Maybe I just had too many expectations for this spot, after a rec from another London bartender and its ranking as #1 on the list of London's 50 best cocktail bars (all issues with that list aside, it can be a rough guide starting point for the curious drinker). I'm not entirely sure why this is London's best. Nothing about it was particularly creative or outstanding. They just rehash other people's cocktails. The one female bartender was super nice; the others seemed entirely indifferent to everybody. The menu, which allegedly changes daily for some reason, is pretty lengthy, so I'm sure there's something for most everybody. To me, there are just too many options and seems needlessly long, especially if it changes daily. So many of the options seem very basic, and none are created in-house. They are all existing cocktails easily found online. Not even riffed on. Just taken straight from online recipe databases. Not a signature on the list. I, too, can steal an online recipe from Diffords or Imbibe and put it on my menu. Truly embarrassing and lazy for a cocktail bar with such a reputation to be doing this so brazenly and shamelessly, and not even bothering to do it well. After having a few drinks prior to coming here I decided upon a long drink as they're generally a lower total ABV and also, if a bar can make a long drink really unique and still taste the spirit, to me it's the sign of a solid mixology/bar program. So many long drinks just taste like watered-down juice. My go-to is normally (twists on) traditional cocktails or short, spirit-forward offerings but I am always open to any drink, long or short if it's made well. Sadly, the cocktail I chose, despite having promising ingredients listed, ended up just tasting very generic. If I hadn't read the spirits in it, I never could have picked them out by taste alone. It was somewhat bland. No oomph to it, and certainly no wow factor I would have expected for a bar that is ranked Number 1. Mediocre cocktail aside, the vibe was... hipster. Totally expected for this place, even though it is quite far from the trendy Shoreditch area. Same sort of crowd as there. The music was obnoxious. I don't mind a little hip hop but this was... I don't know. I guess I don't get it. Nothing about the venue, decor, ambience, or menu screams "exclusively playing extremely loud hip-hop!" I don't think I saw a single person of colour in there either. Again, pretentious hipster posturing. Typical Shoreditch. I liked the space otherwise, and it has a nice enough backbar and staff seem to know what they're doing, but it was all rather lacklustre and something about the overall vibe just wasn't hitting the right notes for me. The fact they have basically no signature bar program and all their drinks are yanked from Diffords guide online is ridiculous. And fair play if they want to just make classics and existing cocktails but do them WELL. But.. they haven't even managed that. The only selling point here is that for London, the prices are very reasonable. But then, if I'm getting a drink that tastes like it barely has 30ml of spirits in it, maybe it's not so reasonable. Maybe stop focusing on the novelty of changing a massive drinks menu daily and focus on building some unique and interesting, and lasting, cocktails instead. I can only assume that the bar manager/bar team doesn't know how to develop cocktails. Or even put a twist on them. This is a completely average bar serving completely average drinks with completely average staff in a completely average venue. I didn't dislike it. I just was not impressed, and I really should have been considering its reputation. It's a shame. Why this bar has such a high ranking or good reviews is an absolute mystery to me.

Best cocktail bar in London! The lady who served me was named Milena and honestly I’ve never had such an amazing experience! The cocktails were delicious, I ordered a cocktail that was too strong for me to taste and she replaced it with another sweeter option without me even asking. Great service all night and will definitely be coming back! Highly recommend

a night to remember, cocktails are superb and staff are friendly and knowledgeable about cocktails on and off menu. couldn’t fault it if i tried. good music and vibes throughout… don’t judge it from the outside until you’ve seen the inside is all i’m saying…

Satan's Whiskers had a rough start during my visit, but an absolutely wonderful finish! They actually forgot about drink order and didn't realize that for almost twenty minutes. One major apology later, they compensated the drink, gave us a small glass of champagne, and we're prompt on every other. Wonderful service! The menu reads as a fun riff on classic cocktails. The only one I tried that I'd avoid was the Comodore. Otherwise the drinks were wonderful, including the off menu sazerac and Charlie Chaplin. The seating is a bit cramped but that's a minor gripe. I'd happily return any time for more excellent cocktails! Side note, they're all made from scratch - nothing is pre mixed as of October 2023.

