Best For After Work Drinks
Discover our recommended bars and pubs for after work drinks in London! Long day at the office? Let’s get you to the pub pronto. With plenty of great venues offering happy hour deals and chilled-out vibes perfect for kicking back and reflecting on the day that was, we’ve drawn up a collection of our favourites. From the heart of the West End to the centre of the city, here are the best places to get a drink after work in London.
Last updated on 29th September 2021
Want some happy hour merriment in the city? Patch St. Paul's and Patch East will happily oblige, laying on all kinds of cheap and cheerful drink deals between 4pm and 7pm every day. Get along to this handsome spot for after-work refreshment and they'll take 50% off bottles of wine and spirits.
Beautifully decorated with vintage signs, quaint antiques and vibrant furniture, The Grocer offer Londoners in the City a great place to escape the office and grab a drink after work. The bar is of course stocked full of all your favourite beers, fine wines and international spirits, but pleasing everyone, the chefs have curated a menu of traditional British recipes and classic dishes. Grab a burger, grab a pint, and leave the rigours of daily life at the door.
The Distillery is Bankside's destination bar, where you can expect nothing short of tailored perfection from the bartenders. Fitted out with leather Chesterfields and bespoke furnishings, make yourself at home at the London Hilton's hotel bar and sample a range of signature cocktails that include homemade aromatics, infusions and bitters.
The Refinery in the City of London is an all-day restaurant and bar that draws in guests with its fun, laid back atmosphere. Fitting in with its sister venues in the Drake and Morgan family, the venue serves its guests a range of seasonal and freshly produced dishes. From breakfast in the morning to after work drinks late at night, this jack-of-all-trades will cater to whatever mood you might find yourself in.
We've been looking for a decent after-work joint in the Victoria area for an age, and we just may have found it in the Munich Cricket Club. A vast party space with a traditional Bavarian party atmosphere to it, slip into your lederhosen (or don't, whatever) and come by to sample beer from Munich breweries, a good choice of wines and cocktails.
Tough day? Things can only get better at Dirty Martini St Paul's, where there's a chilled cocktail with your name on it waiting at the bar. The venue offers a sleek and sophisticated décor at the same time, which understandably draws a radiant after-work crowd. Careful though, with late night DJs taking centre stage that mythical "swift half" could soon escalate.
If you're looking for somewhere you can enjoy some casual drinks and shmoozing activities then Ask For Janice (not the person, the place) is ideal for you. Doling out all the laid-back, urban boozing vibes you could wish for, plant your tush on their wooden stools that look like they're fresh out of a school science lab and enjoy their spread of beer, wine and over 40 Gins.
The Albion offers an extensive wine selection, a range of award-winning real ales and continental lagers in a relaxed pub environment just down the road from St. Paul's. Come by for a swift half in one of the friendliest pubs in the city, with great comfort foods and famous sausage roll bar snacks on offer if you feel like lingering into the evening.
Forget the stresses and strains of a long day at the office at this familiar Dalston pub. Oozing with a relaxed ambience, there's a healthy mix of classic cocktails, locally brewed craft beers and old world wines to keep you feeling fresh. There's a heady selection of premium rum cocktails if you'd like to stretch the night out a little longer, and a vibrant programme of live music to tap your toes to.
One of the best cures for a hard day's work is a nice cold pint of Guinness. Luckily, that's what McGettigans, Fulham's best Irish bar, can get for you. There's live sport on the screens, live music on the stage, and tonnes of Irish drinks and food to keep you entertained until the next after-work drinks.
You can't go wrong with a few drinks at this Scandinavian themed cocktail bar if you work close to Oxford Street. Nordic is a buzzing after work haunt where you can get £10 bottles of wine and 2-4-1 cocktails between 5 and 7 on weekdays (and all night Monday and Thursday). Sample their specialty beers and refreshing cocktails and just watch out for that shot wheel - things are only gonna go one way if you find yourself spinning that on a school night...
Well established as one of the Square Mile's standout wine bars, Willy's offers traditional charm and a fine array of global wines amidst the bustle of Fenchurch Street. Come 5pm you'll find discarded blazers and folks loosening their ties with something from the extensive wine list, and Willy's also serves plenty of food - the fish & chips are their pride and joy.
Work in the Covent Garden area? Sometimes you just can't beat a few drinks with the team at Be At One. Renowned throughout the city for their friendly bartenders and catalogue (quite literally) of amazing cocktails, there's not a day that goes by where happy hour doesn't last until 7pm and there's great tunes overhead.
