They’re young, well-healed, fun loving, and have some money to spend. So clubbing at high-end venues is something they love.

Hugo Taylor has long been in clubbing PR. He previously worked at the famous Chinawhite nightclub; and his other favourites include The Phene, Ziani, Serpentine Bar & Kitchen.

Caggie Dunlop and Spencer are often out together. Earlier this year, they were out at the celebrity haunt Mahiki, in Mayfair. Caggie was photographed outside cuddling with rapper Plan B.

It looks like Spencer was, in this case, plan B!

Caggie and Spencer also go to the Mayfair Hotel. The Mayfair is a regular hotspot for celebrities. Often, a place to visit before or after other clubs. With Funky Buddha around the corner, it makes for an easy option.

Another Mayfair club which the crowd visit, or at least Chloe Green and Victoria Baker-Harber, is Aura. Aura comes in and out of fashion and has seen guests such as Madonna.

Clearly, Kings Road, in Chelsea, is a popular choice for the cast. The end of season one wrap party was held at the Tuatara club. And Public, also on Kings Road, is another popular choice.

The Playboy Club has done surprising well since its launch. This is the nightclub Ollie Locke chose to meet then girlfriend, Chloe Green’s, mother. A little fact you may not know is that Spencer and Chloe were once an item, as well. They’re also old school friends.

Often the group of friends is invited to opening nights of exclusive nightclubs. One such event they all turned up for was the opening of Dorsia, on Cromwell Road in South Kensington. Chelsy Davis (Prince Harry’s ex) was also in attendance. Chelsy Davis and Hugo are old friends.

The crew has also been seen in Bond club. Which is near Soho. It used to be called Disco 24. They’re not regulars. But it’s the type of venue that attracts the occasional celebrity.

If you head down Fulham Road, there’ll always be a chance that you’ll bump in to them. One such club, down Fulham Road, is Maggie’s. Maggie’s is a 80s theme club.

Mayfair has some of the best clubs in the world. That may seem like a striking opening statement, but it’s true. And anyone who’s played Monopoly will likely believe it — it’s a nice area!

There’s one other area of London that rivals Mayfair in terms of club quality and that’s the West End, it always was, and probably always will be a hub for high-end clubbing. It has clubs such as Chinawhite — often referred to as the ‘king of clubs’ due to its legendary status.

Right, back to Mayfair!

Where Are The Mayfair Clubs Located?

If you know where Green Park is then you’re already pretty close. There are a cluster of clubs near Green Park station, which is near the Ritz, and of course the park (officially known as The Green Park).

Clubs such as Mahiki and Funky Buddha are the flagship clubs of Mayfair. They are both in the paper regularly and both attract high-profile/celeb guests. Funky Buddha is the oldest of the two clubs (opened in 2002, previously the Zen Lounge) and gets a bit less action on the celebrity front than Mahiki (opened in 2006).

Exclusive

As you would expect Mayfair clubs are quite exclusive; you need to make sure that you’re dressed for the part. It’s no good turning up in trainers or other sportsware, unless you’re world famous that’s an instant decline at the door.

It’s also important to arrive in a group of both ladies and gentlemen, or all ladies. The clubs in Mayfair like to keep a good ratio of ladies to gents — which is fair enough, as it makes for a better night for everyone involved.

Music

There’s not really one type of music that’s played in all of the Mayfair clubs. Mahiki for example can get a bit cheesy, and Funky Buddha can lean a bit too much toward RnB. But that, for the most part, is down to personal taste.

Cost

The entry to get in to Mayfair clubs is for the most part £20 each. This isn’t more expensive than other exclusive clubs, it’s just the going rate for a good night out! The drink prices start at around £5 for a bottle of beer, and £15 for a hand poured spirit and mixer, or cocktail. And prices can get a lot higher depending on your choice of brand. For example there are bottles of champaign that cost tens of thousands of pounds.

