Bar 190

You're stepping into the bar at The Gore, a proper Victorian townhouse hotel just off the Queen's Gate strip in South Kensington. It's got that refined, understated feel you'd expect from the neighbourhood — dark wood, leather, the sort of place where the bartender knows what they're doing and won't judge you for ordering a martini. The cocktails are genuinely good, mixed with actual technique rather than the usual Instagram nonsense. It's the kind of spot where you can have a proper conversation without screaming over a DJ, but it's got enough going on that you won't feel like you're in a museum.