The Royal Cocktail Exchange | Tottenham Court Road

You'll find yourself on Windmill Street in that sweet spot between Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury where the after-work crowd mingles with proper cocktail enthusiasts. The Royal Cocktail Exchange doesn't mess about with gimmicks—this is bartending as craft, with a drinks menu that rewards reading closely. The room has that satisfying buzz of people who've chosen to be there deliberately, nursing Negronis and actually talking to each other rather than their phones. It's the kind of place where regulars exist and the staff remember your name by drink two.