![21 Best Wine Bars in London That Are Made For Wine Lovers (1) 21 Best Wine Bars in London That Are Made For Wine Lovers (1)](https://i0.wp.com/media.timeout.com/images/105993305/750/422/image.jpg)
Natural or biodynamic, Old World or New – these top London wine bars are great for a drop of the good stuff
Edited by Leonie CooperWritten by Laura Richards
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Forget starchy and old-fashioned. London’s best wine bars are bringing the humble grape to cool crowds of discerning drinkers. Find cosy, bistro-style settings, sophisticated bars that are great for date night, or hip Hackney hangouts where wine is the drink du jour. Discover everything from natural wines to grapes from far-flung vineyards, plus service from knowledgeable, approachable staff. One thing is for certain, you’ll find more than a bargain bin Sauv Blanc at these great grape-peddlers.
RECOMMENDED: These areLondon's best bars.
Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
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The best wine bars in London that are made for wine lovers
- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Shoreditch
price 3 of 4
An ultra-convivial, warehouse wine bar in Shoreditch.Oranj began life as a wine delivery service during lockdown and is well aware that most people don’t know too much about wine, let alone the natural stuff. Its approach, then, is fitting: more pubby than cliquey, with a bottle list for the pros and a short glass list for everyone else (four kinds of orange wine, three white, three red and some bubbles for good measure). You will never feel foolish for not knowing the difference between a gewurztraminer and a grechetto here. Its food pop-ups are also seriously impressive.
Leonie Cooper Food and Drink Editor, Time Out London
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- Restaurants
- British
- Bloomsbury
The rear restaurant at Noble Rot gets a lot of deserved praise. But the wine bar at the front of the room is a character-filled hangout with covers of the eponymous Noble Rot magazine framed on the walls. The full wine list is an epic tome, but the options by the glass are a joy to read, with wines from Burgundy and the Jura met with more distinctive grapes sourced from lesser-celebrated regions. Anyone for a tipple from Tenerife?
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Bethnal Green
The lads that do Top Cuvée (the wine bar that pivoted to Covid shop that pivoted to classy Highbury restaurant) also have a cave. And this is it. You get to their Bethnal Green bottle shop, descend some stairs and there you are.It’s giving student kitchen. But in a sexy way. Food-wise you have some plump hotdogs and charcuterie to soak up the booze. You can even slurp down some oysters. But this isn’t somewhere you go to eat actual food, really. It’s a place to hang out, drink wine and chat (crucially, the music, which is good, is played at a non-deafening volume). That kind of pared-back, casual spot that your mates told you didn’t really exist in London. Prove them wrong. Get drunk here.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wineries
- Bethnal Green
price 2 of 4
As east London's first urban winery, Renegade has been producing since 2017. Tucked under the railway arches is this bench-filled taproom surrounded by barrels and fermentation tanks. The grapes are brought over from wineries abroad, as well as those in the UK, produced and then served here, along with cheese. And while other European producers are available, it'd be a shame not to try the output fromthese passionate winemakers, especially when it's this good. It’s time you tried a London bacchus.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Covent Garden
Since 1972 the resolutely old school Le Beaujolais has been famedfor its selection of French wines and cheeses. The historic restaurant downstairs is a members' only venue but the ground floor bar is open to all. There's a strong 1980s feel here, but it's the perfect semi-hidden destination to sink a reasonably pricedCôtes du Rhônefrom anexclusively French wine list.
Leonie Cooper Food and Drink Editor, Time Out London
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- King’s Cross
price 3 of 4
That moment when the owners of London’s top Spanish restaurant Barrafina say they’re opening a wine bar.Expectsemi-bodega vibes across three interconnected, bare-brick arches – even if it’s a little deceptive; the wine list celebrates low-intervention vineyards around the world and from far beyond just the Iberian peninsula. That’s especially true of the by-the-glass selection (which starts at £5), where you’ll find wine from Greece, Tenerife and Georgia for starters.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Hackney Road
price 2 of 4
This wine bar was a bit of a game-changer when it first opened in 2013, and it’s still just as trendy a hangout on the Hackney Road. It broke down the barriers to hard-to-find wines by selling them by the glass without restaurant mark-ups. So sit up at a bar made from pavement lights and let attractive staff fill your glass with wines you’ll never be able to pronounce. Don’t miss their cheese toasties, either.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Dalston
price 2 of 4
Bag-in-box wine is made trendy at this wine-bar-meets-deli in Dalston – not only does it prove the point that you can get a fresher tipple by the glass, but this bar is also doing its bit for the environment (and for your wallet). Grab a canteen-chic seat and choose a wine from the blackboard. Or ask genial staff for tasters (easier than ever) and guidance – they sure know their stuff. In fact, you could say they’re box clever.
