The 11 best bars in Canary Wharf

Listen: if you scanned this list of Canary Wharf bars and were immediately pulled in by this headline. Are you okay? No one needs a drink at 8 a.m. You are not Hunter S. Thompson. You have responsibilities. 8 a.m. is for granola, it's for podcasts and Aeropress coffee.

For those wanting a great bar in the heart of Canary Wharf, this should do it. TwoRuba is an elegant bar space on the wharf's buzzing South Quay. The vibe is corporate luxe, with suited bartenders making decent drinks and enough bar food to make you feel a little less guilty about the number of £10 Vespas you've sunk on a Thursday afternoon.

As mentioned, TwoRuba is open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m., so whether you’re looking for the perfect spot to enjoy some 'coffee' in the morning or evening drinks - this is a really versatile location.

Do you remember being a child? Do you remember the warm feel of copper as you gingerly approached the 2-pence coin pusher? Do you recall the squawk of gulls fighting over a dropped cone of chips? Hark back to the smell of freshly cooked doughnuts, rickety waltzers and bored teens overseeing heavy machinery.

Okay, so Fair Game is a little more polished than the idealised drear of England's countless despoiled seaside towns, but the idea is the same.

Adults, having fun, getting drunk and eventually succumbing to the swirl of flashing lights and carnival soundtrack.

Their aptly named Carousel bar delivers all the atmosphere of the fair and plenty of room to mingle. With a fully stocked bar and standing space for up to 100 people, this semi-private spot gives you all the bright lights and buzz of our gaming era with plenty of space to amuse yourselves.

Next on our list of best bars in Canary Wharf is Pergola on the Wharf. This location is split into two areas: bar and rooftop terrace, which are both surrounded by beautifully grown vines and flowers.

If you’ve ever been to Canary Wharf, chances are you’ve unknowingly passed Pergola on the Wharf’s garden escape, which can be reached through the Crossrail Place roof garden.

A true HeadBox favourite – walking into Pergola feels like entering Kew Gardens, only you can order a drink, order another drink and then embarrass yourself on the dancefloor. With waterside views and a whopping 700-person capacity, it’s a unique opportunity for a memorable night. And you can’t say that about Kew Gardens.

If the intricately planned ground level of Canary Wharf makes you want to climb 39 floors, pour a stiff drink and look over the city, Bōkan does the job with a flair.

You'll find this restaurant and bar offering European cultural cuisines and cocktails spread across three high-rise floors of Novotel London. The main bar itself is situated on the 38th floor with the obligatory views across Canary Wharf and London. Of course, a roof terrace can be found on the 39th floor – and it is quite the view.

To some, gaming bars are the dialectic to end all dialectics. A beautiful interplay of margaritas and Italian plumbers, craft beers and street fighting, snacks and Team Death Match.

Socialising is always better with a healthy dose of competition and nothing says competition quite like lobbing out a blue shell, and wiping the smug look off your mate's face. Canary Wharf is the second of the Platform outlets (there’s also one in Shoreditch), and the simple idea is brought to its perfect form.

Platform is a great Canary Wharf bar for a team night out, it's available for full venue hire across two floors and can accommodate up to 260 guests with up to 90 gaming capacity at any one time, and two bar areas for dining and drinking.

Picture the scene: A dim, moody wine bar jutting out over the glittering waters of Canary Wharf. You’re there with your soul mate, getting lost in each other’s eyes. Enter a waiter stage left.

“And what wine would you like?”

It’s the question you feared. Bullets of sweat are dripping down your neck. In your head a quick list of words flurries through your mind: ‘red’, ‘white’, ‘pink’. You open your mouth and stammer “Jacob’s Creek?”

If this sounds like an all too plausible nightmare you might want to try Vagabond. A new iteration of the tried and tested wine bar; automatic wine dispensing machines respond to your top-up card, gushing out streams of the good stuff at your request. It's a great place to drink absurd amounts of alcoholic grape juice without ever feeling shamed by the judgmental look of a knowing waiter. Machines don't care – they just pour.

If you’re from London you have probably heard of The Breakfast Club and maybe even tried it out to see what all the hype was about (it is justified). But did you know that they don’t just do breakfast, they also have a pub?

Open from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., The Breakfast Club Pub just had to be on our best bars in Canary Wharf list. Here, beer is considered breakfast (they do serve food as well) and no one will tell you it’s too early to drink. So what are you waiting for?

Book now, because if you’ve ever been to The Breakfast Club, you know there's tight competition for the tables.

A seasonal feature on the list of best bars in Canary Wharf is Spritz On The Square. Located on Cabot Square right in the heart of Canary Wharf, this alfresco pop-up is only available during summer, so make sure you try it out before it’s gone.

If it's no longer summer, bookmark it, take a screenshot – do whatever you must to remember it the next time summer rolls around.

Powered by Seignette, you can find cocktails and G&Ts on the menu and wind down on the casual French elegance-inspired terrace. Oh, and this bar not only has a unique theme - it has not one, but TWO bars and we all know two is better than one.

Whether you have been to the Oktoberfest in Munich before or not, this best bar in Canary Wharf is one for beer lovers.

Munich Cricket Club combines the traditional Bierkeller atmosphere with a beer garden and offers authentic Bavarian beer, as well as traditional food. Wurst, pretzels, and beer anyone?

This will definitely be less crowded than the actual Oktoberfest. And while many Londoners complain about the trip out to Canary Wharf, this would be less expensive than travelling all the way to Munich.

We’ve already established earlier that games and drinks just pair very nicely together. So it is no surprise that Electric Shuffle is one of the best bars in Canary Wharf. We're very competitive people at HeadBox if you haven't noticed yet.

Whether you make this a work event or a meet-up with your friends, just make sure you book to avoid disappointment, but once that’s out the way the only thing left is to crown the Electric Shuffle winner and celebrate with drinks!

Located right near the water and in the heart of Canary Wharf, No.35 Mackenzie Walk is the best bar in Canary Wharf for after-work drinks. Here you can soak up the atmosphere of the area alongside handpicked playlists and a wide variety of drinks. No.35 Mackenzie Walk’s menu features a variety of drinks to relieve the stress of a long day.

But, what makes this place truly interesting is their CBD section on the menu. You can choose one of three drinks that are induced with 15mg CBD - now if this isn’t the best bar in Canary Wharf for after-work drinks, we'll be damned. We fully recommend the Old Fashioned – just look at it.