Little Bat

The coolest little spot with amazing service! I had my wedding reception here in April 2025 and I can't recommend it enough. The food was delicious, the drinks were a big hit (especially the spicy tequila cocktail) and everyone kept saying how great the vibes were. We didn't need any decorations because the venue itself looks great on its own! The staff went above and beyond to help us with anything we could ask for and were very responsive. They even helped us find a very last minute DJ who really pulled the whole night together. Everyone who attended told us that it was the best fun they'd had on a night out in years. If anyone's looking for a fun, easy-going wedding reception venue with exceptional service and delicious food, I highly recommend them!

We had such a fantastic experience at Little Bat, and a huge part of that was thanks to Sasha! From the moment we arrived, he made us feel incredibly welcome. His kindness, warmth, and genuine passion for what he does really stood out and made the evening memorable. Sasha took the time to talk us through the cocktails, offering great recommendations and sharing his enthusiasm for the craft. It’s clear he loves what he does, and it made our visit all the more enjoyable. We’re already looking forward to coming back to see Sasha again and to try even more of the amazing cocktails on offer. Highly recommend paying a visit — and if you’re lucky enough to be served by Sasha, you’re in for a treat!

The food and cocktails were really good. I ordered the rosemary fries twice because they were perfect. I can see why others have commented on the cocktails not being that boozy, since I ordered two signature (i.e. not the low ABV ones) cocktails in an hour and didn’t feel like I drank alcohol a few hours later. I personally prefer that these days. Atmosphere on a Thursday night seemed mainly good for dates or low key hangouts. The service is also low key. No one asked how the drinks or food were until I was already paying, and there wasn’t any basic conversation at the bar. It seemed to be their general approach that day. I would’ve ordered more if it were more interesting/engaging to be there. All that being said, I probably would still go back to try more of the menu and set my expectations that there won’t be much service.

Looking at the generally positive reviews for this place am thinking maybe we either came on an off-night or they're not equipped to handle big groups. I can see why this might be a good place for a small group, but....my experience (from the spring) as part of a big group was that we received very little service. It was hard to find servers to take our order and we then needed to follow up on the drinks/food that hadn't arrived. From memory they also had an abnormally high service charge which added insult to injury. Food was ok, cocktails were nice but small. The decor is charming and the background music was good. Unfortunately the music started at a reasonable volume but increased over the course of the evening to make talking difficult as we were near a speaker. Somewhat tempted to go back in a much smaller group and see if we have a better experience.

We went there Friday night for drinks and Saturday noon for brunch. This place is absolutely amazing, day and night. Brunch is exceptional. We had the chickpea and potato dish, the avocado sourdough and the brioche with butterscotch banana and mascarpone. Everything was delicious and the eggs poached in a perfect way. To top all that the DIY bloody Mary offer is genius. We had a great time and definitely going back for more. Easily one of the best places in London at the moment.

Such a fantastic spot, slightly hidden away, but excellent vibes! Cocktails are AMAZING, especially their martini selection. Can't recommend enough!

A lovely quirky little bar in the Islington area boasting a creative cocktail menu at a very reasonable price. The food menu is better than expected and staff are very friendly. Would recommend

Vibey neighbourhood cocktail bar with tasty small bites and well made cocktails. Slight sense of organised chaos around service, but service itself was brisk-ish and polite. Had deliciously crisp calamari, chewy and tasty short rib tacos (could have done with more gochujang), bright and sweet por bap and fresh crisp fries (with no hint of rosemary). Had a delicious non alcoholic lychee cocktail, enjoyable place to catch up with a friend.

Went to the little bat last night and had the best service from a man named Ricardo!! Made us a delicious cocktail that was even accompanied by a little sweet treat he made himself. The staff here are truly dedicated to their craft, much respect!

I went here for birthday drinks and the cocktails are fantastic. I used Yelp to find this bar as well as other review sites and it suggested it was the hip new bar to try out in London. The manager/staff were very friendly and accommodating moving my group around as we grew larger meaning that we were comfortable and not in other drinkers way. The cocktails themselves are strong and pack a punch. The whisky based ones were a treat however the espresso martini and it's cousin bartender's breakfast steal the show outright. Out of this world. I would recommend getting there before 8pm as the cocktails range from £8-14 however they have a deal where you can get some food and a drink for £10 and the burger looked great. You get more for your money this way. With strong competition nearby I hope this bar is here to stay, great cocktail bar in London.

We were recommended Little Bat by the doorman of 69 Colebrooke Row (we'd not made a reservation), another fine cocktail establishment. The interiors are lit like a speakeasy, low lighting with comfy booths filled with groups of friends or couples. Somehow you can just tell immediately that LB knows how to make quality cocktails. The menu is divided into categories - sours, fizzy, etc. Two of us went for sours while t'other chose a g&t martini. Our drinks were served with a delicate flower floating in the liqor. They were fresh and looked beautiful. Excellent service, with tap water provided and replenished without prompting. Overall, a top choice for a small group or a hot date. Cheers, doorman.

