The world’s top 10 hidden bars

Bookcases, wardrobes, telephone boxes and dry cleaners all provide creative clandestine entrances for some of the world’s top 10 hidden bars.

We’ve selected 10 of our favourite hidden bars from across the globe

As the world’s love affair with the Prohibition era continues, an increasing number of hidden bars are popping up to enthral barflies with their seemingly illicit, camouflaged appearances.

In the UK, one detective agency has become famous for a little more than its investigative work, while the Narnia of cocktails reside behind a magical wardrobe door.

The speakeasy capital of the world, the US, has also pushed creativity with its own set of inconspicuous watering holes. One San Diego can only be entered through a wall disguised with beer kegs, while both a hot dog shop and phone box provide cover for one of New York’s best bars.

Click through the following pages to discover the world’s top 10 hidden bars.

Callooh Callay, London

Nestled in the heart of London’s east end, Callooh Callay has an added element of exclusivity as it houses a bar within a bar. Walk through the venue’s main bar and you will find an opulent wardrobe, simply open and walk through to discover the Narnia of the drinks world. With drinks menus printed on Oyster cards, Callooh Callay has become a firm favourite among trend Shoreditch urbanites.

Noble Experiment, San Diego

To get into San Diego’s Noble Experiment, you must first enter an unassuming bar and restaurant, walk through a hallway where a bathroom and kitchen are located, then push a wall disguised as stacked beer kegs. Once you have passed through the wall, you will be greeted with a small but stylish baroque bar decorated with brass skulls, Rembrandt-style paintings and elegant chandeliers.

Please Don’t Tell (PDT), New York

With a name such as Please Don’t Tell, it’s not surprising this bar has made itself somewhat tricky to find. First, you must walk down a set of steps towards the Crif Dogs and enter. At the back of the shop there’s a phone booth – walk inside, press #1 and wait for a hidden door to open. There’s no other speakeasy-style bar in New York which follows its theme so closely. Just don’t let your hard detective work go to waste and book a table beforehand.

The Barber Shop, Sydney

 

This clandestine bar is sure to have caused much confusion among those just looking for a haircut. Hidden at the back of a working barber shop, this bar specialises in “cocktails and shaves”. To experience the best of both, simply book yourself in for a first class haircut in the shop front, then head up some stairs and enjoy some of the duplicitous venue’s amazing drinks.

The Violet Hour, Chicago

Famed Chicago bar The Violet Hour looks more like a boarded up illegal nightclub the to untrained eye. But look a little closer and you will see it is in fact a classy cocktail establishment hidden behind an wall decorated with constantly updated graffiti art. But locate a light bulb situated above a camouflaged door, and you’re one step closer to sampling some of the world’s best drinks.

Evans & Peel Detective Agency, London

Something of a London institution, Evans & Peel Detective Agency uses its drab outer office appearance to mask what has become one of the most intriguing and exclusive bars in the city. After making an essential appointment to meet with one of the firm’s “detectives”, head to the softly-lit agency office in Earl’s Court. If you play your cards right, you will be shown to a door disguised as a bookcase, where once you walk through, you will discover a world of illicit indulgence with drinks covered with brown paper bags and dickie-bow-clad bar staff who stay in character throughout your visit.

Williams & Graham, Denver

Another clandestine bar situated across the pond is Denver’s Williams & Graham. Those wishing to sample the delights of this cult bar must first enter what appears to be an tiny, dusty old antique bookshop. Head over to one particular bookcase and pull out The Savoy Cocktail Book when a secret door will open. Head down some stairs and you will find a cosy neighbourhood speakeasy.

Midnight Cowboy, Texas

Bringing a slice of Prohibition back to Austin, Texas, is cult bar Midnight Cowboy. Wannabe mobsters and flapper girls must head towards a rough ‘n’ ready store front on 6th Street marked with “Oriental Massage”. There, they will find door bells marked  with various different names – call for Harry Craddock and your night will truly begin. If the red “Vacancy” sign outside is lit, it means there are tables available.

Prohibition, Atlanta

With a name like Prohibition, punters would surely be disappointed if this bar didn’t come with an element of secrecy and naughtiness. Luckily, Atlanta-based Prohibition bar delivers. To gain entry, a password must of course be first obtained. Then head over to an “out of business” antique shop and enter the vintage red phone box next door. Enter the passcode you were given and simply walk through the secret door.

Bramble, Edinburgh

Looking at the outside of Edinburgh’s Bramble, you wouldn’t think that this was one of the UK’s best cocktail bars. Hidden in the basement beneath an operating dry cleaners, Bramble is signalled only by a tiny gold plaque on the wall of the steps leading into a cavernous underground setting. Enter and you will be greeted by a laid-back and cosy bar with a list of creative house serves and classic cocktails.