Luckily for us, London comes up trumps when it comes to happy hours. Our city may be famed for being a pretty expensive place to live, shop, and drink, but there are plenty of affordable drinks to be found if you know where to look! From big chains dotted about the city to neighbourhood haunts – here’s our rundown of some of the best happy hours in London for you to get your drink on. We’ll cheers to that!
1. Simmons
Chances are, if you’ve ever been out in London, you’ve walked – or maybe stumbled – out of a Simmons at some point. There are currently over 25 different venues dotted about the city, from Angel to Soho and everywhere in between. And that’s a great thing for the nine million people or so that live in our beloved capital, because they’ve got one of the best happy hours in London.
Right — we’ll need a deep breath to list the full selection of deals on offer from Simmons’ happy hour, running Sunday to Friday, 4 – 9pm (or 3 – 8pm in the West End). The deals include:
- Spirit and mixer for £2.50
- Bottle of beer for £3
- Glass of wine for £3
- Double spirit and mixer for £5
- Bottle of wine for £12
- Cocktail teapot for £15
- Shot Bats (6 shots) for £20
- Bottle of Prosecco for £20
As if that wasn’t enough, on Saturday guests can enjoy 2-for-1 deals on cocktails and cocktail teapots for just £15. Phew, what a load of bargains!
📍 Find your nearest Simmons venue at their website.
2. Five Points Taproom & Courtyard
Over in Hackney at this brewery taproom, you’ll find that hallowed thing that all beer drinkers are constantly searching for: a sub-£5 pint. But it’s better than that: happy hour beers at the Five Points Taproom & Courtyard come in at under £4 a pint! The beer is some of the freshest in town, brewed mere steps away from the bar and served directly from tanks. Every Thursday and Friday between 5-7pm, you can enjoy tank-fresh beer for just £3.99 a pint.
📍 61 Mare Street, London, E8 4RG.
🚇 Nearest stations are London Fields and Cambridge Heath.
3. Lost and Found
Image: @lostandfoundbar, via IG
This friendly and easy-going little cocktail bar is set right in the heart of Balham, with charmingly kitschy decor and spectacular cocktails. Lost and Found is the kind of place where if something ain’t on the menu, just ask and they’ll rustle something up for you. And they also have a banging happy hour. Discounts are available here every day until 7pm, when guests can enjoy two cocktails for the price of one. Or on Mondays, you can enjoy £6.50 cocktails all night long. Cheers to that!
📍 10 Bedford Hill, SW12 9RG.
🚇 Nearest station is Balham.
4. The Natural Philosopher
What happens when you combine a Mac repair shop with a cocktail bar? You get the cult East London drinking destination, The Natural Philosopher. And amidst the museum-like collection of retro Apple products, or tucked away in the back room, guests can sip on unique cocktail creations at a steal of a price. Pop down between 6 – 8pm (yes, even on the weekend) to enjoy any two of their elevated classic cocktails for just £16.
📍 489 Hackney Road, Hackney, E2 9ED. Inside the MacSmiths Apple Mac repair store.
🚇 Nearest station is Cambridge Heath.
5. Plaquemine Lock
Image: @plaqueminelock, via IG
Plaquemine Lock is one of London’s must-visit foodie pubs, offering up a rare chance in our city to chow down on Cajun and Creole food. (It’s also just a stunning boozer in general.) But it’s also home to another of London’s extremely generous happy hours, which stretches across both cut-price food and drink options. Take advantage of the following deals between 4-6pm during the week, or between 11am-12pm on weekends and bank holidays:
- £1 oysters
- £1 shrimp
- £2 Cajun fries
- £3 bacon beignet
- £4 pint
- £4 house wine
- £5 Margarita
- £5 Bloody Mary
- £5 Mimosa
📍 139 Graham Street, N1 8LB.
🚇 Nearest station is Angel.
6. Be At One
Image: @beatone.monument, via IG
An ideal spot for kicking off any night, Be At One is another multi-branch chain found all over our beloved London Town. And they’ve got some impressive happy hour deals to tempt you in. You can score 2-4-1 cocktails from around 5 until 8pm (venue dependent) – and that includes ALL of the cocktails on the menu. Just missed the fun, or want to extend the deals for longer? The Be At One app allows you to add on an extra ‘Appi Hour’ for even more cut-price drinking.
📍 Find your nearest Be At One here.
