'The Bar With No Name' — Tony Conigliaro's Islington cocktail bar that pioneered the scientific approach to drinks in London. Conigliaro, who stepped back from daily operations after a serious health crisis in 2020, treated cocktails the way a research chemist treats compounds: rotary evaporators, flavour distillation, and a fanatical attention to how ingredients behave at the molecular level. The bar continues under the team he trained, maintaining both the technique and the warmth that made the room feel like a neighbourhood bar rather than a laboratory. The space is deliberately small — a narrow room with a short bar, where every drink is made with the precision of someone who spent years studying how flavour actually works. Colebrooke Row itself is a quiet Islington street that rewards the walk from Angel tube.
Location
Islington, London
Map
Insider Intel
The Terroir cocktail — a martini variation that tastes of the earth and became Conigliaro's most famous drink. Ask the bartenders what's new in the lab; the menu evolves with ongoing experimentation. Anything involving house distillations or infusions will showcase what makes this bar different from everywhere else. Trust the recommendations — the staff were trained by Conigliaro and carry his precision.
Early evening, 6-8pm, when the room is intimate rather than crowded and you can talk to the bartenders about the drinks. Weekend nights fill quickly. The Islington location makes it a natural start to an evening — Angel tube, then a walk through the backstreets to the bar.
No sign outside — look for number 69 on Colebrooke Row. Small bar, limited seating, reservations recommended. Tony Conigliaro stepped back after a health crisis in 2020; the team carries his legacy. Cocktails £14-18. Angel tube is a 10-minute walk. The scientific approach means flavours here are unlike anything at other London bars. Cards accepted.