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The best places to drink wine near Liverpool Street

The best places to drink wine near Liverpool StreetIs there anything more lovely on an evening in London than meeting friends and enjoying wines by the glass with sharing plates or delicious food that’s also got the perfect pairing? We’ve explored some of the best wine bars and restaurants at Broadgate to reveal the gems of their wine lists: the best reds, whites and sparkling whatever your palate.

From the extensive Italian cellars of Eataly and Gaucho’s bold Argentinian reds to the carefully selected Portuguese wines of Bar Douro, Broadgate is home to carefully chosen wines from around the globe – all of which work wonderfully with a tasting plate of cheese, antipasti or tapas. 

Bar Douro

Situated on Finsbury Avenue Square, Bar Douro brings an authentic taste of Portugal to London and matches an exquisite selection of Portuguese wines with all the tradition of local Portuguese food.

Sparkling
Available by the glass or bottle, the Uivo Pet Nat from Folias de Baco is the perfect aperitif: unfiltered and a bit cloudy, it’s refreshing, light and lively on the palate with aromas of green apple and grapefruit.

White
An ideal accompaniment to sunshine and light dishes (but also very drinkable on its own), Meio Queijo is a blend of rabigato (70%) and viosinho (30%) grapes that’s fresh and lively on the nose (pears, apples and a minty twist) while delicate and well balanced on the palate.

Red
Bojador Talha Tinto is an organic blend of  trincadeira, moreto and tinta grossa grapes. It’s vinified in traditional clay jars (the ‘Talha’ in the wine’s name – the Portuguese equivalent of amphora) and is packed with fragrant red cherry, plum and earthy dusty notes. Perfect with Bar Douro’s wild mushroom rice.

Gaucho

Experience the theatre of an open kitchen and grill and the finest steaks around Liverpool Street. Come for the spectacular glass bar at Gaucho and stay for the heated terrace – the best alfresco dining in London and the perfect spot for after-work drinks.

Sparkling
Two Pommerys and a Veuve Clicquot are available by the glass – and they’re obviously delightful – but why not try an Argentinian sparkler: Domaine Chandon from Mendoza, the heart of Argentina’s wine country.

White
If you’re ordering by the glass, Argentina’s most famous white grape, torrontes, is a good place to start: Laura Catena’s Pasarisa from Salta in north-west Argentina is perfect as an aperitif.

Red
There’s a good reason why steak and malbec are BFFs. The grape is bold enough to stand up for itself when confronted by the strong flavours and textures of steak but not so heavy as to overwhelm the meat itself, especially when dealing with leaner cuts. There are many malbecs on the Gaucho list available by the glass and the bottle, but we like the look of Mauricio Lorca’s Vina Patricia from Lunlunta in Mendoza.

José Pizzaro

José Pizarro is a celebration of traditional tapas with a contemporary twist. A bustling, vibrant tapas bar in the heart of the City. Come for José’s signature tapas and a wonderful selection of Spanish wines – most of which are available by the glass – and stay for the terrace, where you can sit and watch the City come to life after work.

Sparkling

A light and vibrant cava, the Rimarts 18 Brut Reserva (made from xarel·lo, parellada and macabeo grapes) can be paired with almost any food on the menu and, importantly, it’s just as good on its own to get the evening off to a great start.

White

An albarino from Rías Baixas? Yes please! The Pontellón’s citrus and apple flavours would be a wonderful match for any of the seafood dishes on the menu (we’re looking at you, pulpo and dry romesco vinaigrette).

Red

There’s a great selection of tempranillos and garnachas available by the glass, but if you fancy sharing a bottle then the mencia from Adegas Guimaro is a great choice if you’re a fan of pinot noir or cabernet franc. A bit peppery and a bit earthy, it’s a delight of cherry and red fruit flavours.

Mrs Fogg’s

Mrs Fogg’s is located in the heart of the City and is inspired by Mr Fogg’s Indian wife, Aouda, and the Victorian steamship that they travelled from India to London on. On the ground floor sits the raucous and merry Dockside Drinkery. Perfect for walk-ins, it features an extensive selection of beers, wines, punches, cocktails and more as well as a delicious all-day food menu. Next to it sits the beautiful Rangoon Steamer – an elegant steamship serving exquisite cocktails. But it’s the wines we’re focusing on here.

Sparkling

There’s a staggering selection of champagnes (and a couple of English sparkling wines from Chapel Down) available by the bottle, but if you’re just after a glass there’s the Vaporetto Extra Seco spumante from Veneto or a classic Moët & Chandon Impérial Blanc.

White
Most wines are available by the glass here, but we’ve big fans of the traditional cut grass, gooseberry and tropical fruit notes of sauvignon blanc, so it’s New Zealand’s Mamaku SB that catches our eye.

