Sticky floors, jukebox classics, and no suits allowed. London's dive bars flicker between the gritty and the gloriously weird, from 80-year-old Soho members' clubs to East End honky-tonks with taxidermy on every wall.
The full ranking
Sticky floors, jukebox classics, and no suits allowed. London's dive bars flicker between the gritty and the gloriously weird, from 80-year-old Soho members' clubs to East End honky-tonks with taxidermy on every wall.
Bradley's Spanish Bar (Fitzrovia)
A tiny two-floor boozer off Oxford Street with a vinyl jukebox, cold San Miguel, and a red frontage that has barely changed in decades. One of the last honest drinking dens in the West End.
Slim Jim's Liquor Store (Islington)
A red-lit slice of the Lower East Side on Upper Street, with bras hanging from the ceiling, a serious bourbon shelf, and rock and roll until late. As close as London gets to a true American dive.
Trisha's (Soho)
The New Evaristo Club: a basement members' den from another Soho era, all fairy lights, dog-eared photos, and lock-in energy. Ring the buzzer and step into the 1950s.
Aces and Eights Saloon Bar (Tufnell Park)
A rock and roll saloon in Tufnell Park with pizza slices upstairs, metal gigs in the basement, and a jukebox that leans heavy. Beloved by north London's leather-jacket crowd.
The Victoria (Dalston)
A proper Dalston local with a sticky-floored band room out back and a crowd that treats it like a living room. Cheap pints, loud guitars, zero pretence.
Blondies (Clapton)
A neon-soaked rock and roll bar in Lower Clapton modeled on the East Village, with tinnies, tattoos, and DJs spinning punk and garage. Loud, dark, and exactly right.
Old School Yard (London Bridge)
A kitsch retro dive near Borough with school-disco decor, cheap cocktails, and a soundtrack of 80s and 90s throwbacks. Gloriously unserious for the area.
Rasputin's (Hackney)
A red-lit Hackney drinking den that does the dive essentials right: strong pours, a loose late-night crowd, and not a reservation in sight.
The Shacklewell Arms (Hackney Downs)
A Victorian boozer turned indie-music landmark on Shacklewell Lane, with bands in the back room, jerk chicken from the smoker, and a courtyard that draws every Dalston night. Sticky, loud, and beloved.
Garlic & Shots (Soho)
A Soho cellar where the menu is built around garlic in every form and the back bar pours dozens of shots. Punk decor, basement gloom, vampire-proof breath.
Ranked across 5 sources: The Infatuation London · Best Dive Bars 2026; Time Out London · Best Dive Bars 2025; Londonist · Best Dive Bars London 2024; DesignMyNight · Best Dive Bars London 2025; Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (June 2026). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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