Nine To Try: Bars Open in Covent Garden and Soho After Midnight

London’s theatreland is brimming with exceptional places to wet one’s whistle. But when the clock strikes midnight? Without forewarning, it’s easy to feel as lost as Cinderella without her precious slipper.

This is something that Jeremy King knows all too well. “London has, for a long time, been going to bed a lot earlier than it used to,” the restaurateur behind Arlington, The Park and Simpson’s in the Strand tells Broadsheet. Still, he adds, “I think London’s much more late-night than we realise”.

King, who recently launched two new bars as part of his redevelopment of Simpson’s in the Strand, said he wanted to test the premise. “I decided I was really keen to have a bar which was very much for the theatre profession and theatregoers.”

The result is Nellie’s: a glamorous basement drinking den furnished with red drapes, mahogany walls and animal-print-galore – as well as a 3am license. Compared to Simpson’s Bar, which is open until 11:30pm each night, “It feels a bit more club-like,” says King. “The use of colour and materials are a little bit more decadent.”

“I’m really hoping that the theatre profession will have an unofficial clubhouse,” he continues. Fittingly, Nellie’s is named after the Australian lyric soprano Dame Nellie Melba, one of the most famous performers of the late Victorian era. The cocktail list is inspired by Melba’s life and times. One highlight includes The Duke of Orléans, starring bourbon, walnut liqueur, oloroso sherry and amaro, inspired by Dame Melba’s affair with Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans, that sent him on a two-year self-imposed exile.

In terms of how late the bar will actually be open, it’s a use it or lose it situation. “It depends on demand,” says King.

And as for other Covent Garden and Soho options open into the early hours? From a raucous sports bar to a futuristic cocktail lab, these are the best places to go when the warm interval Pinot starts to taste like I need a real drink.

Containing two separate bars open until a relatively modest 1am Thursday to Saturday, Cato isn’t the most hedonistic destination on this list – but it certainly is a crowd-pleaser. Upstairs, The House of Julep is a laid-back, wood-clad New York-inspired tavern named for the famous Mint Julep, which they create using herbs grown on-site in a hydroponic fridge. Downstairs, bartenders explore global flavours via solely British ingredients in a space akin to the set of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Open Mon to Wed 3pm–midnight; Thu & Sat 3pm–1am
@catocoventgarden

For fake blood, meat sweats, and the possibility of very real post-match tears, Bloodsports is, quite literally, the only place to go. A neon-lit horror-themed sports bar with frozen lageritas, pitchers of beer and £4 shots for enjoyment between trips to the blood-splattered photobooth, there is no chance of returning to this crime scene without having fun. Hungry revellers can also dine an array of fried food by Meatliquor available until the kitchen closes at 1.30am.
Open daily midday–2am
@bloodsports.bar

All concrete, stainless steel and dancing shadows, Soma is a brutalist-meets-futurist bar hidden beneath the hum of Denmark street. It shares the same owners as the modern Indian restaurant, Kricket, next door – and many of the same flavour profiles. Loosely inspired by recognisable classics, the cleverly concocted drinks conceal the flavours of ingredients including jamun, pandan and kokum in clarified liquids. Order the Leaf, a fragrant take on the gimlet starring gin and the essence of Makrut lime leaf, curry leaf and pink peppercorn.
Open Mon & Tue 6pm–1am; Wed & Thu 6pm–2am; Fri & Sat 6pm–3am; Sun 5pm–10.30pm
@soma__ldn

Open from 7am until 5am every day, there are few places more trusty than Bar Italia on Frith Street, Soho. Run by the same family since 1949, this is the only place a self-respecting person will order an Aperol Spritz after midnight. There’s also expertly crafted Negronis, beers, vermouth and the Bar Italia Espresso Martini, as well as a hefty toasted chicken Milanese panini.
Open daily 7pm–4am
@baritaliasoho

Founded by brothers Jackson (Brunswick House, Dove) and Frank Boxer (Frank’s Peckham & Canvis Nous, Barcelona), and designed by Jermaine Gallacher, Below Stone Nest is an unfussy blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bar and events space situated in the peeling basement of a former Welsh chapel just off Cambridge Circus. Serving low-intervention wines, refreshing highballs and a rotating programme of DJs and live sets, it’s equal parts cultural venue and after-hours bolt hole. The champagne collada with rum, lime, pineapple, and coco lopez topped up with fizz, is a must-order – as is the mozzarella, black bean and mushroom flatbread with xo sauce.
Open Tue–Sat 6pm–2am
@below.stonenest

A reinterpretation of the storied ‘50s and ‘60s Soho jazz venue that once hosted the likes of Stevie Wonder and The Who, The Flamingo Club is a cosy, velvet-cloaked, disco-ball-crowned ode to music and hedonism in Kingly Court. A mix of live performances and DJ sets that skew funk, soul and disco feed the tightly-packed crowd, while a short, sharp list of speedily-served classic cocktails and ice cold Asahi keep them watered.
Open Tue & Wed 6pm–1am; Thu-Sat 6pm–3am
@flamingoclubsoho

This legendary jazz club needs no introduction. Open late on Wednesday to Saturday, the bar and venue upstairs at the Soho stalwart transitions from hosting world-class live music – spanning everything from jazz, R’n’B and gospel to classical and Cuban salsa – into freewheeling late-night sessions once the headline acts have all wrapped up. Order a Martini, sink into a velvet-clad seat, and enjoy the musical ride.
Open Mon-Tue 5.30pm–11pm; Wed–Sat 5.30pm–3am; Sun midday–4pm, 6.30pm–11pm
@officialronnies

Tucked beneath El Pastor on Brewer Street, El Siete is a neon-lit, Mexico City–inspired drinking den that swaps time-worn western clichés for something closer to the spirit of colourful modernist neighbourhoods such as Roma or Condesa. Agave is, of course, the backbone of the menu, with a tight list of tequilas and mezcals served alongside seven margaritas – including a house signature served ice-cold in refillable flasks, plus traffic-light versions that dial up the chilli. Playlists are curated by a rotating roster of DJs and chefs in place of live decks, while snacky tostadas made with heirloom-corn tortillas are perfect to fuel dancefloor sessions.
Open daily 5pm–1am
@bar_el_siete