The listening bar has arguably never been more popular as a concept, a point perfectly demonstrated this month by three new London venues all serving drinks to a vinyl soundtrack. A multifaceted pub in Maida Vale that’s welcoming a second-floor cocktail bar is one of them, along with a bar in London Bridge serving Tequila with tunes and another in east London from founders with plenty of hospitality experience in the capital.
Elsewhere, two new openings in Singapore and Melbourne may not be listening bars but they both regularly welcome DJs for live sets to create extra buzz when it gets late. It’s clear bar owners are currently paying plenty of attention to what’s spinning behind the bar while maintaining a focus on the quality of the drinks and spirits served over it.
Read on to discover the most exciting new bars to visit this month.
The best new bars to visit in March 2025
Câv
London, UK
Câv, now open on Paradise Row in Bethnal Green, joins a wave of listening bars springing up around the world. Its primary focus is on cocktails, offering a list split into three categories: small, one-sip drinks; signature takes on the classics; and ‘sharers’, which are lower ABV mixes intended to be alternatives to wine. The signature serves include the ‘House Martini’ for just £7, a Cosmopolitan incorporating vodka and cranberry, Alma Finca and marigold, as well as agave-based drinks in the form of the Tu (Bazo), which blends mezcal with coconut, pineapple, Arbol and Sauternes and the Picante, comprised of Tequila with Chilli-no-spice, coriander root, mixed spices and Carpano Dry. The owners, Chris Tanner, co-founder of Dram Bar, and Edwin Frost, co-founder of Half Cut and Oranj, are running a kitchen residency programme to take care of the food, welcoming guest chefs to ensure a range of different cuisines and styles. The first from launch is Tasca, a team serving dishes and wine from Spain and Portugal.
Open now, cav255.london
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Bar Somma
Singapore
Bar Somma is an Italian cocktail bar that has opened beneath new Puglian restaurant Somma in Singapore’s New Bahru district. Bar manager Mel Chavez, formerly of rooftop cocktail bar Smoke & Mirrors at the National Gallery Singapore, has created an intriguing menu of aperitivo (including a Sherry Negroni finished with Amaro Lucano), savoury cocktails (a Bolognese Muse contains blended Scotch whisky, beef broth, tomato, carrot, onion and celery) and classics with a twist (the Last Word is mezcal, Hachi Sochu Ume, lime and maraschino). London-based design studio Nice Projects has used plenty of Italian materials to produce a seriously classy aesthetic for the bar, aided by a beautiful red travertine counter against muted colours of stone and wood. A DJ booth means Bar Somma gets lively later on.
Open now, somma.world/bar
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The Library at The Hero
London, UK
The Hero opened as a pub serving good food in its ground-floor bar and then added a proper restaurant called The Grill on the first floor. The evolution continues with the addition of a cocktail bar on the second floor called The Library, which looks like a cosy sanctuary from the pub if it gets busy (which, by many accounts, it often is). The cocktail menu is centred around classics, including a Martini, Negroni, French 75, Daiquiri, Espresso Martini, Margarita, Old Fashioned, El Diablo, Morning Glory Fizz and Sazerac but requests are also encouraged. DJs will play vinyl in the book-lined room that resembles part snug, part private club, part bar. Enter in the knowledge that across its three floors, The Hero now appears to cater to every need and mood, so you will likely be there for the entire night.
Open now, theherow9.com/the-library
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Slowpoke Lounge & Lookout
Melbourne, Australia
The trendy suburb of Collingwood in central Melbourne welcomes this rooftop bar that’s reportedly taken three friends two years to build. The views from the fourth-storey ‘lounge and lookout’ are spectacular and accompanied by classic cocktails in the form of Martinis, Negronis, Kir Royales, Cosmopolitans and Picantes, plus a short list of wines. Two of the bar’s three creators are teetotal, so there are also respectable choices for non-drinkers and an onus on the atmosphere as much as the alcohol. To that end, there’s custom-made furniture, soft LED downlighting for nightfall and DJs regularly booked.
Open now, slow-poke.com
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Sixt33n
London, UK
Agave-based cocktails and vinyl records mean Sixt33n hits two of today’s biggest trends in the bar world. This Patrón-backed basement bar at Brix in London Bridge will serve cocktails such as the Arte de Volar, made from Tequila, crème de violette, lavender sugar and lime, the Carrajilo, made from reposado (oak-aged) Tequila, Licor 43 and Guatemalan Antigua espresso, a raft of Margarita variants and more. Snacks will include burgers, skewers and grilled seafood and DJs will regularly play live sets.
Open 8 March, sixt33n.com
