London has no shortage of places to drink wine.
What it has fewer of are places worth crossing the city for.
The best wine bars in London have a point of view: a cellar with 130 years of atmosphere, a list built around women winemakers, a shop upstairs selling the chutney you just ate downstairs, or a natural wine counter that looks like it shouldn’t work in its neighbourhood and absolutely does.
Whether you’re looking to impress a date, catch up with friends or turn an innocent afternoon into a rather long evening, this guide covers 20+ of London wine bars worth knowing about.
Organised by neighbourhood, so you can plan a crawl, pick the one nearest your next meeting, or finally use “research” as a legitimate excuse.
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Map of Best London Wine Bars · Central London · East & North London ·
South London · West & South West London · FAQs
[MAP] Best London Wine Bars
I’ve put the wine bars in this guide on a map so you can save it and find whatever’s nearby — because nobody should have to scroll through an entire article while standing on a London pavement wondering where to have their next glass.
As a rule of thumb: Central London has the most variety and the most tourists, so book ahead. East and North London lean natural and casual. South London has history and hidden gems. West and South West London are village-feel and local.
Central London Wine Bars
Central London is where you’ll find the capital’s most famous wine bars, and also some of its best-kept secrets.
Whether you’re pre-theatre in Covent Garden or winding down after Mayfair shopping, there’s a glass waiting.
#1: The 10 Cases, Covent Garden
The 10 Cases is the kind of place that works whether you are after a quick glass of wine and something small to nibble on or settling in for a proper meal.
It gets its name from the founders’ decision to buy only ten cases of each wine.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone, keeping the wine list constantly moving and giving regulars a very good excuse to keep coming back.
But come hungry. The frequently changing Franco-European menu is a big part of what makes The 10 Cases such a useful address to know.
And if you’re firmly in wine-and-nibbles territory, the Cave à Vin next door offers a more informal, walk-in setting for bottles, cheese and charcuterie.
Come here for: Parisian-bistro energy, exploring by the glass and a wine list that refuses to sit still.
#2: Gordon’s Wine Bar, Embankment
Gordon’s is often described as London’s oldest wine bar, and stepping into its candlelit cellar makes the claim easy to believe.
With all its stone walls and ceiling-low archways, it is the kind of room that makes you lower your voice without being told to.
In warmer months, the terrace running along Victoria Embankment Gardens is the draw. Especially with a cheeseboard, baguettes stacked like firewood next to a wedge of blue cheese, a jar of quince jam and a glass of something cold.
It’s popular for good reason, so arrive early or be prepared to queue.
Come here for: The choice between cellar and terrace, and a cheeseboard worth building an evening around.
#3: Lady of the Grapes, Covent Garden
Lady of the Grapes puts women in wine front and centre, with a list that champions female winemakers alongside an excellent food menu.
It’s intimate without feeling overly formal, making it particularly good for dates and long catch-ups, and the Covent Garden location makes it an easy addition to a West End evening.
Although, as we’ve already established, “just one glass before the theatre” is a dangerous game to play around here.
Come here for: A list built entirely around women winemakers, and a pre-theatre glass with a bit more substance.
#4: Amie Wine Studio, Belgravia
Tucked into Eccleston Yards near Victoria, Amie combines wine, art and one of those courtyards that becomes particularly difficult to leave once London gets a little sunshine.
Inside, there’s contemporary art and plenty of space to retreat when the weather inevitably changes its mind.
Outside, order a bottle, some olives and accept that whatever you planned to do next is probably not happening.
Come here for: Sunny courtyard drinks, English sparkling wine and pizza next door for when you’re hungry.
#5: Farm Shop Wine Bar, Mayfair
Farm Shop Wine Bar has a more relaxed spirit than its Mayfair postcode suggests.
Hidden beneath the Farm Shop on South Audley Street, bottles line the windowsills with wax dripping down their necks, setting the tone: warm, characterful and a little lived-in.
