Dear Sailor

Dear Sailor is a reclusive bar but once inside, it’s no shrinking violet. It’s the sort of place where you could come in for a pre-dinner cocktail and end up dancing on the tables.

Secrecy and mystery may seem at odds with a Spinningfields location but it adds to the sense of intrigue they’re striving to create here. Dear Sailor is inspired by the underground clubs of Tokyo in the 1930s, and comes complete with a three-part menu of Japanese-influenced cocktails, and a set of house rules that forbid men from making the first move. It’s over-25s and their Instagram account is invite-only; they’ll decide whether you’re worthy of access to it or not.

This might all sound a bit pretentious and contrived but by all accounts, the atmosphere inside is far from it. Dear Sailor is a good-time bar with DJs who get the place bouncing and some of the best cocktails this side of Schofield’s.