Bars
The 5 Best Bars in Mayfair
The hotel bars, hidden rooms and grand classics that make Mayfair London's best drinking quarter.
In short: our top picks are Donovan Bar at Browns, The Coburg Bar and Mr Foggs Residence. 4 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Mayfair drinks better than anywhere in London, and not only at the famous hotel bars. Between the grand classics and the hidden rooms, this is the quarter to come for a drink that means something. These are the ones we send people to.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Donovan Bar at Browns | Mayfair | ££££ |
| The Coburg Bar | Mayfair | ££££ |
| Mr Foggs Residence | Mayfair | £££ |
| The Blue Bar at The Berkeley | Knightsbridge | ££££ |
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Editor’s choice
Donovan Bar at Browns
Why we pick itA glamorous, low-lit bar hung with Terence Donovan's photography, doing serious cocktails with a sense of theatre. One of Mayfair's most handsome rooms.
Mayfair's most handsome bar.
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The Coburg Bar
Why we pick itThe Connaught's quieter, clubbier bar, all deep armchairs and a fireside calm. For a grown-up drink and a proper conversation.
For a quiet, clubby drink.
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Mr Foggs Residence
Why we pick itA gloriously over-the-top Victorian explorer's parlour crammed with curiosities, doing theatrical cocktails. Daft, charming and great fun.
Theatrical and great fun.
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The Blue Bar at The Berkeley
Why we pick itA jewel-box of a bar in that famous Lutyens blue, intimate and impossibly chic. For a drink that feels like an occasion.
Chic and intimate.
No longer open
These appeared in earlier versions of this guide. We have left them here, marked, because readers still search for them.
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Galvin at Windows Closed
Permanently closed. It served its last meal in April 2024, when the London Hilton on Park Lane began a major refurbishment, and Shanghai Me took the 28th-floor space.
A bar on the 28th floor of the Hilton with sweeping views over Hyde Park and Mayfair. Worth it for the sunset alone.
Before you book
Many of the best are hotel bars, so you do not need to be staying, just dressed for it. Go early for a seat at the famous ones. And do not be shy with the bartender: in Mayfair, asking what they would make you is half the fun.
Common questions
What are the best bars in Mayfair?
Donovan Bar at Browns is our editor's choice: A glamorous, low-lit bar hung with Terence Donovan's photography, doing serious cocktails with a sense of theatre. One of Mayfair's most handsome rooms. Donovan Bar at Browns, The Coburg Bar and Mr Foggs Residence lead the guide, with 4 places in total, all chosen on merit.
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