The international wine list comes with seasonal small plates, charcuterie and cheeseboards, much of it showcasing produce from or connected to the team’s Somerset farm.
Like something you tried? Head upstairs, where the shop is stocked with plenty of delicious things to take home.
Come here for: Cheese and wine downstairs, then the same chutney to go, upstairs.
#6: Le Beaujolais, Covent Garden
A confession: I don’t actually like Beaujolais. I know. Awkward.
And yet Le Beaujolais is something else, perfect for a scruffy, no-fuss glass.
It’s been serving since the early seventies: mismatched tables, a scrawled chalkboard menu, and a forest of ties hanging from the ceiling, remnants of years of regulars who clearly made themselves at home.
Over 50 years in, it’s still got good wine, cheese, charcuterie, and exactly the kind of convivial atmosphere that makes you linger.
Thankfully (for me), the wine list extends well beyond its namesake region, organised by French region so you can work your way from the Loire to Burgundy to the Rhône without ever leaving the country.
The ground-floor bar is open to everyone and mostly walk-in, especially in the evening, while the restaurant downstairs is a separate private members’ club.
Come here for: A no-fuss pre-theatre glass and a room that feels like it’s been there forever, because it has.
#7: La Compagnie, Covent Garden
Neal’s Yard may be famous for its colourful courtyard, but there’s another very good reason to wander down here: La Compagnie.
Settle in, ask questions and try something unfamiliar. You might discover your next favourite bottle.
And since you’re already in Seven Dials, you can easily combine it with an afternoon exploring Covent Garden.
Come here for: French wine-bar atmosphere, date nights and discovering something new.
#8: Noble Rot, Bloomsbury, Soho & Mayfair
Some establishments have excellent wine lists. Others have excellent restaurants.
Noble Rot clearly saw no reason to choose.
What began as a magazine devoted to wine, food and culture now includes three London restaurants: the original on Lamb’s Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, Soho on Greek Street and Mayfair in Shepherd Market.
Each has its own personality, but the common thread is serious wine without the need for a serious attitude, alongside excellent French-influenced cooking.
If you simply want a glass, it’s worth knowing the locations work slightly differently: Bloomsbury has its dedicated wine bar, while Mayfair also accommodates walk-in drinks; Soho leans more towards the full restaurant experience.
And no, you don’t have to order the bottle whose price requires a small lie to your bank. There’s plenty to explore at more approachable levels too.
Come here for: Exceptional wine, excellent cooking and lunches with absolutely no intention of ending early. Oh, and… don’t forget the oysters!
#9: Lower Wine Bar & Bottle Shop, Waterloo
Located on Lower Marsh (also known as Slower Marsh since its partial pedestrianisation), Lower is a wonderful yet unassuming wine bar, tucked away right behind one of the busiest stations in London, easy to walk past if you didn’t know to look for it.
When the weather allows, the outdoor tables and chairs come out onto Lower Marsh itself, and it’s a lovely spot to watch the street go by with a glass in hand.
Inside, it’s genuinely no-frills: simple wooden tables, a blackboard menu that changes by the day, and a downstairs bottle shop that’s less a shop and more a room stacked floor to ceiling with bottles – which, honestly, works!
Co-owner Alex Pitt spent years buying for The 10 Cases in Covent Garden before opening Lower with friends Blaise Coley and Skye Alejandro, and it shows both on the list and at the table.
The staff are enthusiastic and genuinely on hand if you want guidance, happy to steer you toward something interesting, but never hovering or pushing.
Pitt has also made wine himself, with Heidi Schröck in Austria, which is exactly why the Schröck & Pitt orange wine on the list is the one to ask for if you want a taste of the people actually behind the counter.
With most tables kept for walk-ins, Lower is an easy pre- or post-show stop for the Old Vic, Young Vic, National Theatre, BFI or Southbank Centre too. Although, honestly, I’d come back for the XL olives alone — meaty, generous and dangerously good with a glass of wine.
