London does Halloween properly. The halloween bars london scene runs from gothic basement speakeasies in Soho to fully dressed-up theatrical experiences in the East End, and the quality gap between a good one and a mediocre one is significant. We have spent the past three weeks doing the rounds so you do not have to settle for a venue that just hung some plastic spiders over the bar.
The Best Halloween Bars in Central London
Central London concentrates the most ambitious Halloween transformations. These are venues that take the month seriously — production budgets, costumed staff, bespoke cocktail menus and, in some cases, ticketed entry that sells out weeks in advance. Book ahead.
01
The Obsidian Parlour
Soho
$$$
Gothic / Theatrical
A basement bar on Wardour Street that operates year-round with a Victorian occult theme, but goes several levels deeper in October. The walls are lined with genuine antique cabinets, the bartenders dress as apothecaries, and the Halloween menu leans into bitter, smoky, and herbaceous profiles. Their black-walnut Old Fashioned is one of the better versions in London at any time of year. Book the corner banquette — it comes with its own carved candelabra.
Order: The Nightshade Negroni — Campari, aged mezcal, black walnut bitters, served in a coupe with a dried rose petal garnish
02
Grimoire & Co.
Covent Garden
$$$
Cocktail / Immersive
A cocktail bar that doubles as a bookshop front — find the door behind the shelf of Victorian ghost stories. In October the whole space converts to a spells-and-potions concept: every cocktail is named after a piece of folklore and served with a brief handwritten card explaining the origin. The bartenders genuinely know their stuff and will talk you through the story if you ask. Not cheap, but worth every pound.
Order: The Will-o'-the-Wisp — green chartreuse, dry gin, elderflower, served warm in a pewter cup
03
The Hemlock Room
Fitzrovia
$$$$
High-End / Intimate
Thirty-two seats, no walk-ins, advance booking only. The Hemlock Room operates as a monthly ticketed experience year-round, and its October programme — Séance Season — is the most sought-after reservation in London's Halloween calendar. Four cocktail courses paired with a guided ghost story performed by a theatre company. The drinks are exceptional, the pacing is theatrical, and the whole thing takes about two and a half hours. Reserve before September ends.
Order: The set menu is the only option — trust the programme, it delivers
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Hidden Gems for Halloween Night in London
Not every good Halloween bar in London takes a maximalist approach. These are the quieter, more considered options — venues where the atmosphere is genuinely eerie rather than performatively decorated, and where you can still hold a conversation.
04
The Vellum & Ink
Clerkenwell
$$
Low-lit / Bookish
A narrow bar behind a restored Victorian print shop, with exposed stone walls and candlelight that never changes regardless of season. In October they add a curated programme of silent horror films projected on the back wall and a Halloween-specific cocktail list of about eight drinks, all named after Victorian poisoning cases. Genuinely unsettling in the best way. Opens at 5pm weekdays, 3pm Saturday and Sunday.
Order: The Madeleine Smith — pink gin, rosewater, absinthe rinse, served with a sugar cube pressed with a skull stamp
05
Raven & Wax
Bermondsey
$$
Craft Cocktail / Dark
A craft cocktail bar in a converted railway arch that has been running a Poe-themed October residency for the past four years. The regular menu is already strong on smoky, herbal, and bitter profiles, and the Halloween additions lean further into that territory. No plastic decorations, no orange lights — just very good drinks in a genuinely atmospheric space. Best visited on a Tuesday or Wednesday when it is less crowded.
Order: The Masque of the Red Death — reposado tequila, hibiscus, dried chilli, mezcal float
06
The Catacombs Bar
Elephant and Castle
$$
Underground / Indie
Genuinely underground — down two flights into a series of low-ceilinged vaulted rooms that were originally part of a Victorian railway infrastructure. Year-round, the atmosphere is one of the more authentically gothic spaces in London. In October they run a rotating programme of horror screenings, tarot readings and a cocktail menu built around bitter aperitivi and fortified wines. Entry is free on weeknights and £5 on weekends.
Order: The Bone Dust Spritz — Campari, amaro Montenegro, Prosecco, rosemary sprig
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East London Halloween Bars Worth the Commute
East London's bar scene has the density and the creative appetite to make Halloween genuinely interesting. These are our picks from Shoreditch, Hackney and beyond — venues that treat the occasion as a creative brief rather than an afterthought.
07
Mordecai's
Shoreditch
$$
Speakeasy / Dark
Find it through the butcher's shopfront on Curtain Road — the door is unmarked and the interior is deliberately cramped, with dark wood, taxidermy and low light. Mordecai's runs a Halloween fortnight every October with a different theme each year, a costumed bar team, and a cocktail menu that changes nightly. We have been three years in a row. The 2023 edition — based around Victorian freak shows — was the best yet.
Order: Ask for the off-menu Absinthe Drip — they do it properly, with a slotted spoon and cold water
08
The Witches' Cauldron
Hackney
$$
Neighbourhood / Festive
A neighbourhood cocktail bar that earned its Halloween reputation by doing the basics exceptionally well: a genuinely spooky playlist (no novelty songs), atmospheric lighting achieved through hundreds of tea lights rather than coloured bulbs, and a seasonal menu developed by a bartender who takes flavour seriously. The pumpkin-spiced Daiquiri sounds gimmicky. It is not — they use a house-made pumpkin and cardamom syrup that balances the sweetness properly. Welcoming and never pretentious.
Order: The Pumpkin and Cardamom Daiquiri — white rum, lime, house pumpkin-cardamom syrup
09
Crypt Club
Bethnal Green
$
Party / Late Night
A late-night venue in a converted church hall that runs Halloween events across the entire month of October, not just the week of the 31st. Tickets are cheap, the production quality is high, and the bar serves a focused list of punches and highballs rather than a full cocktail programme. Better for a group looking to dance than a couple after a quiet drink. Doors at 9pm, runs until 4am most Fridays and Saturdays through October.
Order: The Poison Apple Punch — served by the jug, apple brandy, ginger, lemon, cinnamon
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Our Verdict on Halloween in London
London's Halloween bar scene is worth planning properly. The ticketed immersive experiences — The Hemlock Room above all — sell out fast, so book in September if you can. For a more spontaneous night, the East London options are your best bet: Mordecai's and Raven & Wax both welcome walk-ins on weeknights without much difficulty. Avoid the West End mainstream venues on 31 October itself unless you enjoy being charged £20 entry for a plastic bat on your cocktail.
The strongest single recommendation for groups: Grimoire & Co. in Covent Garden. The format works well for four to six people, the cocktails are genuinely good, and the theatrical element gives the night a shape that a regular bar crawl lacks. Reserve the long table at the back and ask the host to start you with the folklore introduction — it sets the tone well.
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