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100 Club
This legendary London venue has always concentrated on jazz, but it's spreading its wings also to swing and rock nowadays. It once showcased Chris Barber, BB King and the Stones and was at the centre of the punk revolution as well as the '90s indie scene. There are lunchtime jazz sessions from to once a month (around £5 ).
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1001
'Laid-back' is an understatement here - 1001 is frequented by those who haven't yet been to bed after their night out or those who come here to snooze in the candlelit atmosphere at noon. Coffee and cocktails are prepared while DJs play excellent music, and seating is all comfy sofas and massive cushions. The crowded outside area dishes up burgers all day Sunday.
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333
Hoxton's true old-timer, 333's stripped-down manner doesn't bow down to Shoreditch's silly cool and pretence. The club keeps hosting great nights, remaining a favourite London club for over a decade. Just off Hoxton Sq, it's simultaneously scruffy and innovative - it's been a key player on the electro-glam and indie rave scene, with the riotous monthly Troubled Minds night that mashes up grime, rave, dancehall, electro, indie, hip hop and hardcore.
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606 Club
A lovely, but slightly out-of-the-way basement jazz club and restaurant that gives centre stage nightly to contemporary British-based jazz musicians. The club frequently stays open until , although you have to dine at weekends to gain admission (booking is advised). There is no admission charge, but you'll be charged a music fee at the end of the evening on top of your food/drink bill (around £8 during the week and £12 on weekends).
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93 Feet East
This great venue has a courtyard, three big rooms, an outdoor terrace that packs in the cool East London crowd on sunny afternoons. There are some excellent nights, like the super popular 'rave, bling and trash scene' from Styleslut and Wasteclub on Fridays. Relaxed Sunday afternoon Rock'n'Roll sessions have short film screenings, with girls on roller skates selling popcorn. It's worth getting a ticket through the website to beat the queue.
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Almeida Theatre
A plush venue that can be relied on to provide the city with an essential programme of imaginative theatre, the Almeida, under its creative artistic director, Michael Attenborough, attracts directors like Richard Eyre and Rufus Norris, and stages plays such as The Mercy Seat and the acclaimed Dying For It . Check out the Conran restaurant opposite.
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Amused Moose Soho
One of the city's best clubs, Soho's Amused Moose is popular with audiences and comedians alike, perhaps helped along by the fact that heckling is 'unacceptable' and all of the acts are 'first date-friendly' in that they're unlikely to humiliate the front row. At Camden's Enterprise pub there's also Amused Moose Camden, with a similar crowd and policy. Check out their Absolute & Almost Beginners comedy course if you think you can cut it too.
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Anchor Bankside
This riverside pub dating back to 1775 (but rebuilt after a fire destroyed it a century later) has superb views across the Thames from its terrace and is the most central (and most popular) riverside pub in London. Samuel Johnson (1709-84), whose brewer friend owned the joint, wrote part of his dictionary here. Even better than the terrace is the small seating just off the 1st floor.
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Aquarium
The Saturday night hitch-up between '70s disco evening Carwash and this converted gym seems like an excellent match: clubbers dressed in sexy, retro gear - compulsory, but disco wigs not allowed - now mingle around the huge pool or in the trendy bar. Absolutely Sunday focuses on old-school house, garage and R&B. Trainers are not welcome here.
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Arcola Theatre
Arcola's East End location makes it a bit of a trek, but many still flock to this innovative theatre whose director Mehmet Ergen has been staging adventurous and eclectic programmes since 2000. A season focusing on Turkish writers and plays about Turkey was met with acclaim in 2007, so check the programme for more cutting-edge, international productions.
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Area
Home from home for circuit party boys but still very welcoming to all, Area describes itself as 'polysexual' and hosts some of the most inventive nights in town, including monthly Queer Kandi and Saturday nighter Evolve.
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At Proud
It's a bit tricky to find, hidden among the nooks of Camden's old Stables Market, but once you step onto the sunny roof terrace overlooking the industrial but attractive skyline, you'll be charmed into submission. It's really a summer venue, though it's open in winter too, with live bands playing most nights (when there's a cover charge of around £5 ), a crowd of socialites and beautiful people, and, most importantly, an excellent atmosphere.