Come here for: A glass before the theatre (preferably a Schröck & Pitt with a side of XL olives) and a bottle to take home afterwards, all served by genuinely helpful staff without the hard sell.
#10: Forza Wine, South Bank
Forza didn’t start as a wine bar.
It began as a pizza supper club in East London, before growing into now-closed Forza Win, a long-running Camberwell restaurant, and eventually spinning off the rooftop concept that put Forza Wine on the map, first in Peckham, now here at the National Theatre.
The building itself is worth a moment before you even order: Denys Lasdun’s Brutalist landmark rises from the South Bank with its stacked terraces, horizontal lines and cantilevered balconies, all cast in cold, unapologetic concrete.
Look up from the riverside path, and you’ll barely spot Forza Wine, just a small sign wedged into one of the balconies, almost swallowed by the grey.
Step inside and the mood flips entirely. The coffered concrete ceiling stays exposed, but everything beneath it is warm: honey-toned wood tables, herringbone parquet, cane-backed chairs, and globe pendant lights that make the room glow rather than glare.
Vintage-style travel posters of beach umbrellas and coastal light line the walls, a nod to Riviera summers that has no business working against raw Brutalist concrete, and yet it does. It’s the gooey middle hiding inside a hard exterior.
The wine list won’t out-pour nearby Lower, if that’s the metric you care about, but that’s not really the point here. The river views, the setting and the food are what make it worth the trip.
Order the delica pumpkin with lentils, almonds and pumpkin butter, reason enough on its own to come back, and settle in for a meal before or after a show at the National.
Come here for: Thames views from inside a Brutalist icon, the Delica pumpkin and a warm room that makes you forget you’re sitting inside all that concrete.
Forza also has locations in Peckham and Soho, should your wine research require expansion.
East & North London Wine Bars
East and North London are where London’s natural wine scene really shines. Expect relaxed rooms, changing lists and a neighbourhood feel that makes you want to become a regular.
#11: Blinds, Hackney
There’s something satisfying about an old workshop being given a second life as a wine bar. Particularly when that second life involves natural wine and seasonal food.
Blinds occupies a former blinds workshop on Hackney Road, combining industrial character with a focus on natural and low-intervention wines.
Come with someone equally curious, order a bottle neither of you has tried before and work your way through the small plates.
Come here for: A relaxed, candlelit Hackney evening with a thoughtfully curated list of natural wine and seasonal sharing plates.
#12: In Vino Veritas, Hackney
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I said I’d only have one glass.
You may already have seen In Vino Veritas on Instagram. More specifically, you may have seen its rather photogenic real church confession booth sitting inside this gothic-inspired Hackney wine bar.
Yes, really.
The dramatic interiors make an immediate impression, but this isn’t somewhere to visit purely for the photo.
There’s natural wine to explore and enough atmosphere to make it a particularly fun choice for a slightly unconventional date night.
Come here for: Gothic interiors, natural wine and a little di-vine intervention.
#13: Godet, Islington
Wine bar or pub? Godet makes a convincing argument for both.
Sitting on Essex Road behind its distinctive pink frontage, Godet combines the easy-going atmosphere of a neighbourhood pub with a wine list that gives you plenty to investigate.
The food is another reason to come, with Ling Ling’s bringing Chinese and pan-Asian influences rather than defaulting to the standard wine-bar cheeseboard.
Come here for: A relaxed Islington evening pairing wine with Asian-inspired small plates.
#14: Goodbye Horses, De Beauvoir
Set on a leafy residential street in De Beauvoir, Goodbye Horses is firmly in the natural-wine camp, with an extensive by-the-glass selection and a food menu designed to make staying for dinner feel inevitable.
The focus is on wines made with as little intervention as possible, but you don’t need to arrive armed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of natural wine.
There’s also Day Trip Coffee sharing the address, so the building can support you from morning caffeine to evening wine.
Frankly, I respect the efficiency.
Come here for: An intimate, well-designed room and a seasonal menu built around natural wine.
