Two London bars have been given the nod in a new list announcing the 100 best bars in the world.
In slightly confusing news, the bars have made the just-announced 51-100 spots in the er, The World’s 50 Best Bars: a global ranking of the 50 best bars in the world, which is actually made up of 100 bars.
Time Out’s Top 50 Bars in London
London bars in the 50 Best Bars 2026 51-100 longlist
The actual 50 Best Bars 2026 will be revealed on October 7, but until then we have the 51-100 spots to keep us entertained. The two London bars to make the grade are the Soho branch of Three Sheets at no.73 and Scarfes Bar in Holborn in 77th. The only other UK bar revealed was Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons, which is higher than both the London spots, coming in at 72.
There may very well be more London bars in the top 50, but we won’t know until the ceremony takes place in Milan next month. It’ll be the 18th edition of the World’s 50 Best Bars awards. The ranking is compiled by 800 bartenders, writers, drinks educators and industry specialists.
Time Out’s four-star review of the 73rd-best bar in the ranking said: ‘The Three Sheets Soho team have devised a menu which takes drinks you know well to sexier, more modern places. As such, the selection is never alienating, but pretty much always surprising.’
Seventy-seventh-place Scarfes received a five-star review from Time Out: ‘Picture your classic hotel bar. It’s probably got dark wood panelling, a wall of leather-bound books to rival an Oxbridge library, low lighting, squidgy armchairs, and maybe a jazz band playing smoothly in the background. This is Scarfes Bar, an elite embodiment of the quintessential hotel watering hole.
‘This is the kind of place where you might find ’s Chuck Bass moodily sipping a Scotch alone at the bar. The crowd gives an equally sophisticated vibe; millennial couples on date night, people who look like they have important jobs and cash to spend, and fashionistas dressed all in black.’
Faye Huggett, Director of Community for The 50 Best Bars, said: ‘The 51-100 list has become a vital part of The 50 Best Bars programme, allowing us to recognise an even broader range of exceptional venues from around the world while encouraging cocktail lovers to discover new destinations and experiences.
‘It celebrates the diversity, innovation and energy that define today’s global bar scene, shining a spotlight on establishments that consistently deliver outstanding drinks and world-class hospitality.’
Last year London’s Scarfes Bar, Satan’s Whiskers, Tayēr + Elementary and The Connaught Bar made the 50 Best Bars 2025 list. Tayēr + Elementary has been closed for most of this year due to a fire, which may impact its chances at next month’s ceremony.
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