The best London bars are sometimes the ones you would never even notice from the outside. Milk & Honey is a good example of this sort of place. There is no signage to let you know you have come to the right place. There is simply an unmarked black door on Poland Street, but those who knock are rewarded with entry into one of London’s best kept nightlife secrets.

Milk & Honey opened in April 2002 and remains one of Soho’s most delightful bars. Spread out over three floors of drinking and dining space, it has become one of the best-loved watering holes in the city.

Membership has its privileges at Milk & Honey, as members are allowed unrestricted entry to the club 6 days a week, from 6 PM to 3 AM. Non-members are welcome during the week prior to 11 PM, but must make advance reservations.

The house rules at Milk & Honey are rather charming. Off limits behaviours include normal annoyances like fighting and shouting, but the list also goes a bit further. Gentlemen are banned from wearing hats at Milk & Honey, and they may not introduce themselves to the ladies; it is up to the ladies themselves to make the first step.

There is also a specific rule against trying to hook up with the celebrities that come here. The rules are enforced sporadically, but the old fashioned intentions still shine through.

When you arrive at Milk & Honey, you are expected to knock on the door and the hostess will greet you by name and then find a booth and a server for you in the dimly lit seating areas.

Jazz music plays in the background at the perfect level; not so quiet that you strain to make out the tune but not so loud as to block out all hope of conversation.

The best London bars are those you would want to visit often, and Milk & Honey certainly qualifies as that kind of place.

Visiting Milk & Honey

Address: Milk & Honey, 61 Poland Street, Soho, W1F 7NU

Telephone: 020 7292 9949

Opening Times

Members until 3:00 | Access to non-members is by reservation only until 23:00

Photo courtesy: Ewan-M

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