Back on the sesh: London’s nightlife is thriving
(Picture: Shutterstock / Jacob Lund)While each new year offers the chance to edify oneself, the crushing, frostbitten gloom of January — and the endless boredom of good behaviour — is a reminder that there’s a valid reason to go out. Fun is fortifying. As such, it’s time to reappraise the resolutions, raise a middle finger to virtue and head back out into the capital for a good old-fashioned, heels on, hair down night on the tiles. London might not be the city of sin, but there are plenty of palaces of debauchery to explore, whether for a simple Dry Jan-breaking glass of wine or a 3am round of shots. Here’s where.
Hit the bar
London has a way with boujee cocktail spots, and the soon-to-open Mr Foggs Pawnbrokers (50 Dean St, W1, mr-foggs.com) will doubtless prove as popular as the half-a-dozen or so previous Foggs iterations, which all celebrate the fantasised life of Phileas Fogg. The Victorian erotica is sure to raise an eyebrow or two — ideal for those who’ve decided to leave virtues at the door. For an altogether more grown-up affair, Viajante 87 (87 Notting Hill Gate, W11, viajantebar.com) is the latest opening in Notting Hill, which remains London’s busiest (and arguably best) destination for new restaurants. Open on Friday and Saturday until 2am, there’s plenty of opportunity for one of its zero-waste cocktails after scoring a hot table at, say, nearby Dorian (dorianrestaurant.com) or Straker’s (strakers.london).
Elsewhere, Sweeties (10 Argyle Street, WC1, standardhotels.com) at the Standard hotel has just re-launched with a playful new menu that focuses on what they call “glorious misbehaviour”, which feels perfectly timed to help give up any “new year, new you” promises. The menu features seductive snacking and a rotating roster of DJs, and at the weekend is open until 3am. Smarter still is the Aubrey (66 Knightsbridge, SW1, mandarinoriental.com), which is celebrating its first birthday in style and is perhaps the ultimate expression of snacking while drinking. The new omakase cocktail menu offers five drinks per person accompanied by a range of Japanese-inspired snacks. Be warned, it’s pricey.
Out east, turn to old favourites: the acclaimed Tayer + Elementary (152 Old Street, EC1V, tayer-elementary.com) is on the form of its life and remains perhaps the capital’s top spot for world-class cocktails. Those who don’t drink on an empty stomach should head next door to the much-loved Officina 00 (officina00.co.uk), the pasta joint begging January do-gooders to forget any low-carb diet plans (their limoncello martini is also appropriately lethal). Happiness Forgets (8-9 Hoxton Square, N1, happinessforgets.com), meanwhile, has an unofficial motto of “No Wallies”; don’t be one and head in — best done as part of a crawl with nearby Callooh Callay (65 Rivington Street, EC2, calloohcallaybar.com), and Bar Kick (127 Shoreditch High Street, E1, barkicklondon.com) before winding up in the basement at the weirdly named but utterly brilliant institution that is Jaguar Shoes (32-36 Kingsland Road, E2, @jaguarshoes). Have your morning-after excuses at the ready.
Pop a cork
Many of London’s best wine bars have opened in the past few years; there is a trend towards demystifying the often stuffy, old-world leanings that too often characterise the trade. Oranj (14 Bacon Street, E1, oranj.co.uk) typifies this perfectly, doing all the natural wine stuff without the farmyard flavours. Book a ticket to dine at one of their guest chef series — this month is Sarap’s Budgie Montoya — or eat nearby at the extremely underrated Japanese spot Issho-Ni (185 Bethnal Green Rd, E2, issho-ni.com). Down in Clapham, often bereft of good options, the recently opened Drop on the Common (10A The Polygon, SW4, dropwine.co.uk) is a more relaxed offering. There’s a remarkable selection of wines by the glass, starting from about a fiver, and afterwards it’s always worth seeing if Margot Robbie is back at the infamous Infernos.
For an old favourite, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels (8-10 Neals Yard, WC2, cvssevendials.com) could be best described as an oenophile’s wet dream. The 500-plus bin list should have all your wine needs covered, while the Soho Noble Rot (2 Greek Street, W1, noblerot.co.uk) is one for exploring, offering £3 tasting portions of plenty of wines. Meanwhile, for those who prefer a pet nat to an old world pinot, Top Cuvee (177B Blackstock Road, N5, topcuvee.com) remains on cracking form and offers snacking galore. From smaller oysters and paté to a larger two-course meal, they’ve seriously upped the food offering here. The wine ain’t half bad, either.
Take it late
All-in-one venues tend not to be that impressive, with either the drinks, dining, or dancing letting the side down. New spot Stereo (35 The Piazza, WC2, stereocoventgarden.com) aims to buck the trend. The bar-come-diner-come-club is open until 3am and, as the name hints at, is all about the live music; DJs and bands play nightly. Go for underground shades of Studio 54. The capital’s music scene likewise gets another notch on its collective bedpost with the recent opening of The Lower Third (26 Denmark Street, WC2, thelowerthird.co.uk), which stays open until 1am most nights; Benny Atlas and Nate James are on the bill this week.
All dressed up with nowhere to go? Try Ronnie Scott’s (47 Frith Street, W1, ronniescotts.co.uk), which has jazz until 2am, sometimes later. The Late Late show — which has nothing to do with James Corden and everything to do with brilliant music — has a second house after 11pm for anyone stumbling out of a long Soho dinner. For the ultimate farewell to any new year virtues, The Box (11-12 Walkers Court, W1, theboxsoho.com) is having something of a renaissance as London’s last unutterable word in debauchery. Open until 4am most mornings, the nightclub-come-theatre is, er, not for the faint-hearted. Without spoiling its surprises — and there are a lot of them — it’s best described as something out of a parish vicar’s hellish nightmare with nudity, profanity and depravity.
Send help
If the night proves too hedonistic, too heady and frankly just too much, rest assured salve is at hand. If you find yourself, intentionally or otherwise, out east, the new Sichuan Fry by Dumpling Shack (2 Westgate Street, E8, sichuanfry.com) is the ideal cure: numbingly-spiced fried chicken will not only be an endorphin-releasing revelation, but should prove carby enough to soak up any sauce still surging through your system.
For a more classic resolve, the historic Regency Cafe (17-19 Regency Street, SW1, regencycafe.has.restaurant) is probably London’s best-loved caff; a no-nonsense, plastic-moulded-seating institution with the capital’s ultimate fry up. Those who are ready, willing and able to stomach more substantial fare should alternatively try the fashionable Princess Royal (47 Hereford Road, W2, cubitthouse.co.uk), which is custom-made for those in need of a velvet-cushioned re-entry to society; the Sunday roast is a blinder, the Bloody Mary brilliant, and staff suitably soothing. And, being a pub, there are no shortage of pints for those looking to get back on it. Cheers, and Godspeed.
