The Best Wine Bars in the City of London (Square Mile), 2026

Written by James Dawson, Founder of Humble Grape. Last updated 6 August 2026.

The City of London can look all steel, stone and fast lunches from street level. Look lower. Behind Bloomberg Arcade, below Holborn Viaduct and inside old church crypts, there are wine bars built for the moment when the laptop closes and the first bottle opens.

This guide picks seven City wine bars for different kinds of visit. Some suit a curious half-hour with a tasting card. Some ask you to settle into a cellar for the evening. Others make sense when wine needs to share the table with a full lunch. Humble Grape appears here because we run four bars inside the Square Mile, but this is not a list of our own locations. It is a guide to the City as a whole.

The seven picks are not ranked. They are chosen for the wine, the room and the clear reason you might walk through the door.

The seven best wine bars in the City of London at a glance

Wine bar	Area	Go for	Food	Weekend opening
Vinoteca di Sartoria City	Bloomberg Arcade	200+ wines and a wine shop near Bank	Seasonal dining	Saturday
Vagabond Monument	Gracechurch Street	Self-pouring from 100+ wines	Bar food	Check current hours
Humble Grape	Bow Lane, Fleet Street, Liverpool Street, Smithfield	Four distinct City rooms and 500+ wines	Full kitchens	Liverpool Street on Saturday
The Winemakers Club	Holborn Viaduct	An importer-led list in candlelit arches	Cheese, charcuterie and small plates	Check before visiting
The Wine Library	Tower Hill	300+ bottles at shop price plus corkage	Cheese, pâté and charcuterie	Saturday daytime
Davy’s at Plantation Place	Mincing Lane	A City lunch, outside table or private room	Modern British	Private hire only
Vinoteca di Sartoria Liverpool Street	Devonshire Square	Italian small plates close to the station	Italian-inspired plates	Saturday

1. Vinoteca di Sartoria City: for a long list and a proper lunch near Bank

21 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR

Vinoteca City works when the wine matters but nobody at the table wants dinner to feel like a lecture. More than 200 bottles sit behind a relaxed dining room in Bloomberg Arcade, three minutes from Bank and Cannon Street. The list travels widely, the kitchen follows the seasons, and the shop lets you take a bottle home instead of trying to recreate the choice from memory tomorrow.

The mezzanine gives groups a little distance from the main room without losing its hum. On a warm evening, the terrace brings more movement. It also opens on Saturday, so it works when you want the City without the working-week rush.

Choose it for: a wine-led client lunch, a broad list close to Bank, or a Saturday glass in the Square Mile.

Vinoteca di Sartoria City. Image: Vinoteca di Sartoria.

2. Vagabond Monument: for tasting widely without ordering a parade of full glasses

51 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0EH

Vagabond Monument turns choosing wine into something you can do with your hands. Load a tasting card, move between more than 100 bottles and pour a small measure before deciding whether to go back. It makes sense for a mixed group because curiosity does not have to arrive at the same bottle.

The room feels lively without demanding a big night. The premium fridge gives confident drinkers something to hunt for, while the self-pour wall takes pressure off anyone who would rather taste than pronounce. Bank, London Bridge and Monument are close, so it also works as the first glass before dinner elsewhere.

Choose it for: a tasting date, an after-work group with different tastes, or a quick route through unfamiliar grapes.

Vagabond Monument. Image: Vagabond Wines.

3. Humble Grape: for four very different City rooms and a producer-led list

Bow Lane, Fleet Street, Liverpool Street and Smithfield

We run four Humble Grape bars inside the City, and each earns its place for a different reason. Bow Lane sits beneath St Mary-le-Bow in a crypt with Norman arches. Fleet Street hides below St Bride’s Passage in another stone-vaulted room and is home to our Wine School. Liverpool Street is a side-alley pause opposite the station and opens on Saturday. Smithfield puts an emerald bar beside the market and Farringdon.

Across the four, the list runs to more than 500 organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines bought from small independent producers. A full kitchen means the wine can start with a quick glass and end with dinner. The range is the strength here, but the honest choice depends on your evening: Bow Lane for the room, Fleet Street for learning, Liverpool Street for the train and Saturday service, Smithfield for a weekday table near the market.

Choose it for: a full meal with wine, a historic crypt, a tasting event, or a choice of four City neighbourhoods.

Humble Grape Liverpool Street, two minutes from the station.

4. The Winemakers Club: for candlelight and bottles chosen by an importer

41A Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AN

The Winemakers Club sits in Victorian arches below Holborn Viaduct, in a site used as a wine cellar for more than 150 years. By day the vaults work as office, warehouse, tasting room and shop. At night the candles come out and the same space becomes a bar.

That double life gives the list its character. The team imports from small wineries and pays close attention to organic, biodynamic and low-intervention growers, unusual grapes and experimental work. You can book, your table is yours for the evening, and space is also held for walk-ins. This is the place to slow down and let a bottle take up the time it deserves.

Choose it for: an intimate evening, importer knowledge, grower Champagne, or a table that is not timed for a quick turn.

5. The Wine Library: for retail-price bottles in a nineteenth-century cellar

43 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4DJ

The Wine Library feels closer to a grower’s cellar than a polished City restaurant. It occupies a nineteenth-century space near Tower Hill, with more than 300 wines offered by the bottle at shop price plus £12 corkage. There are glasses too, but the pleasure here is scanning the shelves, choosing the bottle itself and opening it among the old brick arches.

