A mulled wine snatched in Covent Garden market will always be welcome, but sometimes Christmas calls for more. Meeting old friends? You probably want somewhere you can sink into. Need a break from shopping? Bubbles and a cloakroom are suddenly your non-negotiables.
Happily, the streets of London are lined with such chic and cosy retreats – and some of the very best come into their own each December. This is the month of the year when a 276-year-old pub in Kensington will entirely cover itself in conifers, when a single tree in the lobby of the city’s most storied hotel becomes the talk of the town, and when the idea of a whisky bar in Soho never feels more right.
So, from grand drinks palaces in Mayfair to candlelit cocktail bars on Dickensian side streets, these are the places I love for Christmas cocktails and festive drinks. Some are gloriously classic and others are excitingly contemporary, but they each share something essential: they will hit the spot whether you’re in the midst of a shopping day or at the beginning of a night out.
What is the most famous Christmas bar in London?
A London institution and a year-round fount of next-level hospitality, Claridge’s isn’t just for Christmas – but it does feel extra special at this time of year. With its designer Christmas tree, the storied hotel pulls out all the stops, making its bar one of our favourite places for a festive drink.
What is the most Christmassy pub in London?
Think of London at Christmas and it might even be one of the city’s legendary pubs that springs to mind – probably in a timeless scene of cosy corners, crackling log fires and warming drinks. For the effort it makes with its decorations – inside and out – the Churchill Arms in Kensington gets our vote for the most festive atmosphere in town.
Where is the most Christmassy place in London?
With its seasonal theatre productions, festive markets and late-night shopping, Covent Garden has a strong claim to be London’s most Christmassy neighbourhood. At the centre of the celebrations is Miracle on Russell Street. This pop-up cocktail bar from the cool Experimental Group has a new location for 2026, but the unparalleled levels of Christmas kitsch remain firmly in place.
What are the best bars in London for Christmas?
As ever, Londoners in search of a festive bar are spoilt for choice this year. Whether you’re looking for a hot new opening that’s celebrating its first Christmas or a timeless classic for a more traditional kind of evening, the city is teeming with options. We’ve gathered all of our favourites for you right here.
Claridge's
The best Christmas bars in London
Claridge’s, Mayfair
Claridge’s goes all out at Christmas – and it’s a wonderful place for you to do the same. The reveal of the hotel’s Christmas tree in its lobby, which is created by a different designer or fashion house each year, has become one of London’s great advent traditions. Last year’s tree was designed by Burberry and 2026’s name is set to be revealed soon. Whoever it is, at some point in December, everyone should pop in and see it for themselves. From the tree, you’re just a few short steps away from the Art Deco Claridge’s Bar and the pretty-in-pink Painter’s Room. Take your pick – the hotel’s heady festive atmosphere permeates them both.
Address: Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR
Website: maybourne.com
Churchill Arms
Getty ImagesThe Churchill Arms, Kensington
With its voluptuous planters and hanging baskets, the Churchill Arms has become an icon of Instagram. Behind the colourful exterior lies some similarly overstuffed interiors – and a real pub. Come December, the floral arrangements outside are replaced by dozens of Christmas trees and hundreds of thousands of lights. The switch-on is an event that should be seen at least once, but whenever you’re shopping on High Street Ken or soaking up Notting Hill’s festive atmosphere this year, the Churchill is worth dropping into.
Address: 119 Kensington Church Street, Kensington, London W8 7LN
Website: churchillarmskensington.co.uk
Miracle on Russell Street
Miracle on Russell Street, Covent Garden
For 20 years, the Experimental Group has built its reputation creating handsome hotels and elegantly restrained cocktail bars in Paris, New York and London. Each December, though, it gives elegant restraint a month off. In its place, it opens Miracle – a Christmas-themed pop-up that used to sit within Covent Garden’s Henrietta hotel, but for 2026 is taking over a bigger space on nearby Russell Street. The décor will be indescribably kitsch, but the drinks will be sophisticated – the Christmapolitan features vodka, elderflower, Carpano dry vermouth, spiced cranberry sauce, lime, rosemary and absinthe mist.
Address: 9 Russell Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5HZ
Website: experimentalgroup.com
The Umbrella Workshop, Shoreditch
On a cobbled alley, in a row of 19th-century workshops, the Umbrella Workshop flickers with Dickensian atmosphere. Step inside and you will find a tiny, often candlelit bar that is, in some ways, deeply contemporary. A sort of test kitchen for more famous siblings like Bethnal Green’s Sun Tavern and Spitalfields’ Discount Suit Company, this is where the group’s talented cocktail team soft launch their latest creations. Behind the fun names (‘Hong Kong Ping Pong’, ‘Do Not Redeem’) lie some seriously inventive drinks – last Christmas there was a gorgeous Ginger Old Fashioned. On account of its size and popularity among the city’s cocktail cognoscenti, this is definitely one to book ahead.