Red
A warm hug of a wine, the Riva Leone barbera will soothe your soul with its dark fruits (plum, blackberries), pleasing acidity and a touch of spice.

Piccolino

Piccolino, located near to Liverpool Street Station, proudly boasts an open kitchen, cocktail bar, private mezzanine dining room (available for hire)

Sparkling
Sure, there’s prosecco and a rare non-Italian interloper on the wine list here in the form of champagne, but why not try the franciacorta? From Lombardy and (unlike prosecco) made in the same méthode traditionelle as champagne, this is mostly chardonnay (with a splash of pinot noir) and has citrus and apple notes.

White
Easy to drink on its own or a great match for seafood and shellfish, the verdicchio from the Monte Schiavo winery in Marche is a crisp, citrusy winner.

Red
Perfect with any of Piccolino’s excellent bistecca (steak) selection, the chianti Lucere from Azienda Uggiano is mostly sangiovese (with 10% canaiolo) and has all the classic dark fruit and balsamic flavours – with a whiff of violets on the nose – that you expect from a good chianti.

The Botanist

A spacious bar, restaurant and cocktail lounge with a huge sun terrace right on Liverpool Street Station’s doorstep, The Botanist is doing all the right things to change people’s perception of ‘pub wine’. 

Sparkling
Sometimes you want something pink and fizzy, and Joseph Perrier’s Cuvée Royale Rosé Brut ticks all of those boxes. With rose petals on the nose and orange peel and hints of spice on the palate, this is champagne worth getting excited about.

White
On a balmy evening when you’re craving something cold and crisp, picpoul is the wine for you. The one on offer here from Tournee du Sud in the Languedoc is zesty and zingy – picpoul is famously a fish wine but it’s very drinkable on its own too.

Red
Wines from Domaine des Carabiniers are certified organic and their grapes are grown according to biodynamic practices and their Cote du Rhone available here at The Botanist is a lovely blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre and cinsault. Easy to drink, delicious and quite moreish.

Uncorked

Decanter magazine’s best wine shop in London (for 2019), Uncorked should be your first port (pun not… oh, nevermind) of call if you’re searching for a nice bottle of wine – whether that’s for yourself, for a dinner party or a gift. They’re renowned for sourcing and selling small parcels of high-quality wines, leaving no corner of the globe uncovered in establishing a huge range of classic and eclectic bottles.

We’re not offering any suggestions here as Uncorked’s selection is huge and stock is updated frequently (though if you have the patience and somewhere safe to store wine, future you will thank you one day for squirrelling away a case of 2016’s ‘outstanding vintage’ barolo).

Yauatcha City

Yauatcha City embraces the Chinese dim sum teahouse concept, combining light lunches and larger feasts in the evening. With two glorious outside terraces, two bars and a beautiful dining area, the menu shines a light on authentic Cantonese dishes infused with a modern take, including scallop shui mai, prawn and beancurd cheung fun and venison puffs. The drinks menu is made up from 38 types of tea plus cocktails inspired by Chinese ingredients and an eclectic wine and champagne list.

Sparkling
If you’re ordering by the glass, you’ve got a tough choice between Moët & Chandon’s Imperial champagne and the same again but in rosé. By the bottle you can choose from various different champagnes as well as prosecco and a couple of English sparkling wines from Nyetimber.

White
Yauatcha have a wine of the week, so it’s always worth finding out what that is before ordering. But if that’s not to your taste, you can’t go far wrong with Yalumba’s LER viognier, named after its maker, Louise Rose. 

Red
If ordering by the glass, it’s hard to look past Laibach’s Claypot merlot – think dark berries, chocolate and a bit of earth and spice. Delicious. For those buying by the bottle, there’s a tempting selection of burgundies, as well as a rioja and bordeaux with a bit of bottle age.

Eataly

Explore the UK’s largest selection of Italian wines with over 2,000 labels organised by province at Eataly – from Piedmont’s Barolos and Barbarescos to Fiano wines from Campania. With all the wines served in their in-house restaurants: the laidback Pasta e Pizza which serves woodfired pizza (the dough is leavened for around 50 hours in total using Italian tomatoes, organic flour from Mulino Marino, extra virgin olive oil and house-made mozzarella – you can see into the kitchen that’s producing it) and traditional pasta plus the Cucina del Mercato which will feature ever-changing menus inspired by the produce from Eataly’s market and fresh counters: plates of freshly cut salami, prosciutto and speck (the staff on counters will cheerfully guide you though their recommendations) with cheese selections of ricotta, taleggio and pecorino al tartufo. 

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Last updated Thursday 5 October, 2023