45 Jermyn St.

Worth booking if you're after a proper St. James's address with a wine-forward room

On price alone, 45 Jermyn St. sits in the bracket where you're paying for postcode as much as pour — this is Mayfair-adjacent territory, and the bill will reflect that. If you've been once and found the by-the-glass list to be the highlight, that instinct is worth following: the wine program here operates at a different register than most London bar lists, leaning closer to a private members' room than a cocktail bar. Return visits reward you for going deeper into the wine list rather than defaulting to cocktails.

For a return visit, book earlier in the week — Thursday through Saturday fills up with the St. James's crowd, and getting a decent table rather than a perch at the bar becomes difficult without a reservation. Booking difficulty is low overall, but the room is small enough that timing matters more than you'd think. A few days' notice is usually sufficient midweek; aim for a week out if you have a preferred table in mind.

The address itself , 45 Jermyn St., in the heart of SW1Y , does a lot of atmospheric work. The surrounding block carries a particular smell of old leather and aged wood that distinguishes this stretch from the more commercial Mayfair strips nearby. It's the kind of room where a well-chosen glass of something European and the right companion make the price feel reasonable rather than steep.

If the by-the-glass program is your primary reason for visiting, it's worth knowing that this format tends to outperform what you'd get from a standard restaurant wine list at a comparable London address. The selection is the point here, not a supporting act to a kitchen. For context on how this stacks up around the city, our full London bars guide covers the wider field, and our full London restaurants guide is useful if you're deciding between a wine bar evening and a full dining room. Further afield, Bramble in Edinburgh and Bar Kismet in Halifax offer useful comparisons for wine-led bar formats outside London, while Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu shows how the model travels internationally. London alternatives worth considering include 69 Colebrooke Row, Amaro, Academy, and A Bar with Shapes For a Name if you want to weigh your options before committing. Our London hotels guide, London wineries guide, and London experiences guide round out the broader picture if you're planning a full stay.

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