Barbarella

You're walking down Fulham Road past the usual parade of chain restaurants when you spot Barbarella—the kind of place that doesn't shout about itself. Inside, it's got that convivial energy of somewhere the locals have already claimed, all dark wood and intimate corners. The bartenders actually give a toss about what goes in your glass, crafting proper cocktails without the pretension or the eye-watering prices you'd pay three streets over in Chelsea. It's the sort of bar you find yourself in on a Friday and suddenly it's midnight, or where you meet a mate for a quick drink that turns into three.