The drink is thirty-five percent of the score here, more than any other part of a bar's, and it sorts London faster than any other question. Lyaness takes the top. Three Sheets, where a dirty martini arrives with three Maldon oysters you didn't order, is joint sixth. Joint seventh is a French wine bar that opened in 1972 and shakes nothing, because the score puts it there and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
Hotel bars are ranked on their own list — London has eleven worth the walk and they are a different format, not a subset of this one. Pubs likewise. Tayēr + Elementary sits second and is closed after a fire; it stays on the list because the room is what we scored, and the entry tells you it's shut. Every number on this page is our own editorial score, never a blend.
Also in London: The 11 Hotel Bars in London and The 20 Best Pubs in London.