7. Jack Solomons Club
Image: @jacksolomonssoho, via IG
This Soho speakeasy was once the boxing gym where the namesake boxing legend from the ’40s and ’50s used to train. Now it’s an opulent drinking den, with plenty of deals to be had. If you head down on a Wednesday, you can enjoy ‘Old Fashioned Wednesday‘, when guests can enjoy a house Old Fashioned for just £5 (!). They also cut the price of their house cocktails in half for ‘Thirsty Thursday‘ every Thursday from 6-9pm. We’ll take four, thanks!
📍 41 Great Windmill Street, W1D 7NB.
🚇 Nearest station is Piccadilly Circus.
8. Corrochio’s
Over in Dalston, this Mexican restaurant serves up a slice of sunshine, some top-class Mexican food, and banging margaritas. Oh, and if you time your visit right, you can get those margaritas for a steal of a price. Every day from 6 – 7pm, they serve up their Classic Margarita for just £8. This deal also extends to their downstairs Corrochio’s Cantina. Guests who order a Margarita or a Tommy’s Margarita before 7pm can enjoy it for a measly £8.
📍 70-74 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, N16 7XB.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
9. 73 Enid Street
Image: @73enidst, via IG
Here’s a spot for those who want their beer as crafty as possible, as fresh as possible, and as deliciously hoppy as possible. 73 Enid Street is the London taproom for Manchester-based hop-forward brewery, Cloudwater, and they serve up the freshest Cloudwater beer outside of Manchester! Every Monday, they slash a pound off the prices on their core range of beers, which includes a variety of ultra-fresh pales ales, lager, and more.
📍 73 Enid Street, SE16 3RA.
🚇 Nearest station is Bermondsey.
10. LAVO
Image: @lavolondon, via IG
Tucked away inside the BoTree hotel, you’ll find LAVO, which serves up a slice of Italian coastal flair. And if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, be sure to check out their Sip & Shuck Happy Hour. During the week, between 5-7pm, guests can enjoy two oysters and two two-sip martinis for just £10. Drop in, throw back the oyster and the martini, and head on out, freshly rejuvenated, to take on the town.
📍 30 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2DR.
🚇 Nearest station is Bond Street.
11. Barrio
This lively chain, which includes what they’ve termed ‘the largest tequila bar in the world‘, brings party vibes to guests in the form of countless events, live performances, and kick-ass cocktails. Each bar has its own Happy Hour, where cocktails are 2-4-1, usually from around 4 or 5 until 8pm. They’ve also slashed the prices of some of their most popular drinks, offering £4.50 bottles of Madri and £3.50 shots of tequila.
Be sure not to miss out on Barrio’s incredible bottomless brunches either – with themes and games that range from bingo all the way to Cardi B.
📍 Find your nearest Barrio venue at their website.
12. Lucy Wong
This literary-inspired cocktail bar simply oozes sophistication and decadence. It hearkens back to a bygone era whilst remaining resolutely modern. And thanks to Happy Hours At Lucy’s, you can get a taste of the high life at not-so-high prices. From Tuesday to Friday between 5-7pm, all cocktails are available in a 2-4-1 deal.
📍 33-34 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JN.
🚇 Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
13. Speedboat Bar
Image: @speedboatbar, via IG
This raucous Thai drinking and dining establishment brings spiced-up party vibes to London. Speedboat Bar is just as passionate about its blazing hot Thai food as it is about keeping the good vibes going all night. During Happy Hour (which is seven days a week from 3-6pm, and 10pm to close), popular drinks like the Snake Blood Negroni, Whisky and Soda, and Tommy Goes to Thailand cost just £7.50. Or, opt for their ‘555’ offering that gets you a Leo beer, a cocktail, and a chaser, all for just £15.
📍 30 Rupert Street, W1D 6DL.
🚇 Nearest station is Piccadilly Circus.
14. Downstairs at Sucre
Head beneath Soho’s Sucre restaurant and you’ll find the Downstairs at Sucre bar, a seductive spot for agave and mezcal sipping. It’s the perfect place for cocktails after work or before a night out, thanks to a generous Happy Agave Hour. Cocktails are just £8 between 5-8pm from Wednesday to Friday, ranging from the El Diez to the Spicy Pichon and the La Noche.
📍 47 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JP.
🚇 The nearest station is Oxford Circus.
15. Piazza Italiana
This stunning Italian restaurant is housed inside a Grade II-listed building and boasts high ceilings, ornate chandeliers, and vast windows that fill the space with light. It also boasts a pretty handy deal for thirsty Londoners. On Mondays, they cut the price of their drinks in half from 4pm onwards – with no limitations! Even the fanciest, bougiest sips on their menu can be yours for half the normal price. Why not take the chance to sample some champers, or cheers with a luxurious cocktail?
