1. A Hackney bar with no artificial flavours: Behind This Wall
Hackney, London
If the thought of a sugary, artificially-coloured cocktail is enough to send an e-number-induced shudder down your spine, may we introduce Behind This Wall. Tucked away beneath the Narrow Way in Hackney Central, you could easily miss this basement bar if you weren’t looking for it.
Lovers of the cool-but-classics rejoice - Behind This Wall pride themselves on their minimal, Scandi-Japanese aesthetic and menu free of artificial junk. A vintage sound system spins vinyl records as a soundtrack to testing out the seasonal list of first-class cocktails. Wine, beers and bar snacks of poke bowls and oysters are also on offer, and you can order Yard Sale pizza straight to your stool. Oh, and hire the whole space if you so wish, which would be very cool.