London cocktail bars: Satan’s Whiskers voted number one cocktail bar in the UK in top awards
East London bar Satan’s Whiskers has been voted the best cocktail bar in the UK in a top awards ceremony


Satan’s Whiskers, located in Bethnal Green, has been voted the number one cocktail bar in the UK in this year’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars, sponsored by Franklin & Sons. The unassuming cocktail bar has jumped up four places from last year, serving up its ever changing cocktails to its loyal customers for over a decade.
Satan’s Whiskers changes its cocktail menu on a daily basis, with a focus on exceptional classic cocktails with a twist. Tripadvisor reviews rave about the quirky cocktail bar, with one reviewer stating it’s their “favourite bar in London”, while others claim that it’s the “best spot in town to have fun”.
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London dominates this year’s list with 23 bars in the Top 50 spots including the highest new entrant Soma, based in Soho in London. This modern and minimalist cocktail bar serves up Indian influenced cocktails and is set around a magnificent sleek stainless-steel island where bartenders shake up drinks all evening.
In third is Tayēr + Elementary, based in East-London. Established in 2019 and set up in two parts, Elementary serves up classic cocktails from a draught system and Tayēr is where the theatre of bartending takes form, with a menu of drinks that focus on seasonality.
Outside of the capital, last year’s winner, Cardiff’s Lab-22 just missed out on the top spot. The standout bar is known for its innovative and daring cocktail menu.
Yorkshire claimed five of the Top 50 spots including Public in Sheffield. Scotland also secured five spots on the 2023 list, with Panda & Sons, a prohibition-style speakeasy set in Edinburgh – coming in at number six on the list.
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Chris Lowe, publisher of Top 50 Cocktail Bars, said: “Whilst London continues to dominate this year’s list, it is very exciting to see other major cities across the UK make their mark. The ever-growing interest in cocktails and bartending within the UK means we are spoilt for choice on where to go, and this list allows for the best of the UK bar scene to have a spotlight placed on them – and for consumers to find these hidden gems.”
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars in 2023


- Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green, London
- Lab 22, Cardiff
- Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch, London
- SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester
- Swift, Soho, London
- Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
- Three Sheets, Dalston, London
- Speak in Code, Manchester
- Bar with Shapes for a Name, Hackney, London
- The Connaught, Mayfair, London
- Little Mercies, Crouch End, London
- Couch, Birmingham
- Bramble, Edinburgh
- The Pineapple Club, Birmingham
- Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
- Disrepute, Soho, London
- Artesian, Oxford Circus, London
- Hideout, Bath
- Nightjar, Shoreditch, London
- Present Company, Liverpool
- Publiq, South Kensington, London
- Scarfes Bar, Holborn, London
- Lyaness, South Bank, London
- Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum, Chinatown, London
- The Absent Ear, Glasgow
- Happiness Forgets, Hoxton, London
- Hey Palu, Edinburgh
- Filthy XIII, Bristol
- Homeboy, Islington, London
- Soma, Soho, London
- Coupette, Bethnal Green, London
- Passing Fancies, Birmingham
- Bar Termini, Soho, London
- Seed Library, Shoreditch, London
- Murder Inc, Soho, London
- Penny Royal, Cardiff
- Callooh Callay, Shoreditch, London
- Silverleaf, Liverpool St, London
- Public, Sheffield
- Fox & Chance, Birmingham
- Blinker, Manchester
- Below Stairs, Leeds
- Milk Thistle, Bristol
- Gungho!, Brighton
- Hedonist, Leeds
- Amaro, Kensington, London
- Cottonmouth, Nottingham
- Tabula Rasa, Leeds
- Lunar, Glasgow
- Bench, Sheffield