Best Nights Out

Obviously Saturday’s a big one for any club, anywhere. But in Mayfair Thursday is also a big deal. Mahiki tout a world class Thursday, however the last time I was in the club on a Thursday it wasn’t that impressive. Maybe next time it’ll live up to it’s Thursday reputation.

There’s not many parts of London, or any other city, that have the reputation that Soho has. It’s been closely linked with industries that are sexual in nature. And still to this day has a reputation for, shall we say, darker pleasures.

It has, however, got another reputation. Since the 1980s up-market restaurants, media companies, and nightclubs have populated the streets of Soho. It’s now trendy.

The main focus of the nightlife is on bars, pubs, and nightclubs. There are no shortage of different establishments, ranging from gay venues, to champagne bars, to traditional pubs, to exclusive nightclubs. There’s certainly a bit of everything to suit all tastes.

Gentlemens clubs:

Whilst there still remains a few gentlemens clubs in the area, this is a massive reduction from it’s peak of having nearly one hundred (pre 1960)! Arguably the most famous of these is String fellows

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club:

A long time famous landmark in Soho is Ronnie Scott’s. It’s known world wide as a famous Jazz venue and has had a number of famous artists record albums in the club; such as, Jamie Cullum, Van Morrison, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Chinawhite:

Is on the edge of Soho, and is often regarded as the most famous club in London, thanks in part to the large number of celebrities it attracts. Winning multiple awards and having top name DJs play at the venue hasn’t done it any harm either.

The club is guestlist only, and has a strict dress code of smart/trendy. It also has a famous Wednesday night party which dates backs to when it first opened in 1998.

The Toucan:

Is just off Soho Square and is unique in that it specialises in Guinness. If you visit, or walk past, it’s unusual not to see all the patrons drinking the black stuff.

Gay village

Soho has the main gay village in London. Gay venues are mainly on or around Old Compton Street.

John Snow public house:

Is a testament to Dr John Snow.

During a cholera outbreak in Soho in 1854 Dr John Snow identified that the cause was the public water supply — coming from water pumps — on Broad Street (now Broadwick Street) and Cambridge Street (now Lexington Street).

The pub is popular with more than just fans of Dr Snow, by the way.

Kingly Street

A lot of the best bars in Soho are located on Kingly Street. It becomes alive at night and is a superb place to go pre-nightclub.

Perhaps the cheapest nightclub in London:

Soho is home of Cheapskates, a down-market, and extraordinarily inexpensive nightclub. During the week it holds popular nights for Students.

London has always been home to famous hot spots. Before travel was as convenient as it is now-a-days the wealthy aristocratics of Europe and others would come to London to experience for themselves the best of the clubs.

An example of this is Cafe de Paris (which is still open today). It became well known in 1924 when the Prince of Wales started to go to the club regularly, and also take along his influential friends. The club is still OK, but back when it first opened it was the crème de la crème of clubbing.

For the most part the West End was, and still is, the hub of famous venues. Historically the west side of London has always been occupied by the rich:

• Where the air was cleaner. The wind used to blow coal fumes west to east
• The Thames was cleaner and didn’t smell as much. People used to dump waste in to the Thames, and as the river flows west to east it would get gradually more dirty
• And the docks were in the east so the dock workers would live near by

Famous Clubs Today

Now there are two types of famous clubs, there are those that are famous because they are new, and those that remain famous.

Many a club has come an gone in London, often the trick these types of clubs use is to open and then two years later or so close and open under a new name. A club that’s done this recently is Merah on Well Street, it used to be Crystal a few years ago. Both clubs under those names have done OK, and put on some good events.

Then there are the few clubs that remain at the top of the clubbing scene since they opened. The best example of this is Chinawhite, it has kept the same caliber now as when it first opened. It may be that they were the first exclusive club to attract major attention from newspapers, A-list film stars, top music artist and sports stars. What ever the reason they have maintained a place at the top of the clubbing totem pole.

