The big noise (and we do mean noise) on the London bar scene are the Bar Clubs. These are bars that stay open till the early (or sometimes late!) hours of the morning. They operate as a bar but as the evening wears on so does the music gets pumped up and its not unlikely to find most of the punters strutting their funky stuff at closing time.
Until last the decade London suffered from the UK's archaic licensing laws - after 11pm you have to either had to head to a nightclub, a restaurant (if you're lucky!) or a private members club to gain admittance. These laws changed in November 2005 bringing us some way in line with Europe, though many bars have elected not to apply for a late night license.
Sometimes some of the bars listed below have fussy door policies - it's a good idea to phone in advance to avoid disappointment. If you're unsure the answer is to turn up early - no later than 10 to 10.30pm to ensure admittance. And it helps if you're in a mixed group - doormen often hate groups of lads.
Pubs and bars organised alphabetically.