This place has been voted Best Bar in London two years in a row, and was Best Bar in the World recently too, and it’s easy to see why! Absolutely perfectly curated and presented drinks, amazing staff, a super hip atmosphere and mellow crowd, overall a wonderful place if it’s what you’re looking for. Highly recommended!

This is definitely one of the best cocktail bar in the world. You wouldn’t expect this is the best cocktail bar in the world by its outside appearance, but the atmosphere inside is completely different. Cocktail are all very affordable given the multiple awards that they had. Service are all very good, staff are friendly. Recommend to sit by the bar table as you get to see how the best cocktail is being made. Menu will also update regularly so u dont get the same boring drink.

I'm visiting from NYC and I feel like I am home... The music 🎵, the service and the drinks .. all I can say this a vibe! I will never let this place pass me by when I'm in London....

A proper neighbourhood cocktail bar! As soon as you walk in you’re transported to a different place. Dimly lit, with beautiful lighting and interiors and the staff were very welcoming. The bartender definitely knew his stuff and kindly explained everything whilst making the cocktails. Loved the Sloe Negroni, but more so the House Martini, served in a frozen glass - proper nice! Highly recommended!👌🏼

Great bar with super service. House gin martini is fabulous. 🥰 Had some barsnacks that were very good too.

Interesting cocktails. Amazing ambience. Fast service but a bit intrusive as the waitress was pushing us to order more. It felt that if there is no alcohol on the table and don't want to get another drink, we have to go. Annoyingly passing by to fill our glasses of water (literally every 5-10 minutes)

Incredible, the most welcoming staff, incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating bartender, delicious drinks, the nachos were really good too! SURPASSES the hype :)

One of my fave cocktail spots in London that's going strong over the years. Never a dull visit. Incredible cocktails on rotation, so you get to try something delicious & exciting each time. Excellent customer service that isn't stuffy. Moreish snacks. Wicked music. Fun interiors. Top class!

Really good cocktail bar with excellent drinks and a nice vibe!

Very cool place, good vibes, unique decoration, great cocktails, nice music. Everything you need to have a good time.

Best cocktails! We tried dozens throughout London cocktail festival and this one had the best for our tastes - although perhaps won by a small margin as compared to many other fine cocktails we tried (see my other reviews). The bar itself was very cosy but had a good atmosphere - although we felt the music could be a little lower so we can talk more easily. Defintley one of the highlights of our week though. Favourite cocktail was Satan’s Margarita

Satan’s Whiskers is truly something exceptional, a very special place with an amazing energy. I felt very welcomed and was delighted and surprised by how they accommodated non-alcoholic options with full enthusiasm, and not as an afterthought. All of the cocktails that I had were nothing short of amazing and they do rotate menus regularly. The vibes were amazing and welcoming, with a real neighborhood atmosphere. The staff are kind, attentive, friendly, and really went the extra mile to make me feel special and welcomed. It was also a shockingly affordable place to the extent that I double checked if I got the right bill. If it were not for the fact that it is so remote, I would love to make this my regular bar. However, that journey is well and truly worth it and I strongly urge anyone to check it out. It thoroughly deserves its illustrious reputation and can be safely placed amongst the very best bars in the world, alongside Montreal’s Cloakroom. It is all in the little touches, isn’t it?

Have been to 8 of the Top 100 cocktail bars and thoroughly enjoyed SW. It is also priced very well compared to the other T100 bars in London, with drinks around 12£. - Very unpretentious (similar to Frenzi e Frizoni in Rome), which I really appreciated. - The cocktails (Hobbes Fizz and Porter Special) were both excellent. They had a great variety of drinks as well as appetizers. - Excellent (hip-hop) playlist

Delish cocktails & snacks 🫒 The cocktail menu changes every day so there’s always a reason to come back 😏 Great service & atmosphere Gets very busy so recommend booking if you can!

We really enjoyed our visit, the cocktails were well balanced, creative and delicious! We ordered some nachos which were really good, the cheese was amazing! The atmosphere is good, music not too loud so you can talk without shouting… the tables are a bit too close from one another but great experience overall and top notch service!

