The best late-night bars in Covent Garden

Bloodsports, a late-night dive bar in Covent Garden from the team behind Meatliquor, brings together wall-to-wall sports coverage, horror aesthetics, and a playful, chaotic atmosphere. It's packed with over 30 screens showing everything from football to darts, and when there's no sport on, expect cult horror films instead. Add in karaoke, arcade games, and a menu of indulgent comfort food and cocktails, and you've got a rowdy all-night hangout where the action never really stops.

Opium offers a theatrical cocktail and dim sum experience spread across three themed bars within a hidden multi-storey venue. Behind a jade green door on Gerrard Street, guests can explore spaces like the relaxed Academy Bar, the vibrant Apothecary Bar with tea parlour seating, and the exclusive Peony Bar for private groups. With exotic, Asian-inspired cocktails and a selection of dim sum and snacks, it's an immersive spot for late-night drinks in Covent Garden.

Dating back to the 1980s, Freud Bar on Shaftesbury Avenue is known for its creative cocktails and ever-evolving art displays. The drinks menu is extensive, offering everything from timeless favourites to bold new creations, with a regular happy hour helping you stay out of the red. With a lively crowd, curated playlists, and generous closing times, it's a perennially popular late-night bar in Covent Garden.

The ground floor of Speedboat Bar is a buzzy restaurant serving Thai food with a bit of a kick to it, but head upstairs and you'll find a lively sports bar open late on weekends. Decorated with autographed portraits of the speedboat racers who rule the canals in Thailand, Speedboat Bar offers not just a vibrant atmosphere, a pool table, and tellies showing sports, but also a happy hour that starts late and lasts until closing time.

If you can find the Experimental Cocktail Club – an especially arduous task when stumbling around Chinatown late at night – you'll be welcomed into a sophisticated speakeasy where mixology meets magic. Inside, lavish interiors and inventive cocktails crafted with rare and unexpected spirits keep the vibes going, with the late-night Covent Garden bar in no hurry to send you home.

Tucked beneath the Stone Nest arts venue, Below is a laid-back bar Covent Garden bar open until late each evening. Focusing on highballs cocktails and shareable small plates in a raw, industrial-style space with stripped-back walls and vintage charm, it draws in a trendy, youthful crowd. The bar also hosts live music nights, adding an extra layer of effortless cool.

The White Hart on Drury Lane has seen countless incarnations over the centuries, yet a pub has stood on this site since the early 1200s, earning it the title of London's oldest licensed premises. Now under family ownership, it delivers all the essentials: well-poured pints, hearty pub fare, and a cosy atmosphere that blends old-school charm with contemporary touches. On weekends, this is one of the few Covent Garden pubs that are open late.

If you want to stay out late but are worried your budget might decide to pack up and head home early, check out the Russell Street branch of the Be At One chain bars. These lively part bars can mix up more than a hundred cocktails of all sorts, with various offers like happy hour helping keep costs down. The Covent Garden bar is open until late every night.

Set atop the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, this late-night Covent Garden bar spans three levels and offers a sheltered, heated open-air space with scenic views of the city. Welcoming both casino-goers and walk-in visitors, it serves a varied menu of drinks, cocktails, and food. Guests can reserve a spot on the upper tier or grab a table on a first-come, first-served basis on the lower levels.

Hidden behind a tea counter in the lavish St Martin's Lane hotel, Blind Spot is accessed via a golden hand-shaped door handle leading to a glamorous late-night speakeasy. Inside, you'll find destination-themed cocktails named after far-flung locations. With live jazz performances and stylish surroundings, it's an upscale hideaway that stays open into the night.