Address: 10 Cleeve Workshops, Boundary Street, Shoreditch, London E2 7JD
Website: theumbrellaproject.co.uk
Brutes of Mayfair, Mayfair
On a Mayfair shopping spree, the foodie enclave of Bruton Place is always worth keeping in mind. A couple of doors down from the Guinea Grill, Brutes is a 2026 opening with real pedigree behind it. Founders James Stevenson and Guy Mazuch met while working for JKS (the influential group behind restaurants from Gymkhana to Legado). Martinis, caviar, crisps and gildas – their new place hits a number of trends that have defined the London scene this year. The martini menu is front and centre: tick the boxes to choose your spirit, your style (dry to dirty) and your garnish (Monster Munch, anyone?). For a novel pick-me-up, you might prefer the G.O.A.T (olive oil vodka, espresso, goat’s whey penny lick and miso). The classical stylings of this long, thin and low-slung newcomer will make you forget this is its first Christmas.
Address: 34a Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1J 6NR
Website: brutesofmayfair.com
Martino’s, Chelsea
You might have noticed that Sloane Street has had a glow-up. It fully reopened just in time for last Christmas, when it made a splash with a golden canopy of lights. At the end of the street, close to where Ralph Lauren has started doing festive pop-up stores, sits Martino’s. This is where Martin Kuczmarski (of Mayfair favourite The Dover) pays homage to mid-century Milanese trattorias. Amid the wood-panelled walls and dark terrazzo floor, there’s a glamorous bar offering refined takes on aperitivo hour classics. Italians do it better – it’s a rule that holds for Christmas, and a seat here would be a wonderful gift to yourself and a friend.
Address: 37 Sloane Square, Chelsea, London, SW1W 8AN
Website: martinoslondon.com
Milroy’s, Soho
If December puts you in the mood for whisky, Milroy’s is where to indulge yourself. Brothers Jack and Wallace Milroy opened it as a specialist whisky shop on Greek Street in 1964, and it still sells bottles today – useful if there’s a whisky lover on your list. But this is also a bar. There’s a copper-topped counter in the shop for drams, and at the back, a bookcase swings open onto a staircase down to the Vault, a candlelit cocktail bar that hosts jazz nights on Mondays – the perfect soundtrack for one of the bar’s signature coconut butter old fashioneds.
Address: 3 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4NX
Website: milroysofsoho.com
Ed Reeve
The Parlour at Sketch, Mayfair
Trafalgar Square always has its tree from Norway, but it’s the lights of Regent Street that truly feel like the centrepiece of Christmas in London. Just off the famous shopping street, Sketch is a destination that always deserves a detour. Each year this Georgian townhouse embraces a different festive theme. Last year’s was ‘The Art of Après’, with snow falling at the entrance and even the much-admired pod loos getting a makeover. The Parlour, its playful all-day café and bar, is the spot for mulled wine and winter warmers after a shopping run. On Saturday nights, it turned into a full après-ski party, with DJs and champagne. We’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s theme is.
Address: 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2XG
Website: sketch.london
Scarfes Bar, Holborn
At the heart of this handsome hotel bar in Holborn is an open fire in a showpiece hearth. That’s enough to sell us on it, but there’s more. Named after the cartoonist whose caricatures adorn its walls, Scarfes Bar feels like the drawing room of a gentleman’s club, with plenty of places to sit soft. Or you could take a seat at the long bar. Either way, you’ll be well placed to explore a widely acclaimed cocktail list featuring some elegant seasonal specials. For further festivities, the Rosewood always has a pop-up Christmas cocktail terrace in its courtyard.
Address: 252 High Holborn, Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Website: scarfesbar.com
Seed LibraryCaitlin Isola
Seed Library, Shoreditch
Sprawling in the basement of the One Hundred Shoreditch hotel, Seed Library is a low-lit and low-slung bar with warming touches of 1970s design. The retro approach extends to the entertainment – DJs only spin vinyl – and a drinks list overseen by the great Ryan Chetiyawardana. Last Christmas, the man you might know as Mr Lyan signed off on a Pine Clover Club of Renais gin, raspberry juice, pine propolis (courtesy of Bermondsey Street Bees) and lemon. Open until 2am at weekends, everything here is set up for a group looking to go late in the run-up to 25th December. If you find yourself in and around the festivities on the South Bank this year, remember Ryan also has Lyaness in Sea Containers House for an elevated pitstop.
Address: 100 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch, London E1 6JQ
Website: seedlibraryshoreditch.com
The Fat Badger
The Fat Badger, Notting Hill
To call the Fat Badger a pub is to undersell it. First of all, you have to find it – look for a side door with a small badger sign. Climb the stairs and you’ll find a dim, wood-panelled bar. The real surprise and delight, though, is the lineup of entertainment. On any given evening, there will almost certainly be live music – full bands are squeezed in at weekends – and, if not, it’s only because it’s comedy night. Both would be great fuel for a Twixmas meetup. A floor above, there’s a small dining room serving a set menu of old-school British classics. Start with drinks and you might find yourselves sticking in the building for a while. Just the other side of the Westway, the Pelican is also part of Public House group – with more space and the same fire-lit atmosphere.
Address: 310 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W10 5TA
Website: thefatbadgerw10.com