Guide Details

Best Bars near South Bank, London

Rooftop cocktails, river pubs, live music, theatre bars, and Borough-side rooms for a night that stays near the Thames.

South Bank, London1 guide5 mapped stops
Nightlife/South Bank

Best Bars near South Bank, London

Guide: River Views Into Late Rooms

For a South Bank night with more lift, start high at 12th Knot, drop to The Understudy for theatre-bar looseness, then let OMEARA supply the actual live-room finish. The Anchor and Founders Arms stay nearby when the river needs to pull the night back down to earth. Good for dates, groups, and nights that want views before volume.

  • 12th Knot12th Knot is the Sea Containers rooftop bar for skyline cocktails, DJ nights, and sunset views over the Thames. It works when the South Bank route needs height and polish after museums or markets.
  • The Anchor BanksideThe Anchor Bankside is a Thameside pub dating back to 1615, serving real ale and food across the bar and restaurant with outdoor seating between Borough Market and Tate Modern.
  • Founder's ArmsFounder's Arms is a glass-fronted river pub with a large heated patio overlooking the Thames and St Paul's, best for pints, simple food, and a view-led pause between Tate Modern and Blackfriars.
  • The UnderstudyThe Understudy is the National Theatre's relaxed bar for craft beer, casual drinks, river terraces, and a performance-adjacent pause that does not require a ticket or a dress code.
  • OMEARAOMEARA gives the Borough side a proper live-music and club room under the railway arches, useful when market drinks need to become a gig, DJ night, or late South Bank plan.
The Divine officialThe Infatuation - London barsResident Advisor - London eventsTravel Gay - London gay bars

More nightlife guides near South Bank, London

NightlifeBest Pubs near South Bank, LondonGuide: Pints Along the ThamesSouth Bank drinking is best when it behaves like a river walk. The Anchor and Founders Arms give you historic and view-led pints, The Understudy catches the theatre crowd, and Flat Iron Square handles groups who want food, beer, and space. This guide is now clearly about pints and easy riverside stops, not late rooms.NightlifeBest Bars in LondonGuide: Cocktail Rooms, Jazz, and Skyline DrinksFor a London night with range, move from Swift's Soho cocktails to the American Bar's art deco ceremony, then east to Happiness Forgets, west to Trailer Happiness, or up to 12th Knot for a skyline finish. These are cocktail rooms and view-led bars, not clubs. Use it when drinks are the destination and the night should feel planned.NightlifeBest LGBTQ+ Nightlife in LondonGuide: LGBTQ+ Clubs, Cabaret Rooms, and Queer BarsLondon's LGBTQ+ nightlife needs its own route instead of being folded into a generic pub crawl. Heaven gives the guide a late-club anchor, Halfway to Heaven and The Yard cover West End cabaret and social drinks, SHE Soho brings a queer women and non-binary focused basement, and Dalston Superstore carries the east London club-and-community side. G-A-Y Bar is not included because the Soho bar closed in 2025; Heaven remains the active G-A-Y-branded club stop.NightlifeBest Dive Bars in LondonGuide: Old Pubs, Jukebox Rooms, and Local PintsLondon dive-bar searches should land on a citywide guide that understands the local language: old pubs, jukebox rooms, live-music pubs, basement bars, beer halls, and neighborhood rooms where the night can stay loose. This route pulls the strongest low-key drinking stops from Soho, Covent Garden, Shoreditch, Notting Hill, and the South Bank. Use it for worn-in character, pints, late first rounds, and local bar texture rather than a polished cocktail crawl.