5 Cosy Wine Bars in London for 2026
Written by James Dawson, CEO and Founder of Humble Grape. Last updated 28 August 2026.
Search for a cosy wine bar in London and you get plenty of big bars with the lights turned down. What most people mean by cosy is smaller than that: low ceilings, candles on the table, a handful of seats rather than a whole floor of them, and somewhere you can hear the person opposite you. The five below fit that, including our own candlelit crypt at Bow Lane.
Which are the best cosy wine bars in London for 2026?
| Venue | Best for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Humble Grape Bow Lane | An 11th-century crypt, stone columns and candlelit tables | Cheapside, near Bank |
| Gordon's Wine Bar | An 1890 candlelit cellar left as it was found | Villiers Street, Charing Cross |
| Ducksoup | A Soho space too small for dogs, natural wine that changes daily | Dean Street, Soho |
| Sager + Wilde | 55 seats in the whole venue, and space kept for walk-ins | Hackney Road |
| Bedales, Borough Market | A private cellar seating 18, inside a former potato storehouse | Borough Market |
Humble Grape Bow Lane
St Mary Le Bow Church, Cheapside, EC2V 6AU. Bow Lane sits in an 11th-century crypt beneath St Mary-le-Bow. The church above was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London, but the original Norman stone arches of the crypt still stand. What makes it cosy is the building itself. You sit between stone columns under a white arched ceiling, black chandeliers and pendant lights overhead, candles on the wooden tables and the crypt's own stone walls on every side. It's open Monday 3pm to 11pm and Tuesday to Friday midday to 11pm, closed at the weekend, so it works best as a weekday booking. The kitchen runs dinner 5pm to 10pm every day it's open, with lunch added 12pm to 3pm Tuesday to Friday. A terrace opens in the warmer months, if you would rather sit outside than under the church. The wine list showcases 500+ wines, drawn from the in-house wine shop you can browse on your way in or out, and the kitchen serves small plates, sharing boards and main dishes built to match it. Bow Lane also runs wine tastings on site, for anyone who wants to learn more about what they're drinking. Bow Lane also carries the standard Humble Grape weekly wine days: Monday retail-price bottles and Thursday and Friday icon wines by the glass, and it's dog friendly like every other Humble Grape site.
Gordon's Wine Bar, Charing Cross
47 Villiers Street, WC2N 6NE. Gordon's has run from the same vaulted, candlelit cellar since 1890, and is thought to be the oldest wine bar in London. What makes it cosy is what nobody has changed. Old oak barrels filled with sherry and port remain in the cellar, and old photographs and newspaper clippings cover the walls. The walls themselves were left crusting, cobwebs included, after a six-month closure that was supposed to have been a revamp. Cellar tables are set back behind the bars. One of them, the Cage, is a single large table inside the vaulted cave that seats up to 12. It is the only cellar table you can reserve, on a £250 minimum spend. Everything else is first come, first served, so arrive early if you want to sit down there. Heated awnings keep its outdoor tables usable through the year too, for anyone who wants the Gordon's experience without going underground.
Ducksoup, Soho
41 Dean Street, W1D 4PY. Ducksoup is a neighbourhood wine bar in the middle of Soho, and small in a literal way: it turns dogs away because there isn't the space for them. The wines by the glass and the cellar list are curated by Bertie King and evolve daily, alongside unfussy, seasonal Mediterranean small plates from Head Chef Tom Lake's kitchen. Drinks aren't bookable, only a table to eat at, so a glass here means turning up and finding a spot. Current kitchen hours run from 5pm on Monday and Tuesday, then lunch and dinner Wednesday to Saturday.
Sager + Wilde, Hackney Road
193 Hackney Road, E2 8JL. Sager + Wilde's whole venue holds 55 seated, or 65 standing if you take it over entirely. That is the number that makes it cosy: even at its fullest it stays a single small space, not a floor of tables. The largest table in the place seats twelve. The team also keeps room back for walk-ins instead of filling every seat on reservations, so a late, unplanned bottle is a realistic plan here. It opens from 5pm on weekdays and 2pm at weekends, so it's an evening place first.
Bedales, Borough Market
5 Bedale Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AL. Bedales occupies a corner of Borough Market inside a former potato storehouse, trading since 2001. It runs three floors of wine: an open-kitchen wine bar, a first-floor balcony looking down over the market, and a private cellar and tasting room. The balcony is covered and heated, so it works in winter. The private cellar and tasting room is the one to ask about for a group. Bedales lists it for an intimate lunch, dinner or wine tasting event for up to 18 guests. The wine list covers established regions such as Italy and France alongside less familiar wine-producing areas, built around small, family-owned estates with a rotating list by the glass. It opens at 11am on Saturdays, and at midday on Sundays, closing at 7pm that day, so it also works for a daytime glass, not only an evening one.
Which of these five is the cosiest?
These five are cosy in three different ways: the building, a space of your own, or simply not much room.
At Humble Grape Bow Lane and Gordon's, the building itself is what makes them cosy. Bow Lane is an 11th-century crypt under a church, so it is stone-walled, arched and candlelit before anyone has arranged a single table. Gordon's is an 1890 cellar left alone on purpose, with its barrels, clippings and crusting walls kept rather than tidied up. Both are underground and both are candlelit. If the building is the reason you are going out, those are the two to choose between, and the practical difference is that Bow Lane takes a booking on any night it's open, while Gordon's takes one only for the Cage.
