Not drinking has become the thing to do in recent years. It’s pretty standard practice these days to take a bit of a break from the booze with multiple stopgaps throughout the year that encourage (nay, enable) this choice - Dry January and Sober October we’re looking at you. There’s even Dry July if you’re in desperate need of a third interval mid-year. For some, 30 days of going alcohol-free is the perfect way to start the year, giving your liver some recovery time, improving your sleep, giving your wallet a little relief… the list goes on.
For others, choosing not to drink alcohol is a lifestyle choice and one that doesn’t end on the 31 January. Then there are those who flirt with abstinence, opting for low-alcohol equivalents or only drinking occasionally. Whatever your reason for staying off the sauce, and there are many merits to doing so, not drinking can be a little tricky to navigate when it comes to social situations. Particularly if you're planning an evening out.
So, if you’re sick of ordering diet cokes or can’t stomach another lime and soda, the good news is that London’s drinking scene has come on leaps and bounds on the non-alcoholic front. No longer does an establishment’s booze-free bounty seem like an afterthought, with most bars in London offering a range of non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails that are just as compelling as their traditional counterparts.
Now don’t get us wrong - these places are also fantastic if you are on the wagon, but that’s kind of intentional. Whether you’ve chosen to cut the juice completely, enjoy the odd tipple here or there or downright just love a proper pina colada, we’ve chosen bars that cater sufficiently to everyone. Here’s where to drink in London if you’re not drinking. Or even if you (kind of) are. You do you.
Ginger Lily Bar & Lounge, Liverpool Street
![ginger lily bar]()
What: Pan Pacific boasts a slick, sophisticated bars inside, which serves a bevy of excellent non-alcoholic cocktails. Head to the relaxed Ginger Lily Bar for something fresh and fruity, like the Endless Joy (pineapple juice, yuzu hot sauce, lime juice and grapefruit soda).
Where: Pan Pacific London, 80 Houndsditch, EC3A 7AB
Book now: Ginger Lily Bar & Lounge
The Chelsea Bar at 11 Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea
![barman making cocktail]()
What: There’s an exclusive, secluded nature to The Chelsea Bar at 11 Cadogan Gardens that always makes it one of our favourite spots - despite being just a minute or two from Sloane Square it feels like a real if-you-know-you-know hangout. A great selection of softs and virgin cocktails (we love the Garden Spritz, made with elderflower cordial, cucumber, lemon juice, and soda) puts this high on our list of wholesome places to spend Dry January
Where: 11 Cadogan Gardens, SW3 2RJ
Book now: The Chelsea Bar at 11 Cadogan Gardens
Coupette, Bethnal Green
![Counter top dining and cocktail with tacos]()
What: Coupette is ever reliable for those who want some cocktail innovation, and the world-class mixology team delivers lots of excitement on the non-alcoholic front too. Coupette’s Pinada (double pineapple, coconut sorbet and roasted pineapple soda) is so good you might never go back to a Pina Colada.
Where: 423 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AN
Book now: Coupette
Hithe + Seek, City of London
![hithe seek dining room]()
What: Not just an excellent wine bar, Hithe + Seek also boasts a superb cocktail list and lots of great soft options, as well as that lovely panoramic view out over the River Thames. If you love a fresh, fruity cocktail, give the EC4V Spritz (passion fruit purée, peach purée, raspberry purée, and white peach and jasmine soda) a go. The bar stocks a range of nice Fever Tree and London Essence soft drinks too, so there’s something for everyone here.
Where: 60 Upper Thames Street, EC4V 3AD
Book now: Hithe + Seek
Nightjar, Shoreditch
![the bar seating area at Nightjar]()
What: This Shoreditch favourite requires customers to locate its anonymous wooden door before entering the speakeasy-style bar, designed to evoke the old-school glamour of the roaring twenties via a schedule of live jazz, golden era cocktails and vintage spirits. It’s great if you're drinking, and just as good if you’re not. The main list is divided into four sections - Pre-Prohibition, Prohibition, Post-War and Nightjar Signatures - but you’ll find a page devoted to low and no alcohol suggestions that are just as punchy as the booze-filled ones. Look out for Passion De Coco made with Seedlip Grove 42, coconut orgeat, coconut water, and lemongrass.
Where: 129 City Road, EC1V 1JB
Book now: Nightjar
Eve Bar, Covent Garden
![a selection of drinks at Eve Bar]()
What: Putting the same level of intricate creation into his drinks as he does his food, Eve Bar by Adam Handling is showcasing a variety of unique ways of utilising food in its cocktails. Elements of the drinks are frozen, fermented and carbonated, using the 'waste' from the chef's restaurant, Frog by Adam Handling, in these creations. A few of the drinks are also available in non-alcoholic form - we're obsessed with the Cream Soda, which mixes up cream soda, Everleaf Mountain, pink grapefruit soda, and strawberry jam into a jammy, fruity, nostalgic wonder-drink.
