The Cosiest Library Bars In London
Forget cosy pubs and trendy, cosmopolitan wine bars. On colder days, the new place to curl up with a hot toddy is, believe it or not, the humble library bar.
No longer just spaces for bookworms, pottering pensioners and panicky students, more and more of London’s loveliest hotels and bars are opening swanky, book-filled watering holes, allowing visitors to partake in some seriously scholarly drinking. If you love books, cocktails and cosy corners, these are the best library bars in London for a cosy drink.
The Library at The Pelham
Just opposite South Kensington station, The Pelham’s wood-panelled Library feels more like the sitting room of a very good country house than a central London hotel. Dark timber, traditional furnishings and a fireplace make it particularly tempting once the weather turns, while an honesty bar means you can pour a drink and settle in without much ceremony. Come for a quiet aperitif before dinner or disappear here afterwards for a nightcap.
Where: 15 Cromwell Place, South Kensington, London SW7 2LA
Website: collezione.starhotels.com
The Library at The Mandrake
The Mandrake’s Library sits discreetly beside Waeska bar, swapping the hotel’s more theatrical side for something considerably quieter. Shelves are filled with books spanning art, fashion, esoteric philosophy and counter-culture design, with plush seating and low lighting encouraging you to actually stay for a while. Drinks retain The Mandrake’s botanical leanings, with infused spirits, warming spices and smoky agave making this particularly good territory for an autumn cocktail before dinner at Yopo Zaytoun.
Where: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG
Website: www.themandrake.com
The Nook at Broadwick Soho
The catch with The Nook is that you’ll need to be staying at Broadwick Soho to get in, but it might be reason enough to book a room. The residents-only lounge combines books and a fireplace with something particularly fitting for Soho: an eclectic vinyl collection curated by neighbouring Berwick Street record shops. There are cocktails and coffee to drink while you listen, surrounded by Italian fabrics, vintage finds, enormous speakers and a rather fabulous 1970s Murano chandelier.
Where: Berwick Street, London W1F 8TH
Website: www.broadwicksoho.com
Ginger Lily at Pan Pacific London
Ginger Lily isn’t technically a library, but it delivers much of what we’re after from this list: cosy corners, low-key daytime lounging and cocktails once evening arrives. The Pan Pacific bar moves from afternoon tea into a more grown-up drinking spot as the day goes on, with contemporary and classic cocktails alongside wine, beer and a substantial spirits collection. There’s food too, including a signature triple-cheese toastie that feels particularly well suited to hiding indoors when London turns grey.
Where: 80 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AB
Website: www.panpacific.com
The Cocktail Bar at Great Fosters
One to save for a weekend outside London, Great Fosters’ Cocktail Bar and Terraces overlook the estate’s formal gardens and parterres. The terraces are open throughout the day, moving from coffee and afternoon tea into apéritifs and digestifs later on. It’s less book-lined bolthole and more country-estate drinking room, but makes sense as an out-of-London addition if you’re widening the guide beyond the capital.
Where: Stroude Road, Egham, Surrey TW20 9UR
Website: alexanderhotels.co.uk
Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill
The Churchill Bar has gone all in on its namesake. Bookshelves curated by Daunt Books reflect the interests of a young Winston and Clementine Churchill, while framed photographs and love letters offer a more personal look at the couple’s life together. The 1930s Art Deco interiors continue the theme, with high-backed armchairs gathered around an open fireplace that makes this a particularly good autumn hideaway. If you want to commit fully, there’s even a humidor stocked with Cuban cigars from Hunters & Frankau for a post-drink finish.