Humble Grape Bow Lane and Bedales both offer private spaces for groups. At Bow Lane, the Chapel can be hired privately. At Bedales, the cellar and tasting room takes up to 18 guests. Choose between the Chapel's crypt setting and Bedales' cellar based on the size and style of the booking.
Ducksoup and Sager + Wilde are cosy because they are simply small. Ducksoup has no room to spare at all, to the point of turning dogs away. Sager + Wilde is a single 55-seat venue with tables of no more than twelve, so even at capacity it stays small. Neither has a crypt or a cellar to offer.
Humble Grape Bow Lane welcomes reservations and walk-ins. Book if you want to be sure of a table, but you can also turn up without one. Ducksoup and Bedales also take reservations. Gordon's cellar is first come, first served apart from the Cage. Bow Lane closes at the weekend, so the crypt is a weekday plan. If it has to be a Saturday, Bedales opens at 11am and Sager + Wilde opens at 2pm.
The wine styles differ too, so the setting isn't the only choice you're making. Humble Grape's list covers organic, natural and biodynamic wine from small, family-run producers, alongside more conventionally styled bottles. Ducksoup's list is built specifically around natural and biodynamic wine, changing daily as stock turns over. Gordon's and Bedales lean towards established, classic wine regions, Gordon's through sherry and port served from the barrel, Bedales through a rotating glass list from Italy, France and less familiar wine-producing areas. Sager + Wilde keeps a by-the-glass list separate from its bottle list, so you can settle in on a glass and move onto a bottle when you know what you want.
So, to pick one: for an old, enclosed building, book Bow Lane for a weekday or arrive early at Gordon's. For a private group booking, ask about the Chapel at Bow Lane or the cellar at Bedales. If you would rather decide on the night, Ducksoup accepts walk-ins for food and Sager + Wilde deliberately keeps some space for walk-ins.
Frequently asked questions
Is Humble Grape Bow Lane underground?
Yes. It's set in an 11th-century crypt beneath St Mary-le-Bow, near Bank, with original Norman stone arches and vaulted ceilings rather than a street-level room.
Is Humble Grape Bow Lane open at weekends?
No. It's open Monday for dinner, and lunch and dinner Tuesday to Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday. Plan a weekday visit if Bow Lane is the one you want.
Do I need to book ahead for a cosy wine bar?
Humble Grape Bow Lane accepts reservations and walk-ins. Book if you want to be sure of a table, especially on a busy weekday, but you can also turn up without one. Booking also means we can seat your group together, and put you where you want to be in the crypt. Bedales takes bookings as well, Ducksoup takes them for a table to eat at, and Gordon's takes them only for the Cage.
What kind of food is served at Humble Grape Bow Lane?
Small plates, sharing boards and main dishes, built to go with the 500+ wines on the list. It works for a quick plate alongside a glass, and for a longer evening at the table in the crypt.
Which of these five venues is the oldest?
It depends whether you mean the space or the business. The oldest space is Humble Grape Bow Lane's crypt, which dates to the 11th century and is older than the church above it. The oldest business is Gordon's, trading from the same cellar since 1890 and thought to be the oldest wine bar in London. Bedales has served Borough Market from its converted potato storehouse since 2001.
Can I get a daytime glass at Humble Grape Bow Lane?
Yes, from midday Tuesday to Friday, with lunch served 12pm to 3pm alongside it. Mondays start later, at 3pm, and the crypt is closed at the weekend, so a daytime visit here means a weekday. If it has to be a Saturday, Gordon's and Bedales both open at 11am.
What food can I get with the wine?
Humble Grape Bow Lane serves small plates, sharing boards and main dishes built to match the wine list, so you can order as lightly or as fully as you like. Ducksoup and Bedales both cook well too. If the food matters as much as the wine, those three are the ones to plan around.
Sources
1. Humble Grape, Bow Lane: setting, history (the church above rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London, the original Norman arches of the crypt), stone walls, stone columns and arches, white arched ceiling, black chandeliers, pendant lights, candles and wooden tables, terrace, opening hours, wine list, in-house wine shop, wine tastings.
2. Gordon's Wine Bar: vaulted candlelit cellar, oak barrels of sherry and port, photographs and newspaper clippings on the walls, outdoor heated awnings.
3. Gordon's Wine Bar, history: established 1890, thought to be the oldest wine bar in London, original decor kept, crusting walls and cobwebs retained after a six-month closure.
4. Gordon's Wine Bar, seating and the Cage, and current opening hours: first come, first served cellar seating, the reservable 12-seat Cage, £250 minimum spend, and Saturday opening at 11am.
5. Ducksoup, Soho: "small and intimate", unfussy Mediterranean cooking and honest made wines, wine and food team.
6. Ducksoup, what we do: "Head Chef Tom Lake", wines "Curated by Bertie King", glass and cellar lists evolving daily, natural and biodynamic sourcing.
7. Ducksoup, visit: address, kitchen hours, no reservations for drinks, no pets due to the size of the space.
8. Sager + Wilde: address, opening hours, by-the-glass and bottle lists.
9. Sager + Wilde, private hire: whole-venue capacity of 55 seated and 65 standing.
10. Sager + Wilde, reservations: tables bookable for up to 12 people, space always kept for walk-ins.
11. Bedales, Borough Market: address, wine list, opening hours Monday to Sunday in full.
12. Bedales locations: trading on Bedale Street since 2001, former potato storehouse, three floors of wine including a private cellar, open kitchen and first-floor balcony over the market.
13. Bedales tasting and events: private cellar and tasting room for up to 18 guests, first-floor balcony covered and heated for year-round use.
