The Connaught Bar
Mayfair, London
Bar in London, United Kingdom
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Why go
A serious Mayfair cocktail booking for polished dates, visiting bar obsessives, late-evening hotel-bar energy. The Connaught Bar is worth the effort when recognition and setting matter; skip it for casual groups or value-led rounds.
About The Connaught Bar
The Connaught Bar is a London bar to consider when recognition and a polished plan matter. Verified details are limited, but the confirmed record is strong: it was ranked #1 on World's 50 Best Bars in 2020 and #12 on Top 500 Bars Best Bars in 2025.
Plan around the published hours and the smart-casual dress code. The Connaught Bar opens Tuesday to Thursday from 16:00 to 01:00, Friday to Saturday from 15:00 to 01:00, Sunday from 16:30 to 00:00.
A London bar for planned nights, not guesswork
The most reliable way to frame The Connaught Bar is as a recognised London bar with confirmed late opening on several nights of the week. Beyond its hours, dress code, awards record, specific claims about menu format, seating, service style, prices, or food should be checked directly with the venue before building a night around them.
For a deeper London bar run before or after, browse Our full London bars guide; for a full itinerary, pair it with Our full London restaurants guide and Our full London hotels guide.
Who should prioritise it
Prioritise it if the guest values confirmed recognition. The Connaught Bar's World's 50 Best Bars #1 ranking in 2020 and Top 500 Bars Best Bars #12 ranking in 2025 make it a defensible pick for someone who follows bar rankings.
If the plan is broader than one stop, use The Connaught Bar as the recognised London anchor and compare it with other named options such as Bacchanalia, Claridge's Bar, The Barley Mow, The Gatsby Room, The Punch Bowl depending on the kind of evening you want.
The bigger caution is practical planning. Verified public details cover hours, smart-casual dress code, awards, but not reservations, seating, menu, prices, or group policy. Check the venue's official channels before committing to a specific time or occasion.
Located inside
HotelAman SpaFull hotel guidePlanning details
- Hours
- Tu-Th 16:00-01:00; Fr-Sa 15:00-01:00; Su 16:30-00:00
- Location
- The Connaught, 16 Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL
- Website
- maybourne.com/en/hotels/the-connaught/restaurants-bars/connaught-bar
- Phone
- +44 20 7314 3419
The take
The Take
The Vibe
The Connaught Bar presents itself as a restrained, design-forward bastion of modern hotel drinking. David Collins’s Cubist geometry—dark lacquered panels and amber tones—creates a room that reads formal but avoids coldness, pairing luxury with measured restraint. The interior functions as context rather than spectacle: service and a rigorous cocktail programme take centre stage. The bar’s tone is precise and authoritative, with décor and service working in tandem to emphasize technical craft rather than ostentation. The result is a quietly commanding space that rewards attention to detail and a taste for considered, elegant drinking.
Best For
This is a bar for moments that call for precision and polish: special occasions, date nights and quiet celebrations sit naturally here. Its sustained international acclaim and hotel setting make it a destination within Mayfair for guests who value well-executed mixology and a formally curated environment. The Connaught Bar suits visitors who want to experience benchmark bartending and design-led interiors rather than noisy nightlife; it’s a place to savour technique, atmosphere and the quiet theatre of service, making it ideal for important evenings and thoughtful social rituals.
Ordering Tips
Expect technical rigour at the counter and treat the bartenders as the primary animators of the experience. The description emphasizes a ‘programme on the counter,’ so sitting at the bar and asking about the current cocktail programme is a sensible approach. Request explanations of technique or ingredient provenance if you’re curious; the team prioritizes craft and precision over theatricality. Stick to classic formats or the bar’s signature programme rather than ordering overly casual drinks—this is a venue where thoughtful, well-executed cocktails are the point of arrival.
Planning details
Hours
Tu-Th 16:00-01:00; Fr-Sa 15:00-01:00; Su 16:30-00:00
Location
The Connaught, 16 Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL · Directions
maybourne.com/en/hotels/the-connaught/restaurants-bars/connaught-bar
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Where to go if you cannot get in
Try Claridge's Bar first if the brief is polished Mayfair hotel drinking with less dependence on one specific room. Choose The Punch Bowl or The Barley Mow if the night needs a more relaxed pub atmosphere and better group flexibility.
Bar context
How it compares in London
The Connaught Bar is the splurge-and-status choice in this set: harder to access, more formal, better suited to a planned cocktail night than a flexible drop-in. Claridge's Bar is the closest peer for luxury-hotel polish, so choose between them on availability and the specific hotel mood you want rather than expecting either to feel casual.
For a less formal London night, The Punch Bowl and The Barley Mow make more sense for pub-style comfort and easier group energy. They are the better fit when the goal is conversation, pints, a looser plan rather than a precision cocktail room.
Bacchanalia is the cross-shop when the room itself is the point and the night leans theatrical. The Gatsby Room is better for a softer hotel-lounge feel. Pick The Connaught Bar when the cocktail program and awards pedigree are the reason for going.
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full The Connaught Bar guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare The Connaught Bar
| Venue | Location | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| The Connaught Bar | London | 2026 Europe's 50 Best Bars · #10Top 500 Bars 2026 · #12Top 50 Cocktail Bars UK 2026 · #312026 Falstaff Bar Guide2025 World's 50 Best Bars · #62024 World's 50 Best Bars · #132023 World's 50 Best Bars · #52021 World's 50 Best Bars · #12020 World's 50 Best Bars · #1 |
| The Punch Bowl | London | No published awards |
| Bacchanalia | London | No published awards |
| Claridge's Bar | London | No published awards |
| The Barley Mow | London | No published awards |
| The Gatsby Room | London | No published awards |
How The Connaught Bar London compares with similar nearby venues.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Connaught Bar good for a date?
It can be a strong choice if the plan is a recognised London bar with a smart-casual dress code. Its World's 50 Best Bars #1 placement in 2020 is a confirmed point in its favour for guests who value reputation.
What's the crowd like at The Connaught Bar?
Verified details do not specify the crowd or atmosphere. What is confirmed is that The Connaught Bar is in London, has a smart-casual dress code, has recognised bar rankings.
Is The Connaught Bar open late?
Yes. The Connaught Bar is open until 01:00 Tuesday through Saturday and until 00:00 on Sunday, based on the verified hours.
