14 Best Bars in London, England

A relaxed café, book, and record store by day, and London's leading venue for experimental music by night, Cafe OTO is a Dalston institution. Its programming of free jazz, avant-garde electronica, and much more is enough of a draw that it regularly sells out, with music fans steaming up the windows and spilling out onto the pavement and road outside to smoke during breaks. Café customers are kicked out at 5 pm to make way for sound checks. It's open as a bar (no cover) on nights when no concerts are taking place.

East London’s coolest performing arts venue occupies two huge spaces (one standing, one with unallocated bench seating) in an old art deco movie theater. Original architectural details add to the shabby-hip feel of the place, while in EartH Kitchen, the bar and restaurant on the venue’s second floor, you’ll find Scandi-modern styling (along with delicious cocktails and reasonably priced dishes from a changing roster of pop-up chefs). The wide-ranging and very much on-trend program runs from world music and hip-hop to country, folk, and dance, with stand-up comedy and free sets by leading DJs in the bar.

A long-standing hotbed of cool in Camden, the Jazz Café hosts top acts in mainstream jazz as well as hip-hop, funk, world music, soul, and Latin fusion. On Friday nights, DJs sample club music from around the world while on Saturday Soul City nights, they play disco, house, and soul. Book ahead if you want a table in the balcony restaurant overlooking the stage; otherwise you'll be standing (and probably dancing).

One of the United Kingdom's most ubiquitous pizza chains also runs an acclaimed jazz venue in Soho. Established in 1976, the dimly lit basement restaurant hosts both established and emerging British and international jazz acts every night, with food and pizzas available about 90 minutes before stage time. The thin-crust pizzas are always popular, but it's the intimate live jazz sets that draw in London's hip jazz aficionados.

Britain's most famous jazz club has attracted the biggest names—from Stan Getz to Ella Fitzgerald—since opening nearby on Gerrard Street in 1959 (moving to its current location in 1965). It's usually hot and crowded, and thankfully the food and table service are up to par. Bathed in the light of table lamps, the ultracool James Bond vibes can't be beat, despite the sad departure of the eponymous founder and saxophonist, Ronnie Scott, who died back in the late 1990s. A full program of free-form jazz sets and shows takes place every night, with additional late gigs on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended.

The beauty of this sublime old chapel and its impressive multicultural not-for-profit programming make this spot one of London's best musical venues, especially for acoustic shows. A variety of star names have played here in recent years (including Elton John, Björk, and Coldplay's Chris Martin) along with alternative country, world music, and jazz performers. There are also poetry and literary events, film screenings, and stand-up comedy gigs. Tickets are only available online.

Established in 1976, this Chelsea jazz club embraced speakeasy style long before it became a nightlife trend. Buzz the door near the far end of King's Road and you'll find a basement venue showcasing mainstream and contemporary jazz by well-known U.K.-based musicians. Alcohol can only be served if you order a "substantial meal" as well, so allow for an extra £30 for gastropub staples. Reservations are advisable. Lunchtime jazz takes place on select Sundays; call ahead.

This long-established live music venue off Carnaby Street hosts largely local blues musicians and bands as well as some notable international names, that squeeze onto the tiny stage. It's generally hot and sticky, and there's decent bar food of the chili-and-gumbo variety. On most weekday nights, there's no cover charge.

Drawn by its reputation for featuring indie stars of tomorrow (think the likes of Jessie J, Laura Marling, The Killers, and Foals), nonmainstream crowds flock to this venue, one of the finest small clubs in London. Weekend pop-punk and hip-hop club nights upstairs host live bands, as well as DJs rocking the decks.

Run by the same family for nearly three decades, The Dublin Castle has hosted almost every modern British rock group you care to name, including Madness, Blur, Coldplay, and the Arctic Monkeys. With four bands on the bill almost every night, and DJs taking over afterward on Friday and weekends, there's something for most tastes at this legendary venue.

The best up-and-coming and medium-to-big-name music acts from around the world consistently play at this 2,000-capacity club. It's a converted 1930s Art Deco movie theater, with a balcony (the only area with seats) overlooking the grungy dance floor.

The scuffed carpet and peeling paintwork only add to the atmosphere at this tiny basement jazz bar, one of London's leading music venues. There's live music every night of the week, with tickets usually just £10. It's a phenomenal bargain given the level of talent that regularly performs, from international acts in town for the London Jazz Festival each November to the weekly free Beats in the Bar nights, where students from nearby Trinity Laban Conservatoire try out new material in a low-pressure environment. Walk-ins are always welcome, but if you're planning a weekend visit, it's a good idea to reserve a table a few days ahead of time.

This 1840s former railway terminus, onetime gin warehouse, and legendary 1970s music venue in Chalk Farm now hosts a varied program of live music, circus, cabaret, spoken word, and even a bit of Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling). Usually there's a genre-busting assortment of new and familiar musical acts, most of them cult favorites ranging from world and rap to electronica and indie, along with big names like Alison Goldfrapp, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Tricky. Standing tickets offer good value. There's a nice restaurant on the first floor, and in the summer, the terrace bar is transformed into a popular "urban beach," complete with sand, a retro bar, palm trees, and outdoor film screenings.

A music venue since 1954, this is the last survivor of the coffeehouse scene of the 1950s and '60s that spearheaded Britain's folk revival (it also inspired the Los Angeles music club of the same name). Among the notables who have performed here either at the beginning of their careers or at informal after-gig shows are Charlie Watts (before he joined the Rolling Stones), Bob Dylan (under the name Blind Boy Grunt), Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and Jimi Hendrix, along with folk legends Sandy Denny and Burt Jansch. More recent headliners include Florence Welch, Paolo Nutini, Ed Sheeran, and Adele. The menu leans toward British and French-inspired comfort food.