Today I want to share my London nightlife guide with you. From bars to clubs and pubs, the UK capital has a lot of options when it comes to going out at night.
London Nightlife
My boyfriend has been out of town for the last nine days. He headed to New York and San Francisco to see friends and enjoy the torrential rains that are currently plaguing the great state of California.
This left me by my lonesome in London, feeling a bit lost as I puttered around our empty flat talking to myself and feeling like I should be surrounded by cats.
After several hours of this isolation-induced behavior, I decided that rather than sit at home pining away for my beau, I needed make the most of his absence and meet up with friends to enjoy the London nightlife scene.
London Nightlife in Mayfair
Last Thursday I headed down to Mayfair to meet up with some friends at the May Fair Bar, a dimly-lit space in The May Fair hotel I go to with my girlfriends for nights out in central London.
A friend was visiting from out of town, so a bunch of us met up to welcome him to London and enjoy some watermelon martinis and other exotic-sounding drinks.
Bar in Kensington
The following night my exploration of the London nightlife scene continued when I went to Kensington to have drinks with a friend and former Goldman coworker at a pub called Coco Momo.
I’ve passed by it a million times, and its soothing green exterior and wide windows always make me feel like drinking there would somehow be healthier than drinking elsewhere.
London Nightlife in Belgravia
Saturday night I took a nap on my train home from York, then headed to a birthday party at The Antelope, a pub in Belgravia near Sloane Square.
While the traditional downstairs was full of locals drinking cider and ale, the large upstairs room was packed with party-goers.
Club in Chelsea
After saying hello to the birthday girl and spending time meeting her friends, I left to join my May Fair Bar crew from Thursday on the King’s Road in Chelsea at a club called Raffles.
We proceeded to dance until 5am. When we looked up and realized we were the only ones left on the dance floor, we took it as our cue to exit.
London Nightlife in Canary Wharf
I took a break from London nightlife for the next few days, catching up on sleep and restocking my energy levels. Then on Wednesday I went out to Canary Wharf to have drinks at All Bar One with some of my banker girlfriends.
I felt a bit odd being the only one in the bar not wearing a suit, but it seemed sacrilegious to put on business attire to go for drinks with the girls.
The whole scene brought me back to my finance days: men outnumbering women ten to one, everyone dressed in black and variations thereof, and lots of chatter about who traded what and who got screwed on their year-end bonus that day (everybody). I was nostalgic for about three seconds.
But it was great to catch up with my friends over a few glasses of champagne and to go to a part of the city I almost never visit.
London Nightlife in South Kensington
Thursday night was another late one on the London nightlife scene. I stared out at an American university alumni happy hour at a pub on the King’s Road, where I made some new expat friends and caught up with some old ones.
From there a few of us walked to a club in South Kensington that always seems to be in the tabloids with photos of celebrities stumbling out at 4am.
A friend was having a half-birthday party there, so we all went out to help her celebrate.
Dinner in Soho
Last night I started at a monthly happy hour a friend organizes, then walked over to Yauatcha, a restaurant in Soho I’d read about a million times but had never been to.
Our reservation was for 15 people, and when I arrived it was me and seven dudes, none of whom I knew. It turned out most of them either worked at Goldman or had worked there in the past.
I felt a bit like I was at an alumni reunion as we all introduced ourselves and named the division and group we were part of when we worked at GS.
The others—all bankers—arrived shortly thereafter, and in the end there were three girls and 12 guys at the table. Ah, finance.
One of the members of our party called the waitress over and proceeded to order 15 portions of every single item on the menu.
I didn’t realize this at first, so by the time the last courses came, I was completely stuffed with shredded duck (amazing), pork buns, scallop dim sum, Singapore noodles, sweet-and-sour pork (not so amazing), bok choy, and of course, sake.
London Nightlife in Soho
From there we left for Milk & Honey, a bar in Soho that serves up a strong Smoky Whiskey Sour in a speakeasy-type atmosphere.
Club in Mayfair
We only stayed for one drink before heading off to The Cuckoo Club, a nightclub on Swallow Street in Mayfair.
I’d only been to The Cuckoo Club once before, and when I left it was light outside, so I knew I was in for a big dose of London nightlife.
We walked downstairs to our table, and soon there were shots arriving every few minutes. The dancing lasted until 3am, at which point my feet were hurting so badly I had to say good-bye and duck out early.
London Nightlife Scene
It wasn’t until this morning that any of my boyfriend-less partying caught up with me. Let’s just say I spent three hours lying motionless on my sofa this afternoon while watching Arrested Development.
I promised myself I wouldn’t go out again tonight, but then my friend texted me to let me know the venue for this evening. It’s back to South Ken for more late-night fun.
My boyfriend has been very supportive of my exploring London at night, if only because he’s been doing the same thing with his guy friends in NYC and SF.
I have to say I’ve had a lot of fun in his absence, but I think his return will be welcome. If for no other reason, it will be good for my liver, my sleep, and my daytime energy levels. Oh, and because I’ve missed him for the last nine days.
But I think I’ll still manage to indulge in the London nightlife scene on occasion when he gets back. It’s too much fun not to.
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