#15: Joyau, Forest Gate
Coffee in the morning, wine in the evening and plenty of reasons to stay in between. Joyau understands how a day should progress.
Tucked beneath a railway arch in Forest Gate, Joyau is a wine bar and bottle shop serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a list spanning easy-drinking bottles through to more classic styles.
There are pantry bits and bottles to take home too, while visiting chefs and special events give you a reason to keep checking what’s happening.
Sure, Forest Gate is a trek for many Londoners, but the best wine bars in London reward the people who make the journey.
Come here for: A relaxed deli-meets-wine-bar vibe and an excuse to explore East London further out.
South London Wine Bars
Historic Greenwich, unusual wine regions and a very good argument for drinking south of the river.
#16: Davy’s Wine Vaults, Greenwich
Greenwich is already very good at encouraging a leisurely day out. Davy’s Wine Vaults isn’t going to help you pick up the pace.
Old-school and atmospheric, it is an ideal spot to grab a glass after a wander around the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory.
There’s also an outdoor terrace, particularly useful when London produces one of its occasional days specifically designed for drinking outside.
Come here for: An old-school wine vault and a proper Sunday lunch after a Greenwich wander.
#17: Diogenes the Dog, Elephant & Castle
Think you know your wine regions? Diogenes the Dog would like a word.
This Elephant & Castle wine bar has built a reputation around exploring less obvious wine-producing regions alongside more familiar territory.
Founder Sunny Hodge takes an educational but approachable view of wine, so this is somewhere to go when you actually want to discover something.
Come here for: Unusual wine regions, curious drinkers and expanding your wine horizons.
West & South West London Wine Bars
West and South West London offer a slower, more village-like pace. These are wine bars for lingering.
#18: Aspen & Meursault, Battersea
In the middle of a residential area dominated by tall apartment blocks sits Aspen & Meursault, looking like it has absolutely no business being there.
Except it does.
It’s a true independent from wine science expert Sunny Hodge, and sister bar to the award-winning Diogenes the Dog (also on the list!).
Billed as London’s destination natural wine bar, it’s built to demystify natural and organic wine, pouring low-intervention bottles alongside sustainably sourced food. So expect a great selection of both!
It also doubles as a wine shop, so naturally there’s every possibility that the bottle you came in to try will follow you home.
A very good neighbourhood find in a place you might otherwise have walked straight past.
Come here for: A genuinely surprising find tucked into a residential Battersea street, with a strong natural wine list.
#19: Mother Vine, Chelsea
There’s a particular pleasure in browsing a wine shop and then being told you’re allowed to drink the bottles.
Mother Vine on Pavilion Road is both wine merchant and wine bar, with wines by the glass, bottles to take away and the option to choose from the shop and stay for a drink.
There’s pavement seating for people-watching and plenty to investigate inside, including more special bottles when the occasion calls for them.
Discover something excellent? Buy another one for home.
I appreciate an establishment that understands the importance of a backup plan.
/ Mother Vine offers an unfussy glass in a neighbourhood that can be otherwise. Chelsea can be intimidating, and this is a friendly counterpoint.
Come here for: Wine shopping, pavement drinking and finding bottles worth taking home.
Come here for: a no-corkage offer on weeknights and staff who’ll happily pick a bottle for you.
#20: Harty’s Wine & Charcuterie Bar, Barnes
Wine and charcuterie. Two words that have rarely led me astray.
Harty’s, on White Hart Lane in Barnes, brings together wine, British charcuterie and artisan cheese in exactly the sort of neighbourhood setting that encourages grazing rather than rushing through dinner.
There are tastings and events too, making it worth keeping an eye on what’s coming up.
And is there really a more convincing dinner than an excellent charcuterie board and a bottle of wine?
I’m open to arguments, but you’ll have to make them over a glass.
Come here for: Wine, charcuterie, neighbourhood evenings and tastings.
Come here for: charcuterie and cheese done properly, in a genuinely warm, dog-friendly room.
