Dive Bars in London

Bradley's Spanish Bar

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review As London’s trendy media center, Fitzrovia isn’t synonymous with dumpy watering holes, but Bradley’s Spanish Bar has played against type since first opening in the 1960s. A combination of kitschy Spanish-themed dive and gritty English pub, the venue is marked by a bright red-and-yellow sign that ... more

Address:

42-44 Hanway Street
London W1T 1UT

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Vibe Bar

Dive Bar / Music Venue

Party Earth Review A Brick Lane fixture for over a decade, the vibrant Vibe Bar is a hip but welcoming local hangout that helped popularize London’s East End. A buzzing beer garden in the cobblestone courtyard serves as the entrance to Vibe Bar, and given its rows of picnic tables, on-tap beer, and barbecue stand, it’s no wonder that many ... more

Address:

91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL

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London Dive Bars Overview

London is definitely more known for its pubs and neighborhood haunts than for its dive bars, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find a great cheap bar with no frills and peeling paint in the city.

London dive bars have a number of things in common. They’re usually some of the cheapest places to drink in the city. They attract a wide range of characters from broke students and dive hunters to aging bar flies drinking their feelings. And they provide an escape from the glitz and glamour of London’s hot nightlife scene.

One really stellar dive bar in Shoreditch / Brick Lane is Vibe Bar. A fixture for over a decade on London’s East End, this hole-in-the-wall features a beer garden, a modern performance and art space, and an ever-changing lineup of live music and DJs. Hipsters and Shoreditch locals congregate to Vibe for the live jams but also the incredibly cheap food and drinks.

You’re more likely to find a pub than a great many dive bars in London, but if you’re willing to look in all the wrong places, you’re bound to come across some dilapidated and defunct bars where your shoes will stick to the floor and the bathrooms need to be quarantined. So have fun dive-hunting the London streets!