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- Restaurants
- Italian
- Highbury
price 2 of 4
We all know that Trullo is a very, very good restaurant, but did you also know that just next door they have a very, very good wine bar? Not just a space to while away the moments before your table is turned, this is a destination in itself. A small, simple room with a bar, table and window seats, there's a entirely managable menu of vino, and – excitingly – a small selection of amble, outrageously good Italian-ish snackage; scoff Trullo's famous beef shin ragu in toastie form alongside artichoke fritti and salt cod crostiniwithyour wine; Greek, Spanish, French, German and lots more. It's only open Thur-Sat from 6pm, but that makes it all the more special.
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- Restaurants
- British
- Peckham
Peckham Cellars is a must for South of the river drinkers. It mixes a laidback,breezyatmosphere with a formidable wine list, which knowledgeable staff will happily break down for you. Natural wines are a particular speciality, and you'd be mad not to pair them with some of the simple, seasonal dishes this Michelin-accoladed spot does so well.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Covent Garden
When someone says ‘wine bar’, this Covent Garden spot is exactly what you’ll picture – rustic and cosy, a few small, scattered tables topped with tapered candles and surrounded by shelves of wine bottles tagged with brown labels.The focus is on wine by female producers, with biodynamic, natural and organic wine given centre stage.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Tufnell Park
price 2 of 4
Forget the French rustic clichés: this is an edgy space, with geometric white tiling, pendant lights and a goldfish bowl made from an old TV set. The wine,fromageand charcuterie are good, too: Authentique wants to bring the best from French-speaking parts of the world to a corner of north London, and the by-the-glass menu highlights a different region each month. Take it from us - this place is un-brie-lievable.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Tooting
price 2 of 4
Rustic and ramshackle, Unwined sits inside Tooting Broadway Market and takes the ceremony out of chardonnay. Enjoy wine tastings or head along for a glass or two of the good stuff from a selection of bottles to fit a different theme each month. Grab a snack board of cheese, meat or pate, so you don't leave in an equally ramshackle state.
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- Restaurants
- Portuguese
- Southwark
This stylish Portuguese spot is a treat to look at, with its shiny marble counters and intricately patterned blue and white tiles. And it makes a wonderful introduction to Portugal's thriving wine culture, with rare vintages making it a destination for anyone looking to broaden their palate. A menu of prettily-presented small plates seals the deal.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Covent Garden
price 2 of 4
Chances are that when you think of wine bars, you think of French-style bistros, clad in wood and filled with cute little tables à deux. Take a trip to The 10 Cases tomake your dreams a reality. There are 20-ish wines on the list each day, available by glass, carafe or bottle. Devour food from a modern European menu or head to the shop, where an enomatic machine keeps samples fresh.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Walworth
price 2 of 4
For formidable wine recommendations that don’t feel rehearsed from some of the friendliest ‘somms’ in the business, check out this Walworth wonder bar. It’s named after a Greek philosopher but there’s nothing poncey about the place. Owner Sunny Hodge often buys direct from vineyards to champion lesser-known producers from emerging regions while keeping costs low for punters. We’re not talking bargain bin – but if you fancy flavours from Croatia and the Czech Republic, where better than in among the folliage of this down-to-earth spot.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Fitzrovia
price 2 of 4
It’s time for a bit of skin contact at The Remedy, where orange wines are given a full page of the wine menu. You’ll also discover some harder to reach grapes, with many wines at the higher end of the minerality scale. It’s a small little space with a few cute alcoves if you’re looking to cosy up over your Côtes du Rhône. Sure to cure whatever ails you.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Dalston
price 2 of 4
Furanxo doubles as a Spanish grocery store (or an abacería, to those acquainted with the concept), so you can pick up a tin of sardines before tucking into natural wine. They’re all very interesting tipples, sourced from across the Iberian Peninsula, with just four available at any given time by the glass. There’s not much room for sitting and sipping, so get up close and personal with other punters, as is the Spanish way.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- City of London
Look beyond the silly pun-based monicker and you'll find a serious wine bar/wine shop with over 450 bottles on sale, tucked away down an alley in Leadenhall. In keeping with the City location, it's a bit on the pricy side, but meat and cheese platters and a cosy, quiet atmosphere make it a worthy hangout for oenophiles.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Blackfriars
price 2 of 4
There are 400 varieties by the bottle at the Fleet Street branch of Humble Grape which is theoriginal crypts below St. Bride's Church. They’re easy enough to get your head around, though, thanks to an insightful menu. Get maximum booze for your buck by ordering one of their flights of four wines on a Tuesday, for £16.25 per person.
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- Bars and pubs
- Wine bars
- Spitalfields
Bottles is located on the edge of Old Spitalfields Market and boasts an impressive wine list; it’s tight, focused and reflects a deep knowledge of the grape, with emphasis on Italian wine. Those eponymous bottles have been sourced from independent producers and small vineyards, and if there’s anything that tickles your fancy, you can buy one to take home from the wooden crates that line the bar. All the waiting staff are sommeliers, fully equipped to chat through the options as you settle in to the moodily lit space.
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