Oxo Tower (bar)

Billed as a destination bar rather than a simple holding area for the Brasserie, this adjunct to the Oxo Tower experience gets ticks from design divas for its cosy yellow tub chairs, love-seats & silver bar stools. The outdoor terrace seats overlooking the glittering Thames can’t be booked, but on-form staff ensure that no one runs dry. Clever cocktails reference the capital, from London Calling (Beefeater dry gin, sloe gin, dry vermouth & orange bitters) to Port of London (port & gin mixed with homemade lime cordial & lemon). If you haven’t bagged a table in the brasserie, the bar food offers a taster of the kitchen’s skills, from bowls of roasted spiced tomato & red pepper soup to open steak sandwiches with horseradish crème fraîche & chips.