Where: 30 Portman Square, London W1H 7BH
Website: www.hyatt.com
The Library at The Gore London
The Gore was built for autumn evenings. Rich fabrics, antiques and period details run throughout the historic hotel, and its intimate Library is somewhere to retreat with a drink ordered from neighbouring Bar 190. That bar comes with some serious rock ’n’ roll history of its own: The Rolling Stones held the launch party for Beggars Banquet there in 1968. Today you’ll find classic and signature cocktails alongside the hotel’s own Rock Royalty Gin and Rock Star Vodka.
where: 190 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5EX
website: www.collezione.starhotels.com
Síbín
Technically a speakeasy rather than a library bar, but when the entrance is hidden behind a false bookcase, we’re allowing it. Síbín takes its name from an Irish term historically used for an illicit drinking den, with whisky and cocktails at the heart of the experience. This autumn’s Era Cocktails menu traces that history through three chapters — The Beginnings, The Second Era and The New Age — while a hidden “Living Jukebox” lets guests choose music from different decades to soundtrack the evening.
where: 3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HN
website: www.hyattrestaurants.com
The Library Bar at The Ned
The seventeenth bar to open at The Ned is a library bar with a penchant for Champagne, martinis and cocktails. Tucked away behind Cecconi’s, the space is perfect for sipping a martini (we’d go during the day before the crowds come in) and getting lost in a good book.
Where: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ
Website: www.thened.com
The Library Bar at The Lanesborough
The Lanesborough’s Library Bar takes the concept rather more seriously than most. Alongside the bookshelves and private-club atmosphere is what the hotel calls a “liquid museum”, including a remarkable collection of Cognacs dating back to the 1770s. Bar Manager Mickael Perron oversees the cocktails, while Martini Sundays pair Monkey 47 Gin Martinis with live piano. There are also regular acoustic Live Nights with Perrier-Jouët, should your idea of a quiet night in the library involve Champagne and British cheese served tableside.
Where: Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA
Website: www.oetkerhotels.com
Electric House
In the heart of pastel-hued Notting Hill, housed next to one of London’s oldest cinemas, it would be rude not to visit Electric House’s library bar if you have the chance. Part of the Soho House group, the interiors are unsurprisingly beautiful, with wood-panelled walls and ceilings, a vinyl collection to browse, and of course, book-filled walls. Settle in for a sip in one of the plush sofas, and cosy up by the fire.
Where: 191 Portobello Rd, London W11 2ED
Website: www.sohohouse.com
The Library Lounge at The Standard
During the day, The Standard’s Library Lounge is a haven for remote workers – where you can get stuck into your work surrounded by lush greenery and bookshelves filled with all kinds of genres – from sociology and psychology to science and religion.
By night, there’s a strict ‘no laptops after 6pm’ policy, when the library turns into the most chill bar space around – but the menu is on offer all day long. Think small bites and dishes taken from in-house restaurants Isla and Double Standard, and a lengthy cocktail menu to keep you going from dawn to dusk. Okay, maybe not dawn, but noon is surely acceptable in a library bar as cosy as this one.
Where: The Standard, 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EG
Website: www.standardhotels.com
Scarfes Bar
The Rosewood London, a restored Edwardian mansion entered via a grandiose carriageway and courtyard, knows a thing or two about luxury, and this much is obvious by its gorgeous Scarfes Bar. This classy hangout is, without a shadow of a doubt, a book lover’s paradise. With a truly epic collection of books, comfy sofas and chairs, as well as a stellar drinks menu, it is certainly not to be missed.
Where: 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Website: www.scarfesbar.com
Swans Bar at Maison Assouline
Love books, cocktails and travel? You can’t miss a trip to Swans Bar at Maison Assouline. Housed in a gorgeous bookshop that boasts design-focused titles and rare first editions, the menu invites you to explore tantalising locations from our iconic travel series through expertly crafted cocktails inspired by each location.
Where: 196A Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9EY
Website: www.maisonassouline.com
The Cinnamon Club
Wine and books sit side-by-side on the shelves at the Cinnamon Club’s Library Bar. Reopened in 2015 following an extensive refurbishment, this fine, Grade II-listed establishment was once the Reading Room of the old Westminster Library and, perhaps in homage to its history, is now home to a stunning library bar.
The Cinnamon Club serves innovative and creative Indian cuisine so the library is the perfect place to perch with a cocktail before you partake of dinner.
Where: The Old Westminster Library, Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BU
Website: www.cinnamonclub.com
