January is the quietest time of year in hospitality but there are still some exciting new bars to visit this month. In London, a cellar bar from the team behind Goodbye Horses makes a chic retreat from the bleak weather, while New York’s East Village gets another two great wine bars. Meanwhile in Melbourne, a much loved cocktail bar from the US opens its first branch overseas.
Laying low and foregoing a good time can seem tempting after the excesses of Christmas but a few carefully chosen drinks somewhere relaxing is a great way to fend off the winter blues and what’s more, could really make a difference to venues facing a downturn in custom for the next few weeks.
Read on to discover the most exciting new bars to visit this month.
The best new bars to visit in January 2026
Stable Wines
London, UK
The owners of Goodbye Horses and The Dreamery have opened a natural wine bar on Essex Road with a spectacular basement level. Formerly a bank vault, the subterranean space now hosts a wine cellar and candlelit tables where guests can enjoy a range of predominantly ‘zero-zero’ wines (nothing added, nothing removed), along with a selection of snacks and small plates such as oysters, Guinness rarebit, langoustines and eggs mayonnaise.
Open now, stablewines.com
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Death & Co.
Melbourne, Australia
Death & Co. has already branched out to other locations in the US after its impressive success in New York’s East Village but it’s now made the rather larger jump to Australia for its first international outpost. Located in Melbourne’s East End district, the latest Death & Co. serves more of the cocktails that won the bar Best American Cocktail Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu awards in 2010. The cocktail menu is split into six sections that start with the bar’s signature classics and then move from light and refreshing to bold and increasingly potent, before finishing with non-alcoholic cocktails. A selection of snacks and sharing plates is available to complement the drinks.
Open now, deathandcompanymelbourne.com.au
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Long Count
New York, US
Long Count is a new wine bar from the owners of Soda Club in the East Village and opens in the old premises of Soda Club after it was rehoused in a bigger space. The concept behind the name is ‘how time transforms flavour’, so all the wines available are at least ten years old and the list features some unusual bottles in an attempt to keep old wine affordable; a sample list includes a Saperavi from Georgia, a Savignan/Traminer blend from Switzerland and a Borgonja from Croatia. A vegan food menu continues the theme, focusing on pickles, fermentation and preserves along with sourdough focaccia.
Open now, longcountnyc.com
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Bar Vita @ Updown Farmhouse
Deal, UK
Updown has become a much cherished hotel for food lovers seeking a rural retreat, with chef Oli Brown overseeing a small, seasonal menu in the restaurant that makes the most of the best local and European ingredients. The restaurant, set in the large conservatory of the farmhouse grounds, is now joined by Bar Vita in one of the stable buildings, billed as an ‘ode to Rome’s glamorous watering holes’. Drinks, including Martinis and grappa, will be accompanied by inevitably delicious bar snacks. Along with beautiful rooms, a swimming pool and regular guest chef events, the new bar is yet another reason to book in.
Open now, updownfarmhouse.com
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Stars
New York, US
Another new place for great wine in Manhattan’s East Village is Stars, a dinky 12-seat bar whose size belies a wine list that runs to more than 60 pages. The owners have already tasted success in the neighbourhood with the restaurants Claud and Penny but the focus here is firmly on wine, with only nine snacks and one pudding for guests intent on eating. The wine list incorporates some of the biggest estates from across the world, including older vintages of many cuvées with prices to match, but there are also nearly 100 bottles that cost less than $90 and single glasses available for $11.
Open now, stars-ny.com
