London is crawling with cocktail hideaways, if you only know where to look. Lucky for you, we've got a long list of the city's best speakeasies in our little black book, and we're no good at keeping secrets...

OCTO Bar Amazonico

We know all great parties end up in the kitchen, but when it comes to one of Mayfair's most elusive & exclusive bars then the kitchen is just the start. Beyond the chef's pass in this mega-vibey jungle-esque restaurant is a flight of golden stairs... join BarChick in descending into an epic underwater den of luxurious textures, a lavish menu and a DJ spinning tunes into the early hours for subterranean party-goers. The cocktails are eye-popping - we're talking top-quality tiki drinks served in everything from a puffer-fish to a seaweed glass - and it's worth visiting for the people watching alone. Make sure to book - this place gets popular for good reason!

10 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6BR

Mayahuel

Cavita in Marylebone may just be the best Mexican restaurant in London - and yes, we can confirm that the food is bangin'. But the real reason to check it out? It's Mayahuel, the speakeasy hidden below the main resto. This place is all about Mexican spirits, from tequila and mezcal to sotol and raicilla. The cocktails are divine and the bar snacks are next-level - it's the perfect date-night spot when ya wanna splash out a little.

60 Wigmore St, London W1U 2RZ

Lost Property Office

BrewDog's massive Waterloo pub may be heaving, but this modern speakeasy hidden inside it is a great escape. Find the vintage telephone on the first floor and sweet-talk the operator into letting you in - with its intimate, moody atmosphere and super-creative drinks, you'll be living it up in style.

Unit G, Waterloo Station, 01 The Sidings, London SE1 7BH

The Vault at Milroy's

A solid BarChick fave, located just off Soho Square. Head into Milroy’s, London’s oldest whisky shop, and say you’re going to The Vault. You’ll be pointed in the direction of a bookcase. Push it open and head down a dark and narrow neon-lit stairway into this little speakeasy. The staff are laid-back and up for giving impromptu cocktail lessons when the bar is quiet. As in the shop upstairs, whisky is the thing here - we're a fan of The Smoking Gun, where your whisky is smoked right in front of your eyes. Oh, and give the house dog Chester a pat - you’ll find him sipping water Martinis by the bar. Woof.

3 Greet Street, Soho, W1D 4NX

Lounge Bohemia

Under a kebab shop in Shoreditch, you’ll find this gem. The peeling corridor looks a bit sketchy, but the bar downstairs is bangin’. Go for the set tasting cocktail menu of five boozy courses that will blow your mind. Its theme changes every few months - we tried forest-themed drinks and  found ourselves eating edible tree sap and a jelly ball of gin on a leaf. Insane, and we loved it.

1e Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3EJ 

Evans & Peel Detective Agency

A classic secret bar you’ve gotta try. Buzz the bell and head down for your "appointment" with the detective. This is where the imagination cogs need to turn - you gotta get your role play on and talk to Mr Detective about a case that needs solving. He’ll spin you some chat, lead you to a secret hideaway behind a bookcase (classic), and in you go to a huge candlelit speakeasy. This place has "impress your date" written all over it.

310c Earls Ct Rd, SW5 9BA

Discount Suit Company

Veer off where the Liverpool Street area meets Aldgate, and you’ll find this awesome lil booze den. It’s well hidden, so keep your eyes peeled. Find a run-down building with a cheap-looking suit shop. You’ll spot a subtle entrance - scoot in there and down to the bar. Hello, speakeasy! It’s all candlelit, and we like the nod to the old suit storage space it used to be, with umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and fabric reels by the bar.

29 Wentworth Street, Spitalfields, E1 7TB 

The Dragon Room at Isabel

Style, swagger, sexiness... if you're gonna go Speakeasy with substance then hit up Mayfair's Isabel. It scores more glam points than Kendall Jenner's party squad and has a hidden bar called The Dragon Room that acts as a private dining room and cocktail den. This opulent space below the main restaurant feels as if you're stepping into a Hollywood movie. The cocktails are killer, the vibe is uber-luxe, and if you're looking to impress a date then The Dragon Room is off the scale(s). 

26 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4HY

Basement Sate

It all looks suspicious: the door is right next to a sex shop, with a sign that states "This is not a brothel, there are no prostitutes at this address". Nope, nothin' to see here... except loads of epic cocktails and killer desserts. That's our kinda naughty.

