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The best cocktail bars in London, from hotel grandeur to hidden speakeasies. Filter by style, or by what's open.
A basement bar under a Fitzrovia hotel where the drinks list is built on Vorticism and the second half of the evening belongs to the DJ.
RelaxedSpeakeasyOpen late
Gambit is in the cellar of The Newman, on the Fitzrovia side of the line where Fitzrovia stops behaving like Soho, and it does two things in an evening. Early on it is a cocktail bar working through the classics with its own twists, with Kernel and Two Tribes on for anybody who would rather have a beer.
Later it becomes a room with a record player in it. There are resident DJs most nights and a jazz trio some of them, playing to a basement rather than a stage, which is a particular pleasure and increasingly rare in central London.
The drinks are pitched at Vorticism, the short-lived London art movement that was being argued about in these streets in 1914 - hard angles, machine forms and a great deal of shouting. It is a more specific idea than most bars bother with.
Tuesday to Saturday, from five until midnight.
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 17:00 – 00:00 |
| Wednesday | 17:00 – 00:00 |
| Thursday | 17:00 – 00:00 |
| Friday | 17:00 – 00:00 |
| Saturday | 17:00 – 00:00 |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours from the page that lists them, checked 18 September 2026.
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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.