Bars
The 6 Best Bars in Bermondsey
Victorian arches and a cobbled street: the agave dens, gin cellars, sherry bodegas and barrel-aged taprooms that make Bermondsey drink so well.
In short: our top picks are Nine Lives, 214 Bermondsey and Bar Tozino. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Bermondsey does proper drinking without the showing off. The street itself runs from a buzzing pub garden to a basement gin bar, and the railway arches behind it hide a sherry bodega and a barrel-ageing taproom you could lose an afternoon in. This is south London at its most quietly serious about a good glass, and a crawl here rewards anyone willing to duck below street level. These are the bars worth crossing the river for.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nine Lives | Bermondsey | £££ |
| 214 Bermondsey | Bermondsey | £££ |
| Bar Tozino | Bermondsey | ££ |
| The Barrel Project | Bermondsey | ££ |
| The Woolpack | Bermondsey | ££ |
| Chapter 72 | Bermondsey | £££ |
-
Editor’s choice
Nine Lives
Why we pick itA Victorian basement that helped put tequila and mezcal on London menus, pairing low-waste cocktails with Mexican tacos in a snug, plant-strewn room.
agave cocktail basement
-
214 Bermondsey
Why we pick itA speakeasy-style cellar beneath Flour & Grape pouring over a hundred gins, with classic gin cocktails tracing different eras of mixology.
hidden gin cellar
-
Bar Tozino
Why we pick itUnder a railway arch with jamon hanging from the ceiling, this bodega pours sherry by the copita alongside cured ham and Spanish wine.
Spanish sherry bodega
-
The Barrel Project
Why we pick itNearly two hundred oak wine barrels line the walls of this rail-arch taproom, with 24 taps leaning into sours, plus cocktails and burgers.
barrel-ageing taproom
-
The Woolpack
Why we pick itVintage tiling and a spiral staircase inside, an ivy-strewn garden with little huts out back; the local everyone wants on a sunny evening.
characterful pub-bar
-
Chapter 72
Why we pick itA specialty coffee shop by day that turns into a cocktail bar after dark, with eleven espresso martinis from black forest to pina colada.
coffee-to-cocktail bar
Before you book
London Bridge is the obvious arrival point, with Bermondsey Street a five-minute walk south; the arches sit a touch further along Maltby and Druid Streets. Book Nine Lives and the Flour & Grape table ahead, but the taprooms and Bar Tozino keep room for walk-ins. Come Saturday afternoon to fold Maltby Street Market into the day before the bars fill up after dark.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Nine Lives is our editor's choice: A Victorian basement that helped put tequila and mezcal on London menus, pairing low-waste cocktails with Mexican tacos in a snug, plant-strewn room. Nine Lives, 214 Bermondsey and Bar Tozino lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
Related guides
Bars The Best Cocktail Bars in London
Where the drink itself is the point: the bartenders, the rooms, and the seats you will not want to leave.
6 places Read guide →
Bars The Best Wine Bars in London
A short, clever list and a few good plates: the London wine bars worth a detour.
5 places Read guide →
Bars The Best Bars in London
Our pick of the best bars in London, from world-ranked cocktail rooms to quiet hotel classics.
5 places Read guide →From the Journal
Drinking
An Excuse for Champagne
Nobody really needs a reason for champagne. That is the secret of it. A glass of something cold and serious turns a Tuesday into an occasion, and the only thing standing between you and that small ceremony is the deciding to do it. London understands this better than most cities. We will toast a promotion, […]
16 Jun 2026Read →
Drinking
London in Summer: The Terrace Months
London does not do summer by halves, but it does do it briefly. For a few weeks the city forgets itself: the light stretches past nine, the pavements warm up, and everyone you know suddenly has plans that involve being outside. This is the season the rest of the year is quietly jealous of. It […]
11 Jun 2026Read →
Drinking
Behind the Unmarked Door: London’s Hidden Bars
There is a particular thrill in a bar you have to earn. Not the velvet rope and the clipboard, which only test your patience, but the door that gives nothing away. A buzzer beside a barber’s chair. A bookshelf that turns out to be a hinge. A telephone box at the back of a hot […]
29 May 2026Read →Readers also viewed
Bars The Best Private Members Clubs in London
Six of London's notable private members clubs, from Annabel's to 5 Hertford Street, with honest notes on what each is for and how membership actually works.
6 places Read guide →
Bars The Best Bars in Canary Wharf
Skyline rooftops, a floating steakhouse bar, a velvet-lined speakeasy and a Nelson-era riverside pub: the Wharf after the trading floors empty.
6 places Read guide →
Bars The Best Jazz Clubs in London
Six London rooms where the music is live, the lights are low and the night runs late.
6 places Read guide →
Bars The Best Pubs in Greenwich
From a Dickens-haunted riverside tavern to a robata-grill gastropub, Greenwich pours the finest pints in south-east London.
6 places Read guide →