It’s Official – London Has Two Of The World’s 10 Best Bars

The Connaught – officially the world’s fifth best bar… sorta.

Two London bars have been named among the 10 best in the world, according to a renowned annual competition.

The Connaught — a ritzy Mayfair bar where they dish up martinis from the trolley, and get you to sniff the bitters before plopping them in — bagged #5 spot in 2023’s list of The World’s 50 Best Bars. Last year’s overall runner-up, the more contemporary Tayēr + Elementary in Old Street, had to settle for eighth this time.

Satan’s Whisker’s in Bethnal Green is on the list too, and so it ruddy well should be.

The list, of course, is wholly subjective, with the ranking of many bars pinging around from year-to-year. (The Connaught has topped the list twice before, but only placed eighth in 2022 — while last’s year’s winner, Paradiso in Barcelona, has now slipped to fourth. Quite what these bars do right/wrong to climb up/slip down the table isn’t clear — but then I think we’re just jealous we didn’t get invited to the award ceremony in Singapore so don’t listen to us.)

Tayēr + Elementary is now only the eighth best bar in the world, dammit.

Barcelona itself still holds onto the crown, however, thanks to Sips — a bar already so popular, there are long queues outside the door, and they time you, with a maximum of 45 minutes to drink each cocktail (maybe it should be called Gulps?).

Scarfes Bar – Now this is how to do a staff photo

London has a very decent showing in this year’s top 50 overall — with a real fave of Londonist’s, Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green at #28; A Bar with Shapes for a name in Haggerston at #35; and a new entry for Holborn’s Scarfes Bar at #41. Lists like this should always be taken with a pinch of (margarita) salt, but there is no question that London remains one of the best places anywhere to wet your whistle in style.

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