📍 38 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AY.
🚇 The nearest stations are Bank and Liverpool Street.
16. UBA
UBA is coming to the rescue for those worn down by the 9-5 grind, with an UBA After Hours happy hour. Head down during the week between 5-7pm to enjoy cocktails for £9 or mocktails for just £7. Choose from the likes of the UBA Colada and the White Mocha Martini, or opt for the non-alcoholic Passion Zen if you’re being good.
📍 61-67 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3HU.
🚇 Nearest stations are Old Street and Shoreditch High Street.
17. The Lock Tavern
Camden’s The Lock Tavern is a buzzing, historic spot with a lush rooftop terrace, banging food, and a beer garden to boot. As well as being a great spot to hang out, the boozer also offers a bloody great cocktail deal throughout the week. From Monday to Thursday, between 4-8pm, you can order any two of their cocktails for just £15. Since some of the drinks cost £12 during normal service, that’s like getting a free second cocktail!
📍 35 Chalk Farm Road, Chalk Farm, NW1 8AJ.
🚇 Nearest station is Chalk Farm.
18-19. Blackhorse Beer Mile
Instead of one venue for a cheap night out, how about a bunch of them all clustered along the same alcohol-fuelled destination? Over on the Blackhorse Beer Mile a several beer taprooms and breweries, and even an urban winery, are ready and waiting for you. Make that beer crawl a little less damaging on the wallet with these happy hour deals:
🍻 Over at Exale Brewing, several happy hour deals await the thirsty. On Thursdays and Sundays, they offer select pints for just £4 (excluding Bank holidays of match days). For the less beer-inclined, their Happy Friday Nights deal finds them shaking up cocktails in a 2-for-£13 deal every Friday all the way through to the wee hours of the morning. And if you’re there on a Thursday, enjoy a 25% discount on all bottles of wine.
🍻 Pretty Decent Beer Co.’s has a special offer that allows guests to enjoy their newest and freshest beers at a steal of a price. Every Thursday, they host ‘First Pour Thursday’ where you can try their weekly beer specials for just £4 a pint.
📍 The Blackhorse Beer Mile is found just a few minutes walk from Blackhorse Road station, Walthamstow.
20. Bar Salsa!
Image: @bar_salsa_soho, via IG
Somewhat of a London institution, Bar Salsa! is another venue that cranks up the party vibes. These lively spots bring Latin American vibes with pumping tunes, colourful decor, and all the energy you’d expect in this kind of place. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that they have weekly salsa classes, but they’ve also got a banging deal to tempt you along. The Bar Salsa! Happy Hour cuts drink prices in half every day between 4-8pm. With deals like that, you’re in for a great night out without breaking the bank!
📍 96 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JG, and Temple Place, WC2R 2PH.
🚇 Nearest stations are Tottenham Court Road or Covent Garden, and Temple.
21. The Regent
Image: @theregent, via IG
This local independent boozer whips up a great happy hour if you’re knocking about the Islington area. On Mondays and Tuesdays, you can chow down on two for £18 across all pizzas and mains. They also do a cheeky cocktail deal, with two for £12 cocktails (two of the same), from Wednesday – Friday betwen 5-7pm. They’ll also tempt you to leave work early with their £5 pint happy hour on Fridays, from 2-6pm.
📍 201-203 Liverpool Road, N1 1LX.
🚇 Nearest station is Angel.
22. The Three Crowns
This large Stokey pub is pretty much an institution in this area of London. They whip up a great roast, host events pretty much every night of the week, and serve up an impressive roster of beers. But perhaps the best thing about The Three Crowns is the happy hour, which runs Monday to Friday, from 4 – 7pm. You’ll get two cocktails for 15 quid and select pints for under £4. A steal!
📍 175 Stoke Newington High Street, Stoke Newington, N16 0LH.
🚇 Nearest station is Stoke Newington.
23. The Lock Inn Camden
This recently opened addition to Camden offers up raucous vibes, a seemingly never-ending array of events, and a smashing happy hour. Or should we say happy hours – because the deals here last for a whopping four hours every single day! Between 5-9pm, you can get your hands on two cocktails for the price of one. We’ll meet you there! The first round’s on you, right?
📍 2 Jamestown Road, London, NW1 7BY.
🚇 Nearest station is Camden Town.
So there you have it – a roundup of some of the best happy hours in London. Given that prices just keep going up and up, there’s no better time to make use of these fantastic deals.