The Best Cocktails in Leicester Square — With a View That Beats Every Rooftop

Most bars in Leicester Square are underground. Basement venues, ground-floor pubs, or overpriced hotel lobbies where the view is whoever's sitting opposite you.

Rocket Room is different. It sits on the second floor of Market Place, with windows looking directly over Leicester Square — and cocktails that are worth travelling for, not just tolerating while you watch the world go by.

If you've been looking for a proper bar in central London with an actual view, this is it.

The View

There's a version of this pitch that would lead with rooftops. Rocket Room doesn't need to.

The second-floor position at 20–21 Leicester Square puts you directly above the square — windows facing out, the full sweep of the space below you. On premiere nights, the whole square lights up. On quieter midweek evenings, it's the steady hum of one of the most recognisable spots in London, and you're watching it from the right side of the glass.

The advantage over a rooftop? No queue to get up there. No cover charge. No standing outside in whatever the British weather has decided to do. You're inside, comfortable, with a proper cocktail in hand and the square as your backdrop.

It's a view that earns the price of a drink. Most bars in this postcode can't say the same.

The Cocktails

A great view can cover for a lot of things. It can't cover for a weak cocktail menu.

Rocket Room's bar doesn't coast on the location. The cocktail list is built to hold up against it — seasonal rotation, signature serves alongside classics done properly, and the kind of menu that rewards a second visit. Bartenders who actually know what they're making, not just how to open a mixer.

Pricing sits where a good London bar should: above a pub, well below a hotel lobby. The postcode doesn't inflate the bill here.

Whether you want something inventive or a negroni that's been stirred correctly, the bar has you covered. The view is a bonus on top.

Why It Works for Dates, Groups, and Every Occasion In Between

Rocket Room is a competitive socialising venue — axe throwing, darts, shuffleboard, beer pong — but you don't have to throw anything to have a good time here.

The cocktail bar works as a standalone destination. Find a window seat, order a round, stay as long as you like. Nobody's going to hand you a queue timer.

Where it fits in your evening:

• Date night — second-floor views, good drinks, a bit of atmosphere. Skip the awkward "what do we do after dinner" question entirely — there are games if you want them, or just the bar if you don't.
• Post-work drinks — central location, easy to get to, actually enjoyable. An upgrade on the nearest Wetherspoons.
• Pre-theatre — Leicester Square puts you close to half of London's West End. Get here early, get a cocktail, walk to your show.
• Premiere nights — when the square is dressed up and busy, there's no better seat in the house than a window table above it.
• A standalone evening — because sometimes you just want a good drink and somewhere interesting to have it.

For groups wanting to explore more things to do in Leicester Square, the full venue is right there when you're ready.

The Leicester Square Premium — Without the Premium Pricing

Leicester Square has a reputation. Tourist bars. Inflated menus. Places that charge central London prices and deliver the experience of an airport lounge.

Rocket Room isn't that.

It's a genuine venue with a genuine bar — not a tourist trap optimised for one-off visitors who don't know the area. The cocktails are priced like a good London bar should be. The experience justifies every penny. You leave having had a great night, not having done a mental calculation about whether you got robbed.

That's rarer in this part of London than it should be.

Book a Table

Rocket Room is at Market Place, 20–21 Leicester Square, on the second floor. Walk-ins are welcome, but if you're coming on a premiere night or a weekend, booking ahead saves you the disappointment.

Market Place Food Hall is downstairs if you want to eat first — easy to combine a meal and drinks in the same building without ever leaving for the street.

The view's waiting. The cocktails are cold. Come see what Leicester Square looks like from above.