Food stays in its lane: cheeses, pâtés, charcuterie, bread and biscuits, with vegetarian and vegan options. The bar opens in the daytime and closes earlier than the late-night picks in this guide. That makes it a fine Saturday-afternoon stop or an early escape before the commuter rush.

Choose it for: cellar atmosphere, value on a full bottle, a quiet tasting conversation or a daytime visit near Tower Hill.

6. Davy’s at Plantation Place: for a City lunch that can become after-work drinks

Unit 8 Plantation Place, Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7BD

Davy’s at Plantation Place is bright where several of this guide’s cellars are dark. Floor-to-ceiling windows and outside seats make it easy to use from breakfast through dinner, while a modern British menu gives the wine a proper place at lunch.

The list comes through Davy’s Wine Merchants and the buying team, with enough breadth for a casual glass or a more deliberate bottle. Floor-to-ceiling windows, outdoor seating and three private rooms make it practical for a City lunch, a work dinner or a larger booking. Tuesday to Friday run late; weekends are reserved for private hire.

Choose it for: breakfast or lunch with clients, a sunlit table, a private room or drinks that continue after the meeting ends.

Davy’s at Plantation Place. Image: Davy’s.

7. Vinoteca di Sartoria Liverpool Street: for Italian plates two minutes from the train

16 New Street, Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4TR

Vinoteca Liverpool Street has a softer mood than the station outside. Warm wood, flexible seating and tall wine displays give the room enough polish for dinner without making a single glass feel too small an order.

Italian-inspired plates make this a different proposition from its Bloomberg Arcade sibling, while the wine shop keeps the retail side close. It opens until 9pm from Monday to Saturday and sits about two minutes from Liverpool Street station. When the evening needs to be easy to reach and easy to leave, that is a real advantage.

Choose it for: Italian small plates, a bottle before the train, a Saturday booking or a relaxed catch-up near Liverpool Street.

How to choose the right City wine bar

Start with the kind of time you have. For a short, curious visit, Vagabond Monument lets you pour small measures across a wide range. For a bottle that owns the evening, The Winemakers Club or The Wine Library gives you a cellar and room to settle in. For lunch, Vinoteca City and Davy’s at Plantation Place have kitchens built for it. Vinoteca Liverpool Street is the easy station choice. Humble Grape works when you want a full meal, a tasting event or one of four distinct City settings. You can check the current Humble Grape menus before choosing a location.

Weekend opening changes the answer. Vinoteca City and Vinoteca Liverpool Street open on Saturday. Humble Grape Liverpool Street does too. The Wine Library opens during the day. Check each venue’s own page before setting out, since private hires and seasonal hours can change normal service.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best wine bar near Bank station?

Vinoteca City is about three minutes from Bank and suits a long list with lunch. Humble Grape Bow Lane is close to Bank in the crypt beneath St Mary-le-Bow. Vagabond Monument is a strong choice when you want self-pour tasting measures instead of a conventional list.

Which City of London wine bars open on Saturday?

Vinoteca City, Vinoteca Liverpool Street and Humble Grape Liverpool Street publish Saturday hours. The Wine Library opens on Saturday during the day. Check the venue page before visiting because event hires and seasonal hours can change service.

Where can I find a wine bar in a cellar or crypt?

The Winemakers Club sits in Victorian arches below Holborn Viaduct. The Wine Library occupies a nineteenth-century cellar near Tower Hill. Humble Grape Bow Lane and Fleet Street both sit in historic church crypts.

Which City wine bar is best for trying several wines?

Vagabond Monument has more than 100 self-pour wines, so you can choose small measures. Humble Grape and The Winemakers Club both run tasting events; check their current event pages before choosing a date.

Where should I go for wine and a full meal?

Vinoteca City, Vinoteca Liverpool Street, Davy’s at Plantation Place and all four Humble Grape City bars have kitchens. Their styles differ, so choose between seasonal dining, Italian-inspired plates, modern British food and Humble Grape’s wine-led menus.

Which bar is closest to Liverpool Street station?

Humble Grape Liverpool Street sits on Devonshire Row opposite the station. Vinoteca di Sartoria Liverpool Street is on New Street in Devonshire Square, about two minutes away.

About James Dawson

James Dawson is the founder of Humble Grape. He started the business by delivering wine by motorbike before work and running pop-up tastings. Humble Grape now has seven London wine bars and kitchens.

Sources

1. Vinoteca di Sartoria City, venue details, list size, address and current hours: https://vinotecadisartoria.co.uk/locations/city/ (checked 6 August 2026).
2. Vagabond Monument, address, self-pour format and list size: https://www.vagabondwines.co.uk/locations/monument (checked 6 August 2026).
3. Humble Grape, Bow Lane, Fleet Street, Liverpool Street, Smithfield and menus pages: https://www.humblegrape.co.uk/london-wine-bars (checked 6 August 2026).
4. The Winemakers Club, bar history, sourcing approach and booking policy: https://www.thewinemakersclub.co.uk/pages/bar-shop and https://www.thewinemakersclub.co.uk/pages/book-menu (checked 6 August 2026).
5. The Wine Library, cellar, list size, corkage, food and hours: https://winelibrary.co.uk/wine-bar/ (checked 6 August 2026).
6. Davy’s at Plantation Place, address, food, wine, private rooms and hours: https://www.davy.co.uk/wine-bar/davys-at-plantation-place/ (checked 6 August 2026).
7. Vinoteca di Sartoria Liverpool Street, address, format and current hours: https://vinotecadisartoria.co.uk/locations/liverpool-street/ (checked 6 August 2026).