3 Best Bars in Soho, London

The beaux arts--style interior of this enduring and popular subterranean bar just north of Piccadilly Circus is so opulent that you'd be forgiven for thinking it had been here since the 1890s. In fact, it's a relatively new revival and has been a hit since it was reconverted in 2012, along with the cavernous Parisian-inspired Brasserie Zédel and the adjacent Crazy Coqs cabaret, which share the premises. The outstanding cocktail list covers Pre-Prohibition, Prohibition, and Post-Prohibition classics—ranging from an 1884 Turf Club vermouth to a 1948 Army & Navy gin—with additional special menus on occasion.

It's easy to miss the unmarked shabby-chic black door with a scuffed wash of red paint on Chinatown's hectic Gerrard Street main drag, but once you find it and make your way past the sometimes hard-to-please doorman, you'll be in a secret three-floor speakeasy that is also one of London's coolest cocktail joints. With a lively crowd, heavenly cocktails, moody lighting, and a knowledgeable DJ spinning smooth jazz sounds, the vibe is sexy Parisian cool.

Book ahead to avoid the lines at Soho's top-ranked bar and cocktail lounge on Old Compton Street. Split into two distinct areas, head through the ground-floor aperitivo bar to the infinitely more sexy speakeasy in the basement, where there are lambent brass lamps, antique mirrors, dark red leather booths, and an array of world-class theme cocktails, ranging from a rum-based Josephine Baker to a vermouth and orange bitters–tinged Dita Von Teese.