“I’m A Food Journalist & Here Are My Top Martinis In London”

The martini is a very personal thing; not only is it marmite, but there are many ways to customise the traditional martini for it to suit your fancy. The everyday martini drinker, like myself, has their martini order, and they often do not stray. For me, it is a very cold, extra dirty vodka martini with olives (with pits), shaken until my hands freeze and savoury enough to be considered brine.

For others, it’s gin with a twist, and for many, it’s nothing at all. But for many, martinis are just coming into focus as the cult drink has its moment on the main stage.

1. Best affordable martini

Chishuru, Spiced Okra Martini, £15

Now, I know £15 for a martini is not necessarily a bargain, but, boy, have martinis become quite the expense on a cocktail menu. There are such things as little pours equating to £10 (although you’ll never catch me with a short pour), but there are also martinis on menus that should be expensive, but are actually quite affordable. If you’re interested in the mythical 2-martini cutoff at DUKES, but not interested in the £60 ticket afterwards, you can still get cut off at Chishuru for just half the price.

Plus, there’s something to be said about the more affordable martini at Chishuru, given the distinction in which Chishuru holds. Not only is Chishuru owned and operated by the first black woman to have a Michelin star in the UK (Joké Bakare), but it is also one of the most exciting Michelin menus in the city, taking Nigerian comfort foods and transforming them into a fine dining experience (minus the usual stuffiness). Not only is a spiced okra martini for £15 a privilege in that dining room, but it is also a pleasure. 

Read my full Chishuru review

Where: 3 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 8AX
Website: www.chishuru.com

2. Best expensive martini

DUKES Bar, many martinis £25-£35

Now, onto the big dog. The martini that defines all martinis — iconic, intimidating, and entirely synonymous with DUKES Bar.

I’ve had the honour of drinking two martinis here, which, for those in the know, is a personal best. Not by choice, but by house rules. DUKES, to put it simply, is London’s spiritual home of the classic cocktail, where the craft feels sacred, and the hands behind the bar carry an authority granted by the gods.

Once you’ve settled on your martini, the ritual begins. A trolley glides over, and your drink is built tableside — stirred, expressed, and finished exactly to your specification, before being poured into a frozen, frosted glass. It is pristine, strong, and demands to be taken as a sloth… at least at first. Because somewhere between that first sip and the last, restraint tends to slip, and suddenly ordering something like a chocolate orange martini feels not only reasonable, but necessary.

Where: 35 St James’s Pl, London SW1A 1NY
Website: www.dukeshotel.com

3. Best new(ish) martini

The Salusbury, martini £12 w/ parmesan churros £6.50

The Salusbury has been around for a long time — since the 80s, in fact — so calling it new would, without context, be slightly misleading. But, it was only last summer when The Salusbury relaunched under new ownership, a completely revitalised dining room and pub that has maintained the haunt’s historic status as a local institution and genuine neighbourhood spot. Whilst the first two spots are a bit of a fancy treat, a sexy date night, perhaps, The Salusbury is more of a chilled affair. Maybe not post work, as it’s a bit out of the way, but an impromptu sip, for sure. 

To me, The Salusbury is perfect for a couple of drinks and an early night — perhaps some pasta — but a martini and an order of the Parmesan churros is, quite simply, the order.

And I stand by that. This isn’t one for kings; it’s for girls in breezy outfits who’ve hit their 10k steps and are ready for something strong paired with a gossip and a starter that might slightly betray the tummy the next day. This, in every sense, is my ideal 4pm lupper order.

Where: 50 – 52 Salusbury Road, London, United Kingdom NW6 6NN
Website: www.thesalusbury.co.uk

4. Best looking martini

The Mulwray, extra dirty Belvedere martini £13

If you haven’t read my full review of Evelyn’s Table, you probably should do that now. It’s the ultimate secret spot (not that secret, but I’m an optimist). A Michelin-starred counter hidden beneath a classic pub, and a wine bar hidden above that. It is the perfect day in — a couple of pints of lager in the sun, five courses in the basement, and a martini on the first floor with olives the size of my fist. 

The lighting: impeccable. The food: to die for. The vibes: unmatched. The martini: filthy. I know it may be sacrilege to get a martini in a wine bar, a wine bar with an impeccable wine list and geniuses working the floor, but I’m not one for limits and bounds; some hours simply call for it, and I sure am glad I followed the siren. 

Read my full Evelyn’s Table review

Where: First Floor, The Blue Posts, 28 Rupert St, London W1D 6DJ
Website: www.theblueposts.co.uk

5. Honourable mentions

Patron French Firehouse, extra dirty vodka or espresso martini £13 w/ Grand-mère’s chocolate mousse £10

Patron, a neighbourhood favourite up in Kentish Town and a family-owned gem of an establishment, is my honourable mention. Why? Because it can only be mentioned in partnership with one of my most loved dishes in the city, the chocolate mousse. A martini and chocolate mousse? Might sound a bit peculiar, but there’s something so chic about scooping 73% chocolate mousse out of a bowl as you sip one of the larger martini pours you’ve had as of late. Plus, if martinis are a bit much for you, there are two things you could do. The first being exposure therapy and the second being an espresso martini, which, at Patron, is a very, very valid replacement, one of the best.

Where: 26 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HB
Website: www.patronrestaurant.com

Three Sheets, Dirty Martini, £17.50

Perhaps it took me too long to get to Three Sheets, but I got there eventually, and I’m more than happy that I did. The dirty martini sits amongst a gloriously shaken cocktail list, one that features fermented strawberries, coffee-washed vodkas, and lemon absinthe, amongst other glorious things. Inside the dirty martini itself lies a world of beautiful, clear, cutting flavour made from koseret tea, Belvedere, olive oil, picpoul, sea salt and three of the juiciest olives in Soho. Perhaps amongst the best cocktail bars in it’s notoriously alcoholic area — young love birds and Carrie Bradshaws alike file in and out of its long saloon room. Perhaps it is even amongst the best martinis. I say this on an exhausted Monday. Yet, I am still brimming with excitement from the sheer image of it in my head.

Where: 13 Manette St, London W1D 4AP
Website: www.threesheets-bar.com

Click here to read more about the best restaurants in London

Nightjar, Chip Martini

A martini with a chip in it? Fine. Very trendy. Then I drank it.

Created by Nightjar and McCain for World Martini Day, the Chip Martini is made with potato vodka distilled from British Maris Piper potatoes and served with a single French fry garnish. It is clever while also being obvious? Which is perhaps why it works so well. The drink itself is clean, cold and strong, with the potato character subtle enough to still be chic despite its McDonald’s-adjacent garnish.

I think part of its appeal is that it taps into something a lot of martini drinkers already do. Somewhere along the line, ordering fries alongside a martini has become one of the great joys of modern dining, and this feels like a playful nod to that rather than a stunt. It’s still a martini first and foremost, just one with a bit more personality than most.

Would I swap my usual extra dirty vodka martini for it? Perhaps my loyalty may be unwavering. But if I spotted it on a menu again, I’d order it immediately.

Where: 129 City Road, London EC1V 1JB
Website: www.barnightjar.com