In part what makes a famous club are the famous people that are attracted to the club. As such some clubs pay for celebrities to attend the venue, the clubs mentioned so far don’t do this, however Aura in Mayfair has been alleged to have done this with Madonna.

The famous exclusive clubs in London are clustered around the West End and Mayfair, which we’ve talked about so far. There are other genre of clubs which are also world famous, during the 90s dance clubs became super popular and reached a world stage, ever heard of Ministry of Sound (opened in 1991)? It’s a world wide brand, it’s not at its peak any longer, however it’s still well known. The club is in the Elaphant And Castle area of London, which despite being in zone 1 is run down. It’s a good area for this large club however.

Summery Of Famous Clubs

If you’re looking for exclusive venues then head toward the West End as there are a number of famous clubs. They are the most well known because of word of mouth (people like to talk about good things) and because they get a lot of press mentions.

Guess what happens on a Friday night? London wakes up and starts to party — in a big way! There’s a pact that most of us have made, and that’s, we work during the week and when Friday comes it’s time to play. And in London playing hard is done in the nightclubs.

And on a Friday nightclubs don’t get much better than Chinawhite. All day Friday well-heeled party goers flood on to the Chinawhite guestlist getting prepared for the night ahead. It’s drinks before hand, the outfit already picked out — the dress code being smart/trendy — and it’s time to party.

Chinawhite’s a perfect Friday night venue being in central London (just of Oxford street). If you work in central then you may even go out after work and directly to the club. Lets face it when you’re out on a Friday you want to be where the action is, and that’s central. It’s almost like the fun disperses from the centre outward.

Another benefit to a Friday night is that there’s a certain atmosphere in London clubs, it’s like the hard work for the week has been done and now it’s time to let your hair down and relax. I don’t know about you but I’m certainly more relaxed after a few drinks.

Downside

However, there’s a downside to a Friday night. It being so popular is a double edged sword. On the one hand it’s cool to party with lots of other people in a really great mood, on the other clubs fill up early so it’s best to arrive early; around 10:30pm is recommended.

Tables on a Friday night

Booking a table you’re able to stroll in to the club without having to queue, get bottle service, and ensure you’ve got plenty of room to do what you like. If you’re going to treat yourself on any night then after a hard weeks work (if you’ve had to work) can be the perfect time.

Which clubs are open?

Maybe the question should be ‘which clubs aren’t open?’, I’m not aware of a single club in London that isn’t open on a Friday. This means you’ve got a wide selection to choose from. But…

You should be aware of the different standards of clubs, with all clubs being open even the really poor ones have a few guests. Make sure you don’t end up being one of them. Whilst there’s 52 weeks in a year to club, life’s too short to be wasting time in venues filled with undesirable types dancing to S Club 7. Pick a nightspot that you know’s outstanding, plays good music, and with people worth meeting.

The best nightclubs in London are centered around the West End, and Mayfair. With a few also in West London, these being in Chelsea and Kensington.

What do all these areas have in common? They’re expensive. As such the clubs are high-end venues, for celebrities, the rich, and those seeking an unparalleled clubbing experience.

Clubbing fun in London

As well as the areas having commonalities the clubs do as well, these are:

1. Extremely plush interiors, often amounting to millions of pounds on design and materials.
2. Strict dress codes. You have to dress smartly, and with style.
3. Top DJs, that are often award winning. Great music is a must.
4. Outstanding bar staff, and mixologists. They can make almost any cocktail off the top of their head.
5. Sophisticated crowd. With a good mix of ladies and gentlemen.
6. Guestlist policies. You need a guestlist to enter.

Best West End Clubs

Chinawhite — Best Recommendation

The renowned Chinawhite is positioned just off Oxford Street, and throws the best parties in town. It’s won multiple awards, been in newspapers more times then you care to count, and attracts excellent crowds week after week.

Click Here For The Chinawhite Guestlist

Merah

Merah is just around the corner from Chinawhite, it attracts similar crowds, and is regarded as a good exclusive nightclub. The layout of the club is excellent, with the dance floor in the middle of the main room, and tables around the outside. Merah often plays House music and has been known to attract big name music artists to host nights.

