Our selection of the best South Kensington cocktail bars

The Owl & Monkey cocktail bar belongs to the upscale hotel-cum-serviced apartment, the Other House. The owl and monkey, along with jungle flora and fauna, are recurring motifs in the bar’s swish and elegant decor.

Known for its boutique menu of signature cocktails, including the Monkey See, Monkey Do and the Night Owl, this South Kensington cocktail bar is also a top destination for classic cocktails in its chic jewel-toned space, and makes for an ideal location for private parties with a maximum capacity of 70 people.

Publiq is a little gem of a South Kensington cocktail bar and restaurant – it’s petite and cosy with a modern, relaxed, unfussy ambiance, and the most casual cocktail bar on our list.

Publiq selects ingredients at the peak of their flavour and uses them in a minimalistic way to create award-winning and seasonal craft cocktails. Made with homemade hand-cut ice and lots of love. With such passion and obsession for flavour, we love the way Publiq approaches classic and modern drinks.

If you’re looking for sensibly-priced, good cocktails, or looking for an intimate space for a celebration or date night in South Kensington, then we highly recommend Publiq. You can hire out the seven seats at the U-shaped bar or opt for a semi-private hire of its 12-person lounge space.

On the lower ground floor of 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel near South Ken tube station, you’ll find the swanky little ESQ Bar. It’s known for its signature cocktails made with homemade infused spirits inspired by Asian flavours. Upscale, dimly lit, and everything you would expect from a South Kensington cocktail bar.

Of its ‘Reiki Signature’ cocktails, we recommend the Jasmine made with Saukura Vermouth, Prosecco, and Muyu Jasmine Liqueur. Fan favourites also include the fruity and sour Exotic Bliss, and the Shochu Gibson made with the Japanese sweet potato spirit that has a whisky-like taste, shochu. Go for the cocktails, stay for the live jazz.

The Vietnamese restaurant and cocktail bar Nam Long has had a riotous past since it opened its doors in the late ‘80s. Popular in the ‘90s with celebrities, royalty, and bankers, it is most notable for being the haunt of the infamous CSFB team of bankers nicknamed the ‘Flaming Ferraris’ after Nam Long’s signature cocktail of rum and chartreuse that’s set aflame.

This South Kensington cocktail bar is cosy and dimly lit, offering upscale Vietnamese dishes in a setting of tealights, red velvet booths, and sheer curtains. There’s also a private dining space called the ‘Opium Lounge’ – you get the vibe.

The Flaming Ferrari is just one offering in its cocktail repertoire. Price tag aside, Nam Long continues to stand its ground as one of South Ken’s best cocktail bars.

Neighbouring both the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal College of Music, Bar 190 is The Gore Hotel’s famous cocktail bar. Images of the Rolling Stones album launch party for their 1968 album Beggar’s Banquet, which was held at Bar 190, decorate the walls.

The interior is what you expect from a South Kensington cocktail bar – original wood panelling and lavish furnishings. It’s the opposite of a dive bar one typically associates with Rock ‘N’ Roll, but then, it is the kind of place you could imagine the Stones throwing a party.

So, if you’re after a very fancy affair and want to get a taste of Rock ‘n’ Roll history, Bar 190 is the spot.

Located in the Kensington Hotel near South Kensington tube station, the K Bar pitches itself as a discreet and elegant cocktail bar and we won’t disagree. Oak panels, polished brass accents, mirrored walls, a green marble bar top, and deep-buttoned, velvet-upholstered stools leave us without any other word but ‘sophisticated’ to describe this South Kensington cocktail bar.

Artisan gin, fine whiskey, and cocktails spanning both classic and contemporary concoctions. Like most things in South Ken, it’s the kind of cocktail bar for when you’re feeling flush or have a special occasion to celebrate. The kind of place you want to smoke a cigar in and raise your pinky whilst you sip a martini.