Where: 34 Southampton Street, WC2E 7HF
Book Now: Eve Bar
The Little Blue Door, Fulham
![cosy seating area at The Little Blue Door]()
What: Don’t be tricked into thinking you’ve got the wrong number when entering this famed restaurant and bar, which is designed in the style of a faux flatshare. Coffee tables and bookshelves aside, it’s an undeniably homely place to grab a drink with mates. There’s also a few mocktail options on the menu featuring the Catch Me If You Can made with apple, pineapple, mint, ginger, smoked rosemary and lime, all mixed together for a fruity fusion that’s served on the rocks.
Where: 871-873 Fulham Road, SW6 5HP
Book now: The Little Blue Door
Artesian at The Langham, Marylebone
![mixologists making cocktails at Artesian]()
What: Whatever you’re sipping on is guaranteed to taste fantastic when you’re in the surrounds of one of London’s plushest hotels. Artesian at The Langham has a rep as one of London's most innovative cocktail bars, and the recently reinvented menu puts the focus on ‘ingredients of the future’ - like insects, pandan, tiger nuts and kombu. Rather than creating a separate non-alcoholic drinks menu, many of its signature cocktails are available with booze and without, reworking each one with slight twists to make them non-alcoholic.
Where: 1C Portland Place, W1B 1JA
Book now: Artesian
34 Mayfair, Mayfair
![restaurant seating at 34 Mayfair]()
What: At one end of 34 Mayfair’s art-deco dining room is a sleek marble bar where you can order a series of artfully-created cocktails, with a lot, a little or zero alcohol. Opt for Something Low if you're drinking mindfully, or go for a fresh, fruity Lychee Blossom (lychee juice, jasmine tea, honey, strawberry, and lemon) if you're steering completely free of the hard stuff.
Where: 34 Grosvenor Square, W1K 2HD
Book now: 34 Mayfair
Rockwell at The Trafalgar, St James's
![the bar seating area at Rockwell]()
What: There are only a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu at Rockwell at The Trafalgar, but the level of culinary skill and artistry that goes into each one boosts their value ten-fold. Where some bars are happy to keep things simple, Rockwell goes the extra mile with non-alcoholic mixes that are really playful with flavours, for example, the Sofia, which combines Lyres Dark Cane non-alcoholic rum with lychee, coconut, citrus, and a fresh bergamot and grapefruit tonic. We'd happily drink one of those on every visit. Bonus points for the decor, which has a lovely relaxed rainforest vibe about it.
Where: 2 Spring Gardens, SW1A 2TS
Book now: Rockwell
The Bar Below, Mayfair
![Below at HIDE bar]()
What: Aptly named The Bar Below, for this is indeed a basement bar located underneath main restaurant HIDE. Here you'll discover a range of alcohol-forward and lighter tipples to quench your thirst. A decent number of its signature cocktails can be ordered without alcohol and all are based around seasonal ingredients - think light and floral in summer and a little heftier in winter.
Where: 85 Piccadilly, W1J 7NB
Book now: Below at HIDE
Baccarat Bar, Knightsbridge
![the seating area at Baccarat Bar]()
What: With red velvet seating, hanging chandeliers and a brass detailed bar, Baccarat Bar is everything you'd expect from Harrods, guaranteed to provide an evening of glitz and glam. Believe us when we say that this bar is stepping up the game with these creative cocktails - and mocktails! Each drink comes as part of a pair, that's inspired by a classic flavour combination and a photography effect. For example, the Manhattan Project and the Coque & Smoke are both inspired by lens flare, and take a playful twist on the idea of colour inversion with these takes on a whisky and coke - just without the whisky of course!
Where: 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL
Book now: Baccarat Bar
The Permit Room at Dishoom, King’s Cross
![bar seating area at Dishoom King's Cross]()
What: Dishoom’s Permit Room is a nod to the personal permits required by law in Bombay for people to drink on medical grounds. Dishoom has always led the way on excellent alcohol free options (or Teetotal Tipples as you'll see on the menu), which includes a number of cocktails made with no or very little alcohol. The sober menu also features non-alcoholic wine, beer and a number of refreshing lassis and coolers.
Where: 5 Stable Street, N1C 4AB
Book now: Dishoom King’s Cross
If you're looking for more places to gather the crew for a drink, alcoholic or otherwise, check out our list of the best pubs all over London.