Player's Bar & Restaurant, Strand  

Not a place which immediately springs to mind for a drink, (being, as it is, a rather anodyne annex to the Players theatre) one would naturally prefer a drink at the Ship & Shovell next door. However, it does have a few things going for it. Firstly, for afterwork drinking its not bad, as it never seems to get as crowded as other nearby pubs and bars. This extends to the outside chairs and tables, so you have a good chance to grab a seat whilst huge crowds hover outside the Ship. Its also open until 2.30am - all the time serving food. This certainly counts in its favour, as there's not as many relaxed late night bars nearby as one might imagine. It can get crowded after hours but the atmosphere is usually pretty friendly and a piano player is often in situ, belting out a medley of crowd pleasing tunes. Player's Bar won't rock your world, but there are worse places in the area.