Alcohol-Free Bars and Sober Dates in London: What Is Open and What Has Closed

Why a sober date is worth planning properly

Plenty of people do not drink, or drink less than they used to, and a first date is one of the places where that comes up early. Some are in recovery, some are cutting down, and some simply prefer a clear head when meeting a stranger. Wikipedia describes the sober curious idea, a term coined by Ruby Warrington in her 2019 book of that name, as ranging from complete abstinence to thinking more carefully about when and how much to drink.

The practical problem in London is that most evening plans are built around a bar. Choosing somewhere with a real alcohol-free menu, or a plan that does not centre on drinks at all, means neither person has to make a point of ordering a soft drink. It also helps if one of you drinks and the other does not, because the setting works for both.

This guide covers what is actually open now. Several venues that still appear in older lists have closed, so the corrections come first. For the conversation side of things, how and when to say you do not drink and how to read a date's response, see the Kindrd guide to sober dating for LGBTQ+ people linked at the end of this page.

Corrections: well-known places that have closed

Redemption Bar was one of the first dedicated alcohol-free bars in London, and it still appears in many lists. Its own website now says it ran three London restaurants that were alcohol-free, vegan, low in natural sugars and anti-waste, and that it has not been able to reopen them in the aftermath of Covid. The site says the team is working out its next move, but gives no reopening date. Treat any list that sends you there as out of date.

Club Soda, the UK organisation that promotes mindful drinking and alcohol-free and mid-strength drinks, ran a shop and tasting room at 39 Drury Lane in Covent Garden. Its homepage says the Tasting Room closed at the end of January 2026 and that it is looking for a new home. It gives no new address. Club Soda still sells drinks online, runs courses for people who want to drink less or stop, and lists events that it says do not centre on alcohol, with tickets sold through its What's On page.

The pattern matters for planning. Alcohol-free venues in London have opened and closed quickly, and a recommendation from even two years ago may point to a locked door. Check the venue's own site on the day, not a roundup.

• Redemption BarClosed alcohol free restaurant group

  Its own site says its three London restaurants have not reopened since Covid. No reopening date is given.

• Club SodaMindful drinking organisation, online shop and events

  Tasting Room at 39 Drury Lane closed end of January 2026; the online shop, courses and events listing continue.

Open now: a pub built around alcohol-free beer

The Lucky Saint pub is run by the alcohol-free beer brand of the same name. Its own page gives the address as 58 Devonshire Street, Marylebone, W1W 5EA. It lists opening hours of Monday 11am to 10pm, Tuesday to Friday 11am to 11pm and Saturday 3pm to 11pm, and says it is closed on Sundays.

It is not an alcohol-free bar. The pub says it offers a selection of both alcohol-free and alcoholic drinks, with a light menu of pub classics. For a date where one person drinks and the other does not, that can be the point: the alcohol-free beer is the house product rather than an afterthought. For someone in early recovery who would rather not be around alcohol at all, it may not suit, and that is worth saying plainly.

The page has a booking link and a separate booking enquiries page, and says its event space can be hired privately.

• The Lucky SaintPub focused on alcohol free beer (also serves alcohol)

  Marylebone, W1

  58 Devonshire Street, W1W 5EA. Mon 11am–10pm, Tue–Fri 11am–11pm, Sat 3pm–11pm, Sun closed, per its own page. Light pub menu.

Sober clubbing and morning raves

Morning Gloryville, a promoter of early-morning sober dance parties, still has a live website listing events. When checked, the upcoming events shown were a Summer Buzz Rave on Saturday 16 May, the Soul Revolution Festival on 22 to 26 May, and a Summer Together Rave on Sunday 28 June. Those dates have passed, and the site showed no later events, so it is unclear when the next one will be. Venues, times and prices were only available through the ticket links.

We could not confirm any current sober club night in London from a venue's own page. Ministry of Sound's own site and ticket listing showed no sober or daytime events for the rest of 2026 when checked. If a sober night is what you want, look at the promoter's or venue's own listing for the specific date, and treat social media posts and old press coverage with care.

A daytime or early-morning event has an advantage for a date: it ends early, it is clearly not about drinking, and there is a natural next step, breakfast or a walk, if things are going well.

• Morning GloryvilleSober morning rave promoter

  Site live; listed events in May and June have passed and no later dates were shown when checked.

LGBTQ+ sober support and social groups

London Friend, at 86 Caledonian Road, N1 9DN, runs Antidote, which its page describes as the UK's only LGBTQ+ run and targeted drug and alcohol support service. It says it was set up in 2002 and that its staff and volunteers identify as LGBTQ+. Antidote lists one-to-one key working, group work and relapse prevention, referrals to detox, prescribing and counselling services, two weekly drop-ins, and sober social activities. It describes its advice and support as free.

