Drink
New Theory Is Putting on a Summer of Love (Bite) Wine Party in Peckham
New Theory (FKA Nouveau) is gearing up for their next wine rave – and this time they’re coming to Peckham Arches. The free-entry Summer of Love (Bite) party kicks off at 1pm and lasts until 8pm, with DJs all day – including Don Wella and Roo – plus BBQ provided by none other than Ruben’s Reubens. Of course, there’ll be plenty of the titular Love Bite on offer too (Love Bite, a Beaujolais-style chilled red from the Stellenbosch area), as well as Love Bite margaritas to really bring the summer vibes home.
Sun 28th July 2024, 1pm – 8pm
Peckham Arches, Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QN
@drinknewtheory
After closing Larry’s in Peckham, Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnell flipped the site into Bar Levan, a Parisian-inspired wine bar serving European natural wines, aperitifs, mezcals and small plates. There are lots of organic and biodynamic bottles alongside older vintages and one-offs served by the glass. The regular menu features dishes like miso devilled eggs, guinea fowl terrine, croque monsieur, beef tartare, and Basque cheesecake, and there are also spesh dinners that celebrate classic French delicacies. With a vintage sound system playing vinyl inspired by the bar’s namesake Larry Levan, the vibes are always in point too.
After turning a Soho barbershop into a speakeasy-style cocktail bar Beasy in 2019, founder Gabriel Iliopoulos gave the space a revamp in 2022, adding outdoor seating on Greek Street, a hidden bar (essentially your own private living room) available for events, and a new food menu. That means as well as signature cocktails – we’re talking spicy margs, mezcal negronis and pornstar martinis – you can tuck into corn ribs, smacked cucumber with goma dressing, fried chicken with furikake and sweet mustard, tater tots loaded with gherkins and crispy onions, and a range of gourmet hot dogs.
Phil Winser and James Gummer, the duo behind The Pelican and The Bull, Charlbury (both of which we loved) have just opened another new pub, The Hero in Maida Vale. It’s a beautiful old building dating back to 1878 and the guys have done a great job stripping it back and restoring it to its former glory, including a grill restaurant upstairs, a PDR, and The Library, a nice little lounge bar with cocktails and a banging sound system. In the main pub the menu offers comfort food classics done to perfection – and actually at a very reasonable price too, especially for bougie west London. You won’t wanna miss the incredible scotch egg; the chicken liver pate’ the deep fried cod cheeks with curry sauce; half roast chicken with salad; ham, egg and chips done with a nice juicy bacon chop; the cheese and onion pie; and the sticky toffee pudding.
After converting the small space next to the main restaurant into a shop during lockdown, the Trullo team has since turned it into a tiny bar. It’s a concise offering (for a concise space) with a well curated rotating by-the-glass selection, featuring mostly low-intervention wines but there’s always a mix of old world classics and some underrated gems. If you’d rather something a bit stronger, there are a couple of cocktails, like sbagliatos, martinis and spritzes, on offer. You can pair your tipple of choice with snacks (which unsurprisingly have an Italian slant) such as courgette and sage fritti, crab crostini, salumi croquettes and stracciatella with cherries.
How do you make London’s hottest pub even hotter? Open a rooftop of course. And that’s just what Charlie Carroll, Oisín Rogers and Ashley Palmer-Watts have done at The Devonshire. The third floor is now home to a 40-cover roof terrace, serving the pub’s full menu of food and drink, including pints of the black stuff; Isle of Skye langoustines, Iberico pork ribs and beef chops cooked on the wood ember grill; as well as dishes like lamb hotpot and beef cheek & Guinness suet pudding.
Set in a Grade II-listed building (and nestled next to some of the oldest residential buildings in London), Cloth is all about seasonal food and an approachable list of excellent, affordable wines. The wine bar and restaurant is the result of a collaboration between two wine importers, Joe Haynes and Ben Butterworth, and a chef, Tom Hurst (whose impressive CV includes Brawn, The Marksman, Levan, Salon, Larry’s and, most recently, Lasdun). Expect seasonal dishes that celebrate the best of British produce, as well as a great value set menu on offer at lunch, priced at £25 for two courses and £29 for three. As for the wine, half of the list comprises bottles from Joe and Ben’s own import and supply businesses – including grower champagnes, new-wave Bordeaux and German wines. The other half is made up of wines from suppliers who champion small, independent, and sustainable producers (such as Emile Wines, The Winery, Fingal Rock, Carte Blanche, Winemakers Club and Raeburn). Plus, there are always by-the-glass options and £5 corkage on Mondays. Cheers to that.
