London is home to some of the most influential cocktail bars in the world, but from a design and operational perspective, the venues that leave the strongest impression are rarely the loudest or most theatrical.

At Stirred Studio, we’re constantly analysing hospitality spaces through the lens of design, service flow, aesthetics and guest experience. We recently took the time to visit 3 bars in London that feature on the Worlds Best Bars lists. See what we think below!

1) A Bar with Shapes for a Name

First up was A Bar with Shapes for a Name. Out of the buzz of central London tourist spots, this bar is hidden away in Haggerston. Founded by the incredible Remy Savage, few contemporary bars have influenced modern cocktail culture quite like A Bar with Shapes for a Name.

​Inspired by Bauhaus principles, the venue strips away unnecessary complexity leaving behind a practical, strikingly minimal and contemporary design the second you step through the door.

As soon as you enter, you’re greeted by the team dressed in their striking outfits and some great retro music. You're made to feel like a regular stepping into your local pub with the welcoming casual approach. We requested seats at the bar (of course!) and this was instantly honoured which is always a bonus for us.

The drinks menu was a collection of unique drinks to cater to everyone’s tastes. The menu design was great, showing you the shape of glass along with the drink alcohol strength, ingredients and price.

We tried 4 drinks and its safe to say they were all some of the most delicate, tasty and unique cocktails we’ve had. The Pastel: a fruity vodka mix was to die for.

The bartenders themselves were amazing. Incredibly attentive, warm and welcoming. You can tell they love what they do, and they love talking to people about everything cocktails.

The bar design was a deli style bar, allowing the theatrics to come to the forefront and the guests to easily watch the science behind the drink making. For us, that’s our main passion when it comes to a cocktail bar experience – watching and learning as the magic happens. Our only issue from the whole experience was how narrow the venue was, meaning there was no bar top overhang which made sitting at the bar quite awkward and uncomfortable!

The attention to the details was what really stood out to us. The coasters were the ‘shapes’ making up the name: a yellow triangle, a red square and a blue circle. All the ice was completely bespoke, crafted to suit every individual cocktail. There were no branded bottles, showing how much development goes into the drinks. If you pop to the toilet, they will put your glass in the fridge to keep it chilled. They will replace your glass for your last few sips, to ensure it tastes exactly as it should in the freshest, coldest glass available.

These details make all the difference, and make the experience for the guests stand out and great memories that last. Its no surprise this venue has been classed as one of the best in the world.

2) Satan's Whiskers

Next up was Satan’s Whiskers, over in Bethnal Green. From the outside the graffiti filled walls and windows with the shutters down make you feel a little like you’re in the wrong end of town, questioning if google maps was correct! But as soon as you enter, you understand the intrigue. This definitely hits the brief with the neighbourhood dive bar vibes.

Inside is a busy, bustling bar full to the brim. If you hadn’t booked, there was no chance of entering this Friday night. The venue is very retro, full of stuffed animals and vintage posters. The bar is striking, with a large decorative ice well on the bar full of bottles and garnishes.

The drinks on the menu rotate to ensure no two days are ever the same. The drinks offer is not too lengthy, but has a great variety of shorts, longs and fizzes so you’re sure to find something you love.

The bartenders were great and extremely knowledgeable. We asked them to pick a couple of the drinks for us based on our preferences and they didn’t disappoint! Talking us through their selection and why they picked it for us.

Any issues? Only that it was so full and noisy we could hardly have a conversation, but that’s a small issue to worry about when you’ve got great drinks and music. Also, we weren’t sat at the bar this time, and really wished we were!

A truly unique, funky bar that should be on the tick list if you’re after something a bit different and out of the usual central London spots.

3) Three Sheets Soho

Final stop on the cocktail bar visits for this trip was Three Sheets in Soho. We visited the next day, around 4pm on a Saturday, looking to experience a different atmosphere to the previous late night visits.

Sat in central London on the edge of Soho, the experience certainly started off differently. Naturally being in Soho pulls in more of the tourists, not the ‘bar enthusiasts’ necessarily, but there’s no denying Three Sheets certainly offers FAR better cocktails than a lot of Soho…

The bar itself is nestled into a narrow building, but beautifully designed with deep bold colours and a stand out marble top to the bar. We got seats at the bar once again, allowing us to sit and watch the world go by in our happy place with a drink in hand.

The drinks menu itself is more on the traditional side with Martinis, French 75’s and Brambles, but usually with a twist which was great. You have to order some food to accompany your drinks, so we had a Martini and Oysters, and a Bramble with Melon and Ham. YUMMY.

The bramble was a great twist on the original, with the syrup sitting in a well in the ice, bleeding into the drink as you take a sip.

The bar is your traditional style piano section bar, with a higher bartop, and lower working counter tucked away below. Being only 5ft2, the bar felt higher than the standard 1100mm, making it a little uncomfortable. Having to climb up your seat, and stretch to peer over the bar and grab your drink isn’t ideal!

Where we felt let down was the service unfortunately. Coming from the two previous bars, where the bartenders were the stand out memory and influence to our great experience, Three Sheets just couldn’t compete. Now, it’s worth mentioning we may have just caught them on a bad day... but there was no engagement, seemingly two temporary/ new staff standing doing nothing a little wide eyed, and with our seated position on the bar by the waiter station, we heard a few grumbles and moans from the staff as they stood around talking. We really wanted to have another drink, but none of the bartenders engaged with us to even give us the chance to place an order! Not the experience we look for when visiting the best bars in the world, so we took the opportunity to pay up and make our exit.

Guest experience isn’t just about the taste of the drink, the aesthetical design, or even the operational design (if we do say so ourselves!). The bartender – to – guest interaction is KEY to a memorable visit, leaving the guests wanting to go again.

What makes a bar truly great?

The bars that leave lasting impressions are rarely defined by aesthetics alone.

The combination of knowledgeable, passionate bartenders, a drinks menu curated with love, care and some uniqueness, a setting that makes the guests feel part of the magic, and of course the bar design to allow the team to work to the best of their ability all adds into creating a truly great bar and hospitality experience.

The Stirred Journal by