#21: Pulp, Ealing
Pulp on St Mary’s Road runs a double life: by day it’s a neighbourhood café in South Ealing known for its coffee and its scrollsants — a croissant-and-cinnamon-roll hybrid that locals treat as a bit of a local institution.
By night, Wednesday through Saturday, it shifts into a natural, biodynamic and low-intervention wine bar with small sharing plates.
Space is tight and tables are close together, but that’s part of the charm: it makes for an intimate, cosy evening, and the staff are known for genuinely knowledgeable, unpretentious wine recommendations rather than a stock script.
There’s also a retail side, so if you fall for something on the list, you can buy a bottle to take home.
Come here for: A daytime café that turns into a proper wine and small plates spot by evening
#22: The Good Wine Shop
The Good Wine Shop is a wine merchant first, but all five of its West London shops — Kew, Chiswick, Richmond Hill, Teddington and St Margarets — also operate as wine bars.
Walk in and you’re met with shelf after shelf of bottles, hand-labelled with tasting notes, stacked floor to ceiling down one whole wall.
Pick a glass from the by-the-glass list, or choose a bottle straight off the shelf and settle in at one of the wooden tables scattered among the stock.
There are tastings, quiz nights and other events too, so there are plenty of reasons to stay beyond simply restocking the wine rack at home.
Come here for: Picking a bottle straight off the shelf to drink in while people-watching, genuinely knowledgeable staff, and regular tastings worth planning an evening around.
One More for the Road: Vinoteca
This one is here for sentimental reasons. And I’m making absolutely no apologies.
Over the years, countless dates and evenings out have ended with “shall we grab a glass at Vinoteca?”, a line that’s never once led to just one glass.
Founded in 2005, Vinoteca grew into a familiar name across London before hitting administration in 2023 and being rescued, then acquired by The Evolv Collection in 2025.
It’s since relaunched as Vinoteca di Sartoria, leaning more Italian, with remaining sites in Farringdon, Bloomberg Arcade and Liverpool Street.
It’s not what it was, and it wouldn’t be my first pick for a tiny neighbourhood wine bar. But too many good nights have ended there to leave it off this list.
Sometimes nostalgia earns you one more for the road.
Come here for: A spontaneous glass, Italian food and a little London nostalgia.
London Wine Bars: FAQs
What is the Oldest Wine Bar in London?
Gordon’s Wine Bar in Embankment is often described as London’s oldest wine bar, and its candlelit underground cellar has plenty of history to match.
Where Can I Find Natural Wine Bars in London?
East and North London are strong for natural wine, with spots like Blinds and In Vino Veritas in Hackney and Goodbye Horses in De Beauvoir. Aspen & Meursault in Battersea also offers some very good natural options.
Which London Wine Bars are Best for Food?
For wine bars where the food matters as much as the wine, start with The 10 Cases and Noble Rot for proper meals. Farm Shop Wine Bar goes well beyond cheese and charcuterie with dishes like rotisserie chicken and steak tartare, while Aspen & Meursault is excellent for seasonal small plates.
Which London Wine Bar is Best for a Date?
La Compagnie and Noble Rot suit an evening with a sense of occasion, while Gordon’s is hard to beat for atmosphere.
Do I Need to Book London Wine Bars?
It depends entirely on the bar. Some places actively keep space for walk-ins, while others take reservations for tables or dinner.
For spontaneous evenings, I tend to keep a couple of nearby alternatives saved. Which is precisely why the London wine bar map exists.
Which London Wine Bars also have Wine Shops?
Quite a few. The Good Wine Shop is a wine merchant first, while Mother Vine, Pulp, Lower, Joyau, Aspen & Meursault and The 10 Cases’ Cave à Vin all give you the opportunity to browse bottles as well as drink on site.
Before You Go… Save This for Later 📌
And if I’ve missed one of your favourite London wine bars, come and find me on Instagram @goyagaleotta and tell me where I need to conduct my next piece of research.
You’ll find I’m very committed to the cause.
Read next: The Best Independent Wine Shops in London