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Babalou
The Bug Bar in the crypt of a Methodist church has metamorphosed into a bar/lounge/club called Babalou with fabulous cocktails and parties. The neogothic architecture stays but there are now North African touches and discreet little 'snugs' (OK, booths) done up in red velvet.
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Baltic
This very stylish bar at the front of an Eastern European restaurant specialises - not surprisingly - in vodkas; some four dozen of them are at hand for your perusal and enjoyment. The airy, high-ceilinged dining room, with a glass roof and lovely amber wall, is just behind should you need some blotter.
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Bar Blue
This style bar attached to Vinopolis and close to the Thames has floor-to-ceiling windows and a colour scheme supposedly derived from a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin. The stools, the bar, the ceiling - everything but the nearby river - are bluer than blue. It's a great place for a cocktail before or after a performance at nearby Shakespeare's Globe.
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Bar Italia
Soho's original red-eye special still conjures up Italy c 1950, with black and white photos, bunting, panettone, coffee machines and even football photos moving on the hoarding next door. A favourite at any time of day or night - or in any state.
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Bar Kick
A much larger sister venue to Clerkenwell's Café Kick, this place has a slightly edgier Shoreditch vibe. This time, too, there's some floor space left over after four footy tables were installed, so there are leather sofas and simple tables and chairs.
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Bar Music Hall
This venue's most recent (and most promising incarnation is Bar Music Hall. It's large and therefore rarely too crowded, and hosts some of the hottest nights in Shoreditch. Wednesday's Slipped Disco is all underground acid and clipped electro, and Saturday night's Foreign is all the rage with drag queen DJ Jodie Harsh and fabulous Molaroid, art projections, techno, electro, rave, pop, ragga and anything in between. Oh, and it's free to get in.
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Bar Rumba
A small club just off Piccadilly with a loyal following and fab DJs, specialising in hip hop, Latin and drum'n'bass. Head down here on Thursdays for Movement, a drum'n'bass night with a star-studded DJ selection, or Get Down on Fridays for a hip hop party. There are also salsa and Latin urban dance parties on Tuesdays.
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Bar Vinyl
Bar Vinyl is the epicentre for Camden's young and urban crowd, with cool kids behind the decks, a record shop downstairs and graffiti whirling along narrow walls. It's super-friendly at the same time, though, and everyone's here to relax, enjoy some music and gobble a pizza, rather than pose. Weekends are packed and buzzing, midweek nights are quieter, and the music is always good.
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Barbican
The Barbican is home to the wonderful London Symphony Orchestra, but scores of leading international musicians also perform here every year. The lesser known BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of London Symphonia and English Chamber Orchestra are also regulars.
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Barcode
Tucked away down a side street is this fun gay bar, full of a diverse range of people enjoying a pint or two and some evening cruising. There are frequent club nights in the downstairs area, including the very popular gay comedy night Comedy Camp every Tuesday.
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Barfly@The Monarch
Barfly, Charles Bukowski, lounge lizards - you get the picture. This typically grungy, indie rock Camden venue is full of small-time artists looking for their big break. The focus is on rock from the US and UK, with alternative-music radio station Xfm hosting regular nights. There's a new sister venue, the Fly (36-38 New Oxford St WC1), with a similar set up.
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Barmy Arms
This is a popular Twickenham pub that gets packed to capacity on international match days; it claims to welcome all rugby fans. It's just by Eel Pie Island, a once-funky hippy hang-out that still attracts the alternative crowd, despite its heyday having long passed. There's also decent pub food and a charming beer garden to recommend it.
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Bartok
Here's a true oasis: an elegant classical music lounge bar unusual not just in grungy Camden, but in the whole of London for that matter. Named after the Hungarian composer and pianist, Bartok specialises in classical concertos, live jazz or brilliant DJ sets blending jazz, classical, electro and world music. There are fantastic cocktails (try the Espresso Martinis), low sofas and intimate lighting, with fun until the wee hours.
