restaurants in Covent Garden, TSQ Playhouse is an eccentric spot with playful, fairytale-esque charm. These themes are taken further with the cocktails, which sit under fable-worthy names like Last Kiss and Three Wishes, or cruder titles such as Unicorn Jizz and Wet Dream. You’ll find the bar at the back of the restaurant, but it has its own entrance, too. Want to make a party of it? With its digital beer pong table and duo of karaoke rooms, TSQ Playhouse could be just the location.