Natural wines, agave-spirits, Japanese ingredients; there are plenty of hip themes driving new bar openings in March and much to tempt you as the evenings get lighter and more appealing (in the northern hemisphere at least). Lucky Londoners can test out Oriole as it returns to the city after a two-year hiatus, arriving at a new location in Covent Garden. The Dalston darlings behind Three Sheets are opening a new spot in Soho, while in New York, Bar Contra is causing a stir in Manhattan and Hellbender holds the limelight in Queens for its Mexican cocktails and snacks. Meanwhile, an Italian-inspired wine bar is opening its doors in Seattle and Sydney citizens have plenty of Tequilas to sample at the new venue from the people behind Cantina OK!.
Read on to discover the most exciting new bars to visit this month.
The best new bars to visit in March 2024
Three Sheets
London, UK
One of Dalston’s most elegant and acclaimed cocktail bars has branched out into Soho with a new venue on Manette Street. Its beloved French 75 with verjus (by the glass or bottle) survives the move, as does the trademark menu design that divides cocktails into one, two or three sheets, depending on strength. Punters can drop in for coffee and pastries in the morning, before lunch is served and the countdown begins to cocktail hour and the ensuing booze-based proceedings at night. You can expect a different selection of cocktails on the menu for the Soho venture, including a clarified take on the White Russian (pictured), and an ex-Lyle’s chef is behind the food, which ‘captures the nostalgia of British classics’; salt beef sandwiches, triple cooked chips and oysters are promised to accompany the drinks.
Opens 15 March, threesheets-bar.com
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Centro 86
Sydney, Australia
The Mucho group already has three bars in Sydney, including the much-loved Cantina OK! that has become renowned for its mezcal and Margaritas, and Centro 86 is its fourth and latest. Promising more Mexican-themed drinking pleasure via fruit-forward cocktails and a back bar with more than 100 Tequilas to try, the large basement venue has space for up to 110 people – quite the increase from 20 at Cantina – and is open from 4pm until 2am. For those passionate about agave spirits and cocktails, many of the boxes are ticked here, from the availability of rare, artisanal spirits to freshly squeezed juices and ice for drinks that’s cut to order.
Open now, centro86.com
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Bar Contra
New York, US
After a decade of running New York’s best spot for an affordable tasting menu, the Contra team is ready for a stiff drink or two. At Bar Contra, Dave Arnold is in charge of the cocktail menu. If you don’t know of him already, you might recognise Dave from a recent video in which he made a ‘dirt’ martini with a geosmin solution (the terpene behind the smells of both beetroot and petrichor). Expect creative concoctions that showcase the latest techniques and trends, plus impressive bar snacks
Opens 31 March, contranyc.com
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Yuki Bar
London, UK
Yuki Bar is the first solo venture from Yukiyasu Kaneko, who has previously worked as a sommelier at Noma and P Franco. Tucked in a railway arch in London Fields, the bar, which has seating for around 20 people, serves a range of Kaneko’s favourite natural wines, plus some small plates with a mix of European and Japanese influences. Although the bar has opened with relatively little fanfare (there isn’t a website or, seemingly, a PR agency), this is a great place to visit if you’re passionate about low-intervention wines.
Open now, walk-ins only instagram.com/yukibar.london
Prelude by Oriole
London, UK
London stalwart Oriole is back with a new Covent Garden venue after its storied Smithfield location closed in 2022 – ‘Prelude’ refers to the fact that this is effectively a soft launch before the bar officially opens in full this summer. The cocktail menu favours Japanese ingredients like miso-washed whisky, Hojoicha tea and cherry blossom vinegar – which pair neatly with bar snacks like the beef tartare sando – and signature cocktails will be back on the list too. It’s a perfect place to head for live jazz with a little something extra.
Opens 13 March, oriolebar.com
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Lioness
Seattle, US
A new seafood-focused wine bar in Seattle serves its cocktails with anchovies and olives, with terrazzo decor designed to create the perfect destination for aperitivi and Amalfi-inspired cocktail hours. The bar is the brainchild of Sea Creatures, the group behind a number of Seattle’s best-loved and award-winning restaurants, including Deep Dive at the Spheres.
Open now, lionessseattle.com
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Freddles Bar
London, UK
From the brains behind Papi, Freddles is a new bar with a lively side. From the wild ‘Slaw Down’ with red cabbage to ‘Starch Trek’ with mashed potato, half the cocktail menu is a playground for ideas, while the other half sticks to twists on classics. For wine drinkers, the Papi wine list covers more than 70 bottles of red, white, orange, rosé and sparkling without even counting the ‘cellar’ section. Even beer drinkers are treated to specials: look out for L’eau de Neuphar, made with grape skins, and beetroot Cyclic beer from Barcelona.
Open now, papirestaurant.com
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Hellbender
New York, US
Calling itself a night-time café, Hellbender in Queens is a riot. Retro cocktails get a modern twist: take the Hennessy Colada, coconut Sazerac, or the strawberry Margarita. There are also a bunch of agua frescasfor non-drinkers. Equally important is the Mexican bar snack menu: sandwiches with coriander mayo, tortillas and tacos. The decor is unpretentious, with all cocktail-making beheld in the eye of a stuffed jaguar couched in a plastic jungle opposite the bar.
Open now, hellbendernighttimecafe.com
