A global pandemic, a booming stock market giving way to painful economic shock, a technological revolution… there are many parallels to be drawn between the 1920s and the 2020s. But if you look very closely, you might find there is another thread linking the two eras: the rise of the speakeasy.
These clandestine drinking holes rose to prominence during America’s Prohibition era (1920-33). Following the hardships of the first world war, speakeasies provided a sense of raucous escapism – where jazz music boomed and genders and races mixed freely.
The same search for escapism (and nostalgia) is what draws drinkers to them today, says Marco Matesi, bar manager of Downstairs at The Dilly, one of London’s newest speakeasies. ‘We are living in a stressful climate – a recent worldwide pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the rise of inflation and so on. Speakeasy bars take us back to what feel like simpler times. They have always been a place to escape political reality, to unwind and relax.’
Here are six of the newest and finest London speakeasies to try – if you can find them, that is…
Lost Property Office
Since mid-August people have been mysteriously disappearing through a hidden doorway inside BrewDog’s bar in Waterloo. They emerge into a dimly lit basement amid vintage telephones, plush scarlet banquette seats and mahogany tables. The bar they’ve found themselves in, Lost Property Office, is run by Rich Woods – known on London’s foodie scene as ‘The Cocktail Guy’. Woods has been behind the cocktail menus of many of the capital’s best-known bars, including Sushisamba and Duck and Waffle. In his own venue, the menu focuses on classic cocktails reimagined as if by a Michelin-starred chef. The reformed margarita – with clarified lime and blood orange, topped with a cloud of beer and seasonal flowers and leaves – is typical of the genre. Don’t miss the ‘martini roulette’, a trio of mini cocktails showcasing the drink through different guises, ABVs and decades.
The Unnamed Bar at Amazónico London
Since opening in 2019, Amazónico London has been one of the capital’s most sought-after restaurant bookings. But despite the hordes that flock to eat there, few know about the secret bar and club hidden underneath it. The space has never been publicised and doesn’t even have an official name – adding to its elusive appeal. If you do find your way in, you descend an opulent gold staircase to emerge in an underwater paradise. The bar, which aims to emulate South American cenotes (sacred underground pools), has emerald velvet armchairs that swallow you up, gold portholes that reveal a milky green ether and gilded octopus-tentacle chandeliers. Many of the cocktails are served in champagne flutes shaped like puffer fish or seashell tumblers. The bar was invitation-only but has now opened to the general public. Bookings aren’t accepted, though, so early arrivals get first dibs.
Cache Cache
This speakeasy is so well hidden that even its creators hadn’t realised the space existed until they stumbled upon it hidden inside one of their restaurants. Seeing the potential, Grizzly Hospitality Group has transformed the former storage area into an uber-stylish bar – all exposed brickwork, neon lighting and spider-like chandeliers. Open since early 2020 (and despite a pandemic), Cache Cache has made a name for itself, with Premier League footballers and F1 drivers flocking like moths to its neon lights. Parties here are a late-night affair, with DJs, bongo players and dancing until dawn. Come for the drinks – but don’t miss the compact yet impressive food menu. We recommend the crispy tuna tartare. The bar sits right underneath Covent Garden Piazza.
The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town
The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town gives a chilly welcome. That’s because you enter by clambering into a Smeg fridge secreted within the Spitalfields branch of The Breakfast Club. To find the fridge, though, make sure to give a wink to the closest waiter and tell them you’re there to see the Mayor. The bar itself has a grungy vibe with portraits (many cheekily graffitied images of Princess Diana or the Queen) adorning the walls. The cocktails are equally eccentric. The Cinema Paradiso includes Ketel One vodka, caramel syrup, lemon, ginger beer and homemade popcorn – lacking only a hotdog to make a true cinematic feast. The bar also does craft beer, wine and boozy brunches at the weekend. Oh, and if your name is Garfield you’re entitled to a free drink (ID required).
Downstairs at The Dilly
Jazz musicians riffing away on a baby grand and sequin-clad singers crooning by candlelight: Downstairs at The Dilly oozes 1920s New York speakeasy style. True to its name, it can be found underneath The Dilly – a five-star hotel minutes from Piccadilly Circus – and is accessed via a hidden door in the lobby. The cocktails are theatrical – many arrive billowing smoke – and the mixologists (headed by Matesi) equally so as they shake, flambée and twizzle your order. The bar’s flagship drink is its Gimlet, made using an original recipe drunk by British sailors in the 19th century. The speakeasy opened in March and, following a summer hiatus, reopened last month.
QT at Middle Eight
Since 2020, QT has been carving out a name for itself as the
place for a clandestine night of raucous music or comedy in London. The décor is modern, with bare concrete pillars and contemporary art. But the attitude is old-school, with well-dressed, charming bar staff. Hidden inside the luxurious Middle Eight hotel in Holborn, QT hosts regular events – including a residency by Leo Green, the saxophonist who has played with everyone from Bob Dylan and Lionel Richie to Noel Gallagher and Robbie Williams. It also does a regular West End night, featuring stars from the musicals, and comedy from top drag artists.
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