Decent place for drinks but I really cannot understand the hype and how they are in top 50 in the world with so many good cocktail places in London. Worth going if in the area but not taking a special trip. Their menu feels very "basic" and even the decor is not that exciting

Amazing classic cocktails. I really like sitting at the bar, meeting new people and getting to know the bartenders. This bar is great for that and drinks are well executed. Ask Mia to make you a flip or Daniel to make you a LIT, both were done really well. That also speaks to the vibe, they’ll make anything you want, even if it’s an LIT…

Should you be about Cambridge Heath for food, dio drop in for a short drink. I went for my girlfriends birthday and enjoyed some champagne and very ‘wet’ 50:50 gin martinis with a twist. Would recommend.

The best of East London cocktail bar culture in a nutshell. It's trendy without being pretentious. Service is attentive, knowledgable and friendly but not overbearing. Water is constantly topped up and glasses are frosted. These little details are what makes this place truly great. Drinks are fabulous and the menu is always changing, but if you want to order classics then they are always made perfectly. Music is great for hip hop fans like myself. Satan's Whiskers is up there with the best cocktail bars in London and I will be back time and time again.

Honestly these are the best cocktails in town. Fabulous spot. Mind you most would miss it...the outside is covered in graffiti and together with the metal shutters you'd never except a stylish cocktail bar to be inside. So totally east London. Service is excellent and cocktails served beautifully. Always love going back

Loved the vibe and the cocktails are absolutely amazing. Loved the music, loved the people, loved the low lights! Really happy to see the Japanese Slipper on the menu.

Great experience Was a dark place so thought twice before walking in but exceptional service truly great every member was so friendly like we were long term customers. We asked the bar tender for recommendations, Daniel gave some great drinks to our taste Amazing

Phenomenal bar. My girlfriend and I received excellent service & drinks from the staff (Ollie & Yoann) for several hours. We were recommended to visit Satan’s Whiskers by a local.. We’re super happy that we went - thanks for the recommendation, Lucas! If you’re reading this - go & check it out, like we did, we’re sure you’ll be glad you did 🙂

What can I say except epic-ly made drinks. So much attention to detail. Super happy to be able to stop by and enjoy one of their London Cocktail Month cocktails. Super tasty with a Tajin salt rim and Ancho Reyes and Patron. Made by the amazing Emilio! Great drink and on par conversation. One of my favourite bars, never disappointed. Get involved!

Amazing staff, amazing service and amazing drinks. Popped in mid week and the bar was absolutely buzzing. Managed to get a seat at the bar and spotted Sipsmith on the back bar which I absolutely love. I mentioned that I love a Gin Martini and Emilio proceed to pull out a bottle of Sipsmith London Dry from the freezer to produce the finest Dry Martini. Easily had the best seat in the house to witness Emilio and the team provide a world class service to all customers. Their attention to detail and commitment to delivering a quality service is unrivaled. 10000/10

Cocktails and service was great. Their frozen drinks were delicious and the sour cocktail they had on the menu was one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. My only critique would be to remove the tables, if feels like a restaurant turned cocktail bar. They play such good music would be cool if they had a downstairs area where it was more of a vibe. Perfect for a date night or if you’re trying to impress friends from out of town.

A uniquely upscale but familiar cocktail bar with an excellent Caucasian on the menu. Their excellent service goes a long way when you’re 10 drinks deep.

Great little bar. The menu changes super regularly and seems to be a mix of classics and signatures. Impeccable vibe. Very reasonably priced at ~£10 a cocktail + service.

Best cocktail bar I've been too in London. Excellent customer service and an amazing atmosphere. Highly recommended especially if you have a date.

This is a hidden gem! Accidental find and was amazing! Service was excellent, atmosphere was great and cocktails were out of this world. Two very talented mixologists who could be working in any bar in the world.

First thing first: cocktails are great, like really really great. Good menu, that’s updated daily, and excellent custom made drinks. Staff is lovely. Ambiance nice. Prices really fair for the quality of drinks. Good hip hop playlist. What else would you realistically ask for? They didn’t get in the Top 50 list for no reason. Solid 5 stars.

Great neighbourhood bar in East London with a great selection of drinks. Great service and hospitality too