To refer yourself, Antidote's page says you can attend a drop-in without an appointment, or email antidote@londonfriend.org.uk with your name, your London borough, a description of your use and the support you want. The London Friend office number is 020 7833 1674. Its calendar listed Antidote drop-ins from 11am to 1pm on Mondays in October 2026, but one listing said in-person while giving the location as Zoom, so confirm the format first.

London Friend also lists social groups that are not about substances at all, including an LGBTQ+ drop-in café and an over-50s social. They are not described as sober groups, but they are daytime and built around tea and conversation rather than a bar.

• London Friend: AntidoteLGBTQ+ drug and alcohol support

  King's Cross, N1

  Free support, drop-ins and sober social activities. Self-refer by drop-in or email; office 020 7833 1674.

AA, SMART Recovery and other free groups

Alcoholics Anonymous in London lists its meetings on the AA London site, and the same site says London meetings also appear on the Meeting Guide app. It gives a London helpline number of 020 7407 0700, and in its New to AA section lists 0800 9177 650 as available any time. It says there are no dues or fees for membership. The national AA site did not load when we checked it, and the London page did not show which meetings are LGBTQ+ specific, so if that matters to you, use the full meeting list or ask the helpline.

SMART Recovery UK says its meetings are free and runs online meetings as well as in-person ones, with a search form on its site for finding one nearby. The NHS alcohol support page lists both AA and SMART Recovery, alongside Al-Anon for families and friends, WithYou, Adfam and Nacoa.

The NHS page also says your GP is a good place to start if you are worried about your drinking. It notes that a GP can advise on stopping safely and on medicine if you are physically dependent, which matters because stopping suddenly is not safe for everyone.

• AA LondonMutual help fellowship

  Meeting list online and on the Meeting Guide app. London helpline 020 7407 0700. No dues or fees.

• SMART Recovery UKMutual help groups

  Free meetings, including online ones; search by location on its site.

The NHS facts worth knowing

The NHS advises men and women not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week, to spread that over three or more days if drinking that much, and to have several drink-free days each week. It defines one unit as 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, roughly what an average adult can process in an hour. Its example: a 568ml pint of 5.2% lager is about 2.95 units.

For anyone cutting down rather than stopping, the NHS tips page suggests telling friends you are cutting down, deciding a limit before you start, eating first, choosing smaller or lower-strength drinks, and alternating alcoholic drinks with water or non-alcoholic ones.

NHS Drinkline, the national alcohol helpline, is 0300 123 1110. The NHS lists its hours as weekdays 9am to 8pm and weekends 11am to 4pm, and says it is free and confidential, whether the call is about your own drinking or someone else's.

Sober date ideas that do not need a bar

The easiest sober date in London is one where drinks were never the plan. Galleries, bookshops, parks, board game cafés, cookery classes and river trips all give two people something to do and talk about, and Kindrd's other London guides cover each with opening times and prices from the places themselves.

If you do want the feel of a night out, the Lucky Saint is one option, and many ordinary bars now list alcohol-free beer or cocktails. Check the menu online before you go so neither of you has to ask at the bar. A daytime plan also avoids the late finish and the journey home that a bar date usually brings.

Before you go

• Check the venue's own site on the day; Redemption Bar and Club Soda's Tasting Room both still appear in older lists but have closed.
• The Lucky Saint serves alcohol as well as alcohol-free drinks, and is closed on Sundays per its own page.
• If you want an LGBTQ+ specific AA meeting, use AA London's full meeting list or call 020 7407 0700, as the homepage does not mark them.
• London Friend's Antidote drop-ins are listed for Monday mornings; confirm whether a given date is in person or on Zoom before travelling.
• If you are physically dependent on alcohol, the NHS advises talking to your GP before stopping.

Questions people ask

Is Redemption Bar still open in London?

No. Redemption Bar's own website says it has not been able to reopen its three London restaurants since Covid and that the team is working out its next move. It gives no reopening date.

Is the Club Soda Tasting Room still on Drury Lane?

No. Club Soda's homepage says the Tasting Room at 39 Drury Lane closed at the end of January 2026 and that it is looking for a new home. Its online shop, courses and events listing continue.

Is the Lucky Saint pub alcohol-free?

Not entirely. Its own page says it offers both alcohol-free and alcoholic drinks. It is at 58 Devonshire Street, W1, and lists Monday 11am to 10pm, Tuesday to Friday 11am to 11pm, Saturday 3pm to 11pm, and closed on Sundays.

Is there LGBTQ+ specific alcohol support in London?

Yes. London Friend's Antidote service describes itself as the UK's only LGBTQ+ run and targeted drug and alcohol support service. It offers free support, drop-ins and sober social activities, and you can refer yourself by email or by attending a drop-in.

How many units does the NHS say is low risk?

The NHS advises not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days. One unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol.