Bars
The 6 Best Bars in Borough
Borough after the market closes: the wine cellars, art-deco cocktail rooms and rooftops that pour the best drinks south of the river.
In short: our top picks are Swift Borough, Cahoots Postal Office and Nancy's. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Borough is what happens when one of London’s great food markets grows up around the pubs that fed its porters at dawn. The drinking here runs deep and runs old, from Free Vintners’ wine cellars to ale houses that have held the same corner for generations, and the new arrivals have to earn their place among them. You get serious cocktails, market-to-glass rooftops and bottle lists built from the produce two streets away. These are the bars worth crossing the river for.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Swift Borough | Borough | £££ |
| Cahoots Postal Office | Borough | £££ |
| Nancy's | Borough | £££ |
| Bedales of Borough | Borough | £££ |
| Boot & Flogger | Borough | £££ |
| The Market Porter | Borough | ££ |
-
Editor’s choice
Swift Borough
Why we pick itSip cut-price aperitivi in the streamlined upstairs, then slip down to the moody cellar for complex cocktails and a faultless Irish coffee.
art-deco cocktail bar
-
Cahoots Postal Office
Why we pick itA 1940s postal office where cocktails arrive by pneumatic tube, all vintage signage and period detail, one of London's most fun themed rooms.
immersive 1940s cocktail bar
-
Nancy's
Why we pick itMarket-to-glass cocktails and skyline views from a brutalist rooftop, roll a die at the lady luck negroni cart to pick your serve.
rooftop cocktail bar
-
Bedales of Borough
Why we pick itPull any bottle from the shelves of this former potato store, pay shop price plus corkage, and pair it with small plates built from market produce.
wine bar and shop
-
Boot & Flogger
Why we pick itTrading since 1965 under a rare Free Vintners' licence, a wood-panelled warren of bars where you drink proper wine with zero fuss.
old-school wine bar
-
The Market Porter
Why we pick itA corner boozer with a rotating wall of cask ales and a 6am market licence, the spiritual heart of a Borough pub crawl.
Victorian ale house
Before you book
London Bridge is the station you want; almost everything here sits within a five-minute walk of Borough Market. Book Swift Borough’s downstairs room and Nancy’s rooftop ahead, but the pubs and Bedales reward a walk-in. Come early evening on a weekday if you want a seat, because the after-work crowd fills the market lanes fast from about six.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Swift Borough is our editor's choice: Sip cut-price aperitivi in the streamlined upstairs, then slip down to the moody cellar for complex cocktails and a faultless Irish coffee. Swift Borough, Cahoots Postal Office and Nancy's 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 Bars in London
Our pick of the best bars in London, from world-ranked cocktail rooms to quiet hotel classics.
5 places Read guide →
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 →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 →