My husband and I had so much fun staying in Soho in London. Although touristy (we're tourists so that was OK with us!) it was located in the middle of everything. We could easily hop on the underground or walk to any attraction we wanted to see. While we visited many pubs, old and new, we found our favorite spot on Old Compton Street called "Swift."
The upstairs of Swift is bright and modern and we were immediately greeted by a staff member. Extremely friendly and informative, she told us we could grab a drink upstairs or check to see if there was any space available downstairs. The upstairs area does not require a reservation, serves light cocktails, and appetizers. The downstairs, which is intimate, cozy, and dark, requires a reservation, and we didn't have one. We tried our luck downstairs anyway, and to our surprise they had one table available (thanks to the other friendly hostess downstairs!). We had the best time looking over their extensive menu and trying inventive cocktails. We stayed for hours and were sad to leave, but alas... they would probably get upset if we fell asleep in our booth.
Things to consider:
-This is the best bar ever. GO.
-If you want to guarantee a spot downstairs, make a reservation.
-Their music downstairs on Friday & Saturday is supposedly fantastic, but I'm sure you'd have to book way in advanced. If I ever go back to London, I want to do this!
Hours
Monday-Thursday: 3:00pm-12:00am
Friday & Saturday: 3:00pm-12:00am
Sunday: 3:00pm-10:30pm
Address
12 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 4TQ, UK