The best bars and cafés London

Timetable

Bars and pubs close quite early, between 11pm and midnight. Not all bars and pubs have a licence to serve alcohol later. Some have this late license and can close around 2am. They are generally open from lunchtime. They are busiest after work, around 5pm and all day on Sundays. Happy hour is not very common in London. You can enjoy an afternoon tea, which includes a tray of pastries and a cup of tea.

Budget & Tips

On average, a pint costs between £6 and £8 in London pubs, depending on the area. All small pubs accept credit cards. You don't pay tips in bars.

Age restrictions

The purchase and consumption of alcohol is permitted from the age of 18. You will always be asked for your ID card, until you are 25, in supermarkets to buy alcohol or to enter certain bars, especially at weekends. Whatever your age, always take it with you when you go out, just in case.

What's very local

Every evening, after their day's work, the English meet up with friends in pubs for one pint after another. Around 5 p.m., they're usually packed to the rafters, with a variety of crowds milling around the bar and especially on the sidewalk. Especially on Friday evenings, when colleagues celebrate the end of the week. As alcohol legislation is different, bars generally close earlier. Then it's off to the clubs.

In pubs, there's almost never a menu for draught beers. They are often at a common price, around £7, regardless of the pub and the district.

Sunday lunch is spent in local pubs, where we eat sunday roast. Then it's off to the pub for an afternoon of beer and board games with friends and family. Many pubs organize Pub Quizzes, typical fun quiz nights where you can win drinks and bottles.

In pubs, you'll order directly from the bar, even for food. There's no point waiting in vain for a waiter.

Kids

Children are not always welcome in pubs, especially in the evening. Signs at the entrance will tell you the establishment’s tolerance for younger children.