Not content with bringing us modern Peruvian food, pisco sours and cocktail slushies, NYC import Llama Inn is giving us a real Shoreditch suntrap. The restaurant’s terrace, which has room for 50, boasts uninterrupted City views and as much sunshine as possible thanks to a south-facing position. And with new dishes like lamb empanada with olives & aji chimichurri, braised leeks with aji gazpacho & yuzu, and grilled chicken with baby gem salad & aji crema joining classics like the scallop, yuzu kosho & nori ceviche and whole baked seabass, you’ve got even more reason to get up on that roof.
Mexican–Japanese fusion spot Los Mochis has opened a second site in the City, taking up residence in a 14,000 sq ft space on the rooftop of 100 Liverpool Street, comprising a dining room, an agaveria bar and lounge, two private dining rooms and a massive 3000 sq ft covered and heated terrace. Not only is it one of the largest outdoor terraces in the capital, it’s got a 3am license, so after feasting on tacos, kushiyaki and rare tequilas, you can party until the early hours.
The original Three Sheets in Dalston is easily one of the best bars in London and now founders Noel and Max Venning have opened a white-hot new outpost in the heart of Soho. Three Sheets Soho is located on Manette Street in a nice old narrow site that’s been given a very plush makeover. Anyone familiar with the original will recognise the marble topped bar, dark green colour scheme and classy, minimal branding. The drinks menu is largely unique to Soho, with a short, sharp selection of elegant cocktails, including the Cherry Americano, the Mango Ice Tea (with Pickled Mango, Cloud & Lapsang Teas and Rum) the Sazzaquack, a spin on a Sazerac (with Seven tails XO, Mexican Oregano, Verbena Berry, Rooibos tea, and Lemon Absinthe) served in a glass with a cute little glass duck at the bottom! Three Sheets Soho also has a short food menu, courtesy of ex-Lyle’s chef and butcher William Blank, which includes some seriously good salt beef sandwiches, mustard-coated triple cooked chips, and fresh oysters. A breakfast menu is available until noon too, featuring pastries and Dead Good coffee.
THE BRICKLAYERS ARMS
Great staff, real ales on the bar, a pool table, screens for when the footy’s on, The Bricklayers Arms has everything you could want from a local pub. That means it’s a pretty popular spot but it always has a great atmosphere.
THE COCK TAVERN
This classic Irish pub near King’s Cross is perfect for escaping the hustle of the city. It’s specifically known for the atmosphere during a game, especially when Celtic is playing, along with friendly staff and an interesting mix of customers. Good prices and great pints, what more could you want?
THE CROWN
The Crown has a traditional and old-school vibe that locals love. They may not have the best selection of real ales but they pour a mean pint of Guinness, and they’ve got a dart board, the true marker of a proper boozer. If you don’t fancy a game of darts, there’s usually sport on the TV.
Enjoy a mean pint of Guinness and real ales on tap at this award winning traditional Victorian pub in South East London. Catch a game on one of the four screens, hang out in the child-friendly garden or warm up in the colder months by the fire. They’ve been named CAMRA South East London Pub of the Year twice so you can expect a great atmosphere along with qaulity bevs.
It’s only open three days a week but this wine bar and shop is worth seeking out for its organic and low-intervention wine. Pop in for a glass and bar snacks or book in for a dinner of European-inspired small plates (the white bean dip and the cheese & shallot galette are winners), or head in for one of the regular wine workshops. If you don’t feel like leaving the house, there is free shipping for most of south London or on orders of more than 12 bottles.
This proper Irish pub is in the heart of Shoreditch, underneath Richard Corrigan’s Daffodil Mulligan restaurant and claims to pour the best Guinness in London. The Gibney family is nearing a century in the pub business in Ireland and opened their London location in 2020. You can also find Gibney’s Stout, Irish whiskies, Irish liqueurs and cocktails on offer at the bar plus snacks like spiced lentil scotch eggs, black pudding croquettes and dressed oysters. Whether you pop in for the drinks, to dance to live music or catch the big game, you can be sure of receiving the very best in Irish hospitality.
At the end of Mare Street in Hackney, The Crown Pub is a traditional boozer with a well-stocked bar and a cosy pub garden. Attached to it is a guesthouse with seven rooms, so you can even bed down for the night. Whether you’re coming for a quick drink or sleeping over, The Crown hosts lots of events including sport on the TV, trivia every Thursday and live music on Fridays.
COACH & HORSES
This welcoming pub may be one of the smaller ones in Covent Garden but the atmosphere is always top notch, and it provides a safe haven amidst the sea of tourists. The Irish influence is strong here, so you can be sure of a cracking pint of Guinness, along with other beers and whiskey.
