9 Angel cocktail bars for every occasion

Sure, Little Bat Bar’s decor looks like the Victorian digs of your eccentric aunt Mable with its eclectic collection of books and art evoking everything from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. It’s this batty Hatter-esque decor that makes it feel so damn cosy and quaint.

Its wooden walls and bar, tables and booths, make the place feel snug. Post-work drinks, date night, birthday party, Christmas night out, Little Bat Bar have hosted it all.

Get comfortable and admire the Victorian books displayed as art on the walls. Sip on the cocktail Through the Looking Glass, and maybe have a few so you feel like you actually are in Wonderland.

Known as the Bar with No Name, 69 Colebrooke Row is an Angel cocktail bar with that sweet balance of relaxed ambience and a sophisticated cocktail menu.

Its black-and-white tile floors and red leather chairs are a swish pastiche to the mid-twentieth-century cocktail bar, with live jazz and blues music to complete the package.

Enjoy bespoke, seasonal cocktails alongside classics shaken and stirred by master mixologists. With an unobtrusive entrance, house pianist, and damn fine cocktails, the Bar with No Name is the finest Angel has to offer.

Forget everything you know about Irish pubs for the next couple of sentences. How has an Irish pub ended up on a list of Angel cocktail bars? Because they really, really like their cocktails, both signature and classic, and they do them well; that’s why.

We recommend the Taoiseach; it’s essentially a pomegranate Old Fashion, and like everything else about Homeboy, it sounds like a bizarre combination, but it just works.

Homeboy have the relaxed, warm welcome of an Irish pub — they still like their food hearty and they love their Guinness. However, they like their tunes on the hip hop and R&B side, their cocktails classic and Irish whiskey-inspired, and we dig this.

Located in the beating heart of Upper Street, Ladybird is the Angel cocktail bar that offers a laid-back lounge feeling, or a place to dance, depending on what you’re feeling.

Ladybird is a late night speakeasy-style bar, but with a quirky modern look not typically found in speakeasy bars. A great place if you’re into electronic and hip hop music. In fact, their Basement Space, BSMT, is known for its House nights.

It’s on the smaller side, but along with its basement bar, it is cleverly designed with designated bookable areas. And it is definitely the kind of cocktail bar you pre-book to ensure you get a seat and trust us, you do want to book.

An Angel cocktail bar floating on Regent’s Canal: welcome to Bruno’s. And is it just us or do cocktails sip better when you’re on a boat?

We love Bruno’s for having the audacity (or the genius) to offer a pre-dinner cocktail menu and a post-dinner cocktail menu. We recommend the Chido from the former and the Starliner Martini from the latter.

Its barge location lends itself to a cosy, snug-like atmosphere with the expected mood lighting–a match made in heaven with the sophisticated (but not pretentious) cocktail menu.

If you always thought your Thai food was missing tropical cocktails or your favourite tiki bar was missing some Thai tapas, well, Laki Kane is the Angel cocktail bar of your dreams.

We love the kitsch decor of a tiki bar just as much as the potency of the rum in the cocktails, and Laki Kane does not disappoint in either department.

From a Saturday tiki brunch, cocktail masterclasses, rum tastings, and private hire, this is a great spot for a date night but even better for a good night out with the gang.

What's your star sign? Why ask? Because Hoxley & Porter is the only bar on this list to offer a zodiac cocktail menu. Also on offer are a signature cocktail menu and classic fare like rack of lamb and chateaubriand, all in keeping with their decor.

The bar’s love of astrology has also influenced their art deco interior design and furnishings. Small gathering? Book out the stylish Baby Scorpio booth for cocktails. The Mother Scorpio booth can be booked for (you guessed it!) a larger party and if you want to wine and dine.

Upper Street’s Hoxley & Porter is a great Angel cocktail bar for dinner and drinks before heading to the theatre, a comedy show, or just the prequel to an indulgent night of drinking.

Tequila bars are cocktail bars; change our mind.

So when you’re in need of tequila (or mezcal or a margarita) and cocktails with Latin names whose Rs you can only roll when you’ve had a few, Barrio is always the place.

This is another cocktail bar that’s suited to a big night out with the gang. It has the garish colours and decor, the atmosphere, Happy Hour, and the holy trinity of Ts: tequila, tacos, and tunes; need we say anymore?

Fast on its way to becoming as common as a Pret in London, Simmons retro cocktail bars is another late night favourite.

There’s just something about all those neon lights and its penchant for disco, funk and the 80s music that just calls us back again and again.

You know you’re in a cocktail drinking neighbourhood when there’s a Simmons. There’s a drink for everybody, it doesn’t break the bank, and who doesn’t like a boogie under a disco ball?