8 Broadwick St, W1F 8HN 

Keystone Crescent

Kings Cross ain’t just a wasteland of mega-chains, it’s also home to one of the coolest members' bars in London. It’s a rad 1970s-style lair with awesome staff - you’ll be best mates with them by 4am closing. They make bad-ass cocktails, and there’s even the option to pimp your own drink if you wanna go rogue. 

Keystone Crescent, N1 9DT

Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum Parlour

Chinatown has a boozy secret in a former gambling den - just look for the jade-coloured door and you'll enter into 1920s Shanghai, where you’ll find legendary bar staff and epic dim sum. Pow. There are floors of fun to be had, and each room has its own personality. If you can find Peony, the speakeasy within a speakeasy (meta, right?), then you've nailed your visit. 

15-16 Gerrard Street, W1D 6JE 

Nightjar

You’ll find the entrance to this New York-style speakeasy wedged between two cafes. It’s big time, so get dressed up and get involved. There are all sorts of ingenious cocktail creations on the menu, and it's all about live music, so expect an eclectic mix of gypsy swing, jazz and American classics. And get booking, for god’s sake - it’s the kinda place with a waiting list. In more of a Soho speakeasy kinda mood? Check out the newer outpost of Nightjar tucked away in Carnaby Street. 

129 City Road, EC1V 1JB

La Cabina

Hunt down the weird telephone/TARDIS keypad on a door on Kingsland Road. Type in a special code and get down to this makeshift bar that’s straight out of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It’s very bare-bones, but who cares at 4am? Plus it has a kick-ass late-night two-for-one happy hour between 11pm and midnight. Snack on churros and chocolate, then dance it off to the bangers spun by the DJ in the corner. It’s a small dance floor, but everyone in there is a looker, so you won’t mind getting close.

232 Kingsland Road, E2 8AX

Blind Spot

Not many people know about this one. Walk through the neon revolving doors at St Martin’s Lane Hotel and look around for a golden hand sticking out of a wall. Yeah, it's random. Give it a shake, and it’ll open up an entrance to this slick secret bar - we're talkin' lots of shiny gold decor and smart leather seats. On Martini Mondays, rock up and design your own drink according to your mood. It’s worth going at least once with a date to impress them with that awesome entrance.

St Martin’s Lane Hotel, 45 St Martin’s, WC2N 4HX

The Blind Pig  

We all know Soho hides a saucy secret or two - that's why we love it so much. Part of chef Jason Atherton's Social Eating House restaurant, The Blind Pig is hidden above a swinging opticians sign on Poland Street. Tricky stuff. The space itself is brooding and sexy, but it's still relaxed, so you can kick back with some of their music-inspired cocktails and while away the evening.

58 Poland St, Soho, London W1F 7NR

Disrepute 

The swinging '60s is an era we can get down with - and if a clandestine trip to Disrepute is as close as we’re gonna get, so be it. This opulent vaulted den is tucked beneath Soho’s Kingly Court and just oozes sex appeal. Yeah, it’s a member’s club, no, they won’t turn you away if you smile sweetly and ask to try the cocktails. You’ll find us nestled in one of the plush pink velvet booths beneath the alcoves, sipping on a TWA - a twist on an Old Fashioned that's toffee-sweet and smoother than George Clooney after a wet shave.

4 Kingly St, Soho, London W1B 5PW

Reverend JW Simpson

Head through the black door on Goodge Street and you’re in the former home of the rev, where it's all distressed decor and shabby-chic speakeasy style. The sexy drinks more than make up for peeling wallpaper - get down with the kitchen-inspired Chère Suzette which comes with a flaming boozy crepe on the side. Preach.  

32 Goodge St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2QJ

Barts 

BarChick isn’t usually one for undertaking a challenge before getting our drinks, but the search for this speakeasy style bar through a large 1930s apartment building is worth it. For one thing, there’s a fancy dress box. Uh, hello, sequins and tassels - we’re all about nailing Prohibition-era party glamour. Take a trip back in time, get your moves out for the era-appropriate music, and excuse us if we show a little leg during the Charleston. It’s thirsty work, so grab one of the famous Barts Teas served in vintage teapots.

Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Ave, London SW3 3DW