London is home to some of the world’s best bars – and its bar snacks have evolved accordingly, from dull packets of cheese and onion crisps splayed open for the table to share to more considered menus of crunchy Scotch eggs, hearty hotdogs, Wagyu buns and deep-fried Welsh rarebit.
Whether a light lunch, aperitivo or late-night nibble, the best bar food should line the stomach while either complementing or contrasting with whatever you’re drinking. Put down the stale, dry-roasted peanuts and tepid lager – here are seven of London’s best drink and bar snack combos.
Connaught Martini and margherita pizza at the Connaught Bar, Mayfair
Aside from its grand home within the eponymous luxury Mayfair hotel, the Connaught Bar is compelling for three reasons: its warm hospitality, theatrical table-side Martinis and a menu of pizzas that seems incongruous given the bar’s location. For a top-tier bar experience, swing for the house Martini and a margherita pizza: the sharp, dry character of the Martini balances the sweetness, acidity and umami of the margherita. As assistant director of mixology Giorgio Bargiani says, “a favourite British cocktail meets the most iconic Italian dish: it’s quintessentially us”.
Guinness and scotch egg at The Devonshire, Soho
The darling of both celebrities and Soho regulars seeking a decent pint of Guinness, The Devonshire has a comforting, no-frills bar snack menu designed by chef and co-founder Ashley Palmer-Watts to be eaten standing up, pint in hand. But with classics like a cheese and ham toastie or a sausage on a stick, what to pair with its signature beer? “I’d always have a scotch egg with a Guinness,” landlord Oisin Rogers says. “It’s got this gorgeous texture that’s crunchy on the outside with a soft-boiled yolk in the middle, and just works so well with a creamy pint.”
Unfiltered Martini and tater tots at Lyaness, South Bank
Martinis and fries have long been a favourite pairing at bars across London (who remembers the Berkeley’s famous 11pm fries?), but South Bank’s Lyaness has gone one better, introducing fluffy, crispy, oily tater tots served with a buttermilk ranch dip to the game. “We discovered the joys of tater tots after we opened Silver Lyan in [Washington] DC,” says founder Ryan Chetiyawardana. Double your spud intake by pairing it with the bar’s potato-laced Unfiltered Martini.
House claret and deep-fried rarebit at St John Marylebone
St John’s Marylebone outpost has a relaxed, all-day ambience, seamlessly shifting between a cafe, bakery, bar and restaurant through the day. Pull up a stool in the in-between dining hours of 3pm to 5pm for its deep-fried rarebit, a crunchy croquette filled with a gooey Guinness and mustard-infused cheese roux and doused in a healthy glug of Worcestershire sauce. Pair it with a glass of St John’s house claret for the perfect aperitif.
Jasmine tea whisky highball and mortadella focaccia at Twice Shy, Earl’s Court
It’s rare for a bar to win awards for both its cocktails and its bites, but Kensington’s sexy Italian hideaway Twice Shy has taken home the gong at the Bartenders’ Edit – a list awarded to bars by bartenders – for London’s best bar snack two years running. It’s won specifically for its crisp, generously stuffed mortadella focaccia, a juicy snack that’s best washed down with a jasmine tea whisky highball, described by bar manager Alessandro Barbari as “easy-drinking, bubbly” and a perfect foil for the sandwich’s meatiness.
Five-Olive Martini and hotdogs at Rasputin’s, Hackney
Hackney’s eclectic and energetic Rasputin’s is home to the ultimate high-low dinner for those on a shoestring budget. Its herbaceous five-olive Martini brings the sophistication and is the perfect partner to the bar menu, which is composed entirely of hot dogs. “They’re more filling than a bag of crisps [and have] a hit of nostalgia,” says owner Greg Boyce, who offers a “Reagonomics special” of two hangover-preventing hotdogs (meat or veggie) and a Martini for £12.
Labombe Spritz and hot tongue bun at Labombe
The hot tongue bun – a slow-cooked Wagyu ox tongue dressed in anchovy mayo, pickles and blackcurrant mostarda piled into a brioche bun – has been a staple of two-Michelin starred Trivet in Bermondsey for years. More recently it’s been reimagined as a two-bite bar snack at Trivet’s new Mayfair sister restaurant, Labombe. It makes a perfect appetiser when paired with the Labombe Spritz, a citrusy amaro and Chartreuse fizz that chef and co-owner Jonny Lake says “cuts straight through the fat” of the Wagyu bun.
