2 restaurants open right now
Wine bar · Marylebone / West End
Wine bar · Fitzrovia / Oxford Circus
Wine, not food, drives the format here. Most wine bars build their food menu specifically to work alongside what's on the list, oysters and charcuterie with Champagne, seafood small plates with a crisp white, rather than treating drinks as an afterthought to a full restaurant menu.
A wine bar leads with its wine list rather than its kitchen, though most in London still serve a genuine food menu alongside it, usually built to complement what's being poured rather than stand entirely on its own.
Of the 2 wine bars we list, the highest concentration is in Westminster (4).
Expect a curated, often fairly extensive wine list by the glass and bottle, plus a smaller food menu of sharing plates, charcuterie, cheese and simple cooked dishes rather than a full multi-course restaurant format.
Seafood turns up often at wine bars since dishes like oysters, anchovies, smoked fish and seafood-based small plates pair naturally with white wine and Champagne, which many wine bar menus lean toward.
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Usually yes, most wine bars will serve you food on its own, though the menu is generally built to complement the wine list, so it tends to be smaller and more sharing-plate focused than a full restaurant.
It varies. Some stick to charcuterie, cheese and small plates, while others serve more substantial cooked dishes, so it's worth checking a specific listing if you want a proper meal rather than something to nibble alongside a glass.
We currently list 2 wine bars, with the most in Westminster (4).