This review is for the food and drinks. After anticipating the Southern American cuisine, my fellow ex-Pat and I were disappointed in the food as we thought it lacked flavor and authenticity. However the drinks were redeeming with creativity and taste. We ordered four of the menu items: okra, mac and cheese, seafood basket and fried chicken. The fried chicken was more like a fried chicken finger, with no outstanding spices in the batter. Less impressive was the seafood selection, plain fried assortment. Mac and cheese seemed to be missing the cheese. Lastly the okra brought the heat but lacked any crispy coating. I will not be racing back here but would stop in for a drink as there was a good cocktail menu and wine selection. There are just a handful of beers. Ambiance is nice, cosy and dark, great date spot. Just go somewhere else to eat.

Great place, didn't expect anything less from the people behind Callooh Callay! Cocktails were really good, my fav was the pina colada old fashion The food item were also nice. I also really like the musical vibe, lots of nice 90's hiphop/rnb I recommand this place and would surely comeback!

Loved this little cocktail bar! Its a short walk away from Highbury and Islington station, and about 15 minutes walk away from Angel station. It is a fairly new establishment however I loved the decor and the whole atmosphere of the place. The music wasn't playing too loudly, thus allowing people to chat and the whole place is decked out with squishy booths all along the perimeter, pouffes and plenty of bar stools! My favourite cocktail was the Bathtub - a gin based cocktail which came with a little rubber duck to accompany it! I did not take any pictures unfortunately as my phone was running out of juice! The service was great with the barman asking us how we were, our names, what kind of drinks we preferred - really friendly! Overall - a great little spot! I will definitely suffer the journey across London to go there!

Great scene, good service but underwhelming drinks for high price point. Had two tables for a birthday party and while we were kept liquored up, the beverages were slightly off Center. Rowdier than a typical speakeasy but it felt more relaxed and open as a result. Everyone's welcome here, not just the cocktail connoisseurs. Would come back to try other drinks, slightly convinced they were having an off night given its popularity

Happy to have a high quality coctail bar in my neighbourhood. Super chilled atmosphere, great drink list, good service and fun interior design. I had one of my favourite drinks, an Old Fashioned, and I loved it! I need to go back to test out their food menu soon. To my understanding it's more like small bites kind of thing than dinner though so don't go in hungry. I'll update my review after I've tested the menu. Very good addition to the area!

This new cocktail bar just opened last week and is right off of Upper Street, and I couldn't wait to come check it out. I made a reservation for a weekday evening, but when we arrived there were only a few other groups so it's probably not the kind of place you need to book... yet. There is a lot of room though, and I can definitely see this being packed door to door on the weekends! The décor is done to look like a very nice library, with stacks of books lying around, large mirrors, and cool lamps and chandeliers. It's an offshoot of Shoreditch favourite Callooh Callay, which I've never been to but have heard great things about. The staff were very friendly and explained that they have to stick to more traditional type drinks as they are testing the Islington market, but Callooh Callay can afford to be more creative because it is in Shoreditch with a busy thoroughfare. Not that I mind in the slightest - I thought the drink selection was great and I really enjoyed the time they took to chat to us! One of the servers walked us through the menu, and I went for a gin based sour, and my friend got the Smoking Jack, which is one of their signature drinks (Well, as signature as you can get when the place is brand new. They said their drinks menu was still in the testing phase.) My sour came in a coupe glass, and I liked that the gin taste came through but the lemon juice and egg white helped mellow it out. The highlight was also that there was a yellow rubber ducky floating in it - and my friend commented that it may not be the manliest drink to order if you are trying to show off! The Smoking Jack is made with Applejack, which is an apple based liqueur, cognac, maple syrup, Angostura bitters and Boston Bittahs, and was served with a slice of blood orange. It was extremely smooth and the Applejack and maple syrup were such nice additions! I really liked the vibe of this place, and it was nice even on a chill night. With the exception of The Four Sisters and 69 Colebrooke Row, I can't think of any other Islington bars I would go to for good cocktails. I could definitely see myself stopping by for cheeky drinks on the way home, or making it a stop when bar hopping in the neighbourhood. I hope this place does well!

I walked past this place a million times but never knew it was there because it's just off Upper St. It's a nice change from some of the busy spots in Islington. We rocked up on a Saturday night to get some drinks before a movie and were shown to a nice round booth, but I get the impression that we were lucky so it's probably best to make a booking first unless you just want to sit at the bar. The decor is nice and dark and intimate and it's not too loud to have a conversation. The cocktails were amazing, and I was happy to see that the cocktail menu marks the drinks that they can make vegan (without egg whites). I had an "18th Century", gin and cucumber, which was fantastic. The service is great, really friendly staff. We got a few snacks and the food was much better than I would have expected for someplace that's so focused on the drinks menu, the chips were really good. We'll go back for an evening next time.