Nestled in the beating heart of London's Leicester Square, Blind Spot is a smooth, sultry cocktail bar that offers guests a serene location to sit back and unwind with their favourite cocktail. Serving a range of exquisite concoctions and with a well-trained bar staff capable of mixing and flairing together an array of ingredients, the dim lighting and cosy armchairs create the perfect, laid back ambience to lose yourself in.
There's no shortage of decent pubs in the city, but we've always had a soft spot for the Lamb Tavern. Part of the fabric of this part of town since back in 1780, it's still a popular boozer of choice for those in the city, packing the punters in right beside the iconic Leadenhall Market. There's ales, wines and spirts galore, and if you track down one of the #ThirstAiders, you might just save yourself from queuing at the bar.
Smack bang in the middle of the city and overflowing with charisma, Forge is a great choice for a few chilled ones after a tough day. The cocktail list is quite something - it stretches to include 100 different tipples – and there's ample wines, beers and spirits to climb into depending on your mood. Everything is served by expert bartenders, and the venue's late licence means no one's going to blame you if you end up stumbling out at 3am.
If you're looking for somewhere to blow off some steam after work and have a cheeky bevvy in a laid-back setting then The Vineyard in Islington is just the ticket. This contemporary, chic styled boozer is an urban wonderland of exposed brick, lounging and funky décor so you can enjoy all manner of tipples in this pocket friendly pub where the grub is glorious too.
Situated within a stone's throw of St Pauls and boasting a quirkily relaxed vibe, Shaws Booksellers is the perfect spot for an after work bevvy. Have a well deserved pint of ale in this spacious and convenient setting. It has Fuller's Master Cellarman status don't you know, so it can offer you all sorts of great beery remedies for the day's woes.
Balls Brothers Austin Friars is an excellent little spot to drop into after work, providing a serene refuge in the heart of the city. Promising a menu featuring drinks that "are pieces of art themselves", unwind into the evening by sampling the wild and imaginative cocktails on offer, or something from their superb wine and beer selection.
Situated on the bustling streets in the City of London, this venue is the perfect hideaway to unwind after a long day at work. Escape the workday stress and collapse into a padded arm chair, with a glass of wine in hand, of course. And if you're hungry, check out the extensive menu of steaks, fish and chips and grilled sardines for a delicious dinner.
Up the ante on after-work drinks at sleek and stylish Burdock, located on Finsbury Square. The City spot has bags of personality; head to the bar to work your way through an innovative cocktail list, freshly brewed pints and glutton-inducing freakshakes, as well as having a go on their unique shuffleboards.
A few breezy strides away from Monument, Dirty Martini offers a killer combination of fantastic martinis and generous happy hour deals. Come when that clock strikes 5 and enjoy half price martinis and bottles of wine, as well as £2.95 bottles of beer, until well into the evening. There's sharing platters to kick hunger to the curb, and DJs on 'til late.
Like your 5pm tipple in the company of spectacular views of the Thames? You probably ought to get down to the Oyster Shed then, where thirsty revellers marvel at The Shard, Tower of London and the Thames in all their finery. We haven't even mentioned the fine wines, real ales and delectable range of craft beers yet either.
St Barts Brewery is an eclectic and diverse venue in the heart of Farringdon. The extensive choice of artisan wines, spirits and beers makes it perfect for a bit of 5pm R&R, with the venue featuring its own ciders from Kent and unfiltered Meantime lagers coming direct from their brewery and into your glass.
After work drinks in the City of London are hardly difficult to come by; London's bolshiest neighbourhood are spoiled for choice. But for a slightly different experience from your bog standard boozer, head to The Allegory on Worship Street for delicious eats, a good selection of beers, and a menu of their own bespoke cocktails.
Work in South London? Wanting to sup on something sumptuous before the commute home? Lost & Found is a match made in heaven; serving up a vast range of cocktails each as delicious as the last, with live music and a fun time atmosphere chucked in to the bargain for good measure. Land two cocktails for the price of one between 5 and 8pm, and enjoy a complimentary sharing cocktail for all table bookings over 8 guests.
If you're looking for somewhere to unwind after a long week at work, The Britannia is a favourite in Kensington for laid-back boozing and lovely gastronomy. Decked out with some traditional charm dating back to the 1800s, you'll find a pub mixed with vintage character and contemporary leanings making for a perfect after work drinks in London setting.