Best Mayfair Clubs

Mahiki

This tropical styled club is on Dover Street. They specialise in rum based cocktails, and also have their own brand of rum. Mahiki attracts its fair share of celebrities, and can often be seen in the newspaper. The music is fun, the atmosphere is upbeat, and the drinks are mixed to perfection — sounds like a good night out.

Funky Buddha

Funky Buddha has been around a while, and it still holds its own in Mayfair, but maybe doesn’t pull in the same crowds as it used to. Why? Well it’s still a good club, but it now shares its crowd with Mahiki. With a different music policy — more RnB — it attracts RnB lovers as well.

Best West London Clubs

Public

Public is the newest of all the clubs, yet makes it on the list of best places to go out in London. And it deserves to. It’s stylish and has a unique feel about it. And also has already been voted Best New Club at the London Club and Bar Awards — Chinawhite has won the award twice — which is a real testament to the quality of this venue.

It’s in a smashing location on Kings Road, Chelsea.

Amika

Amika allows for a solid clubbing experience. It’s not got the same pull it once had, but it’s still worth a crack if you’ve tried all the other clubs. It’s won the best night award for the Thursday. If you’re around Kensington on a Thursday it’s worth popping in.

London is known for its clubbing, and hundreds — if not more — clubbers will be celebrating birthdays this week in a London nightclub. If you’re into partying then there’s nothing better than getting together with friends to get drunk in an incredible atmosphere and having a night that everyone remembers.

Celebrate your birthday in style

When having a birthday celebration at a nightclub it’s important to make sure of a few things:

• Everyone is aware of the dress code at the club.
• The group arrives early, so that the celebration can be done properly.
• A guestlist or table is booked.

Dress code

Birthday groups very in size, some people choose to have an intimate birthday with a partner, others invite load of friends. Either way it’s important that the night goes smoothly, and as such you’ll want to ensure there’s no problems at the door when you get to the venue.

The biggest issue that you can have at an exclusive nightclub is not having appropriate attire. That means shoes, no trainers; a shirt with collar for gentlemen; and a dress or skirt for the ladies. Get it right and you and your friends will be chicly commemorating your special day.

Arrive early at the club

Good nightclubs have a bit of a queue; and good nightclubs have less of a queue early on in the night; that’s how it is. And it’s not just the queue, it’s the logistics, it can be tough getting everyone together and moving in the right direction if you’ve got a big group — it’s like rounding up cats!

Guestlist or table

The type of nightclubs worth celebrating in have guestlists. For Chinawhite here’s the form.

Why get on the guestlist? Guestlist clubs are often guestlist only, which means if you’re not on the guestlist you’re not getting in the club. Get the guestlist once you find a club you want to go for.

To really have a night to remember a table is a must. You’ll not only have your own space where your birthday group can mingle, somewhere to sit between drinks, you’ll also get bottle service and a queue jump — why not do it in style, you only get one birthday a year… unless you’re the queen.

Last word

There are certain things that are linked to celebration, like champagne for example, and in London celebrating your birthday in style is one of them. And there’s nothing much more glamourous than heading down a famous celebrity party venue like Chinawhite.

Are you looking for a top night club to party at tonight? We’re going to cover each of the best events by day.

All of the clubs recommended have door policies which means:

• You may need a guestlist.
• You have to dress smartly. No sportswear or trainers.
• It’s best to arrive early in the night rather than later.

Sunday

Whisky Mist

There’s only one exclusive club worth going to on a Sunday, and that’s Whisky Mist. The fact that it’s one of the only decent clubs open on a Sunday shouldn’t take anything away from it being the best for Sunday.

Opened by the same gentlemen as Mahiki, the owners know what attracts the right crowds. And Whisky Mist has done that, even attracting stars that don’t drink, such as David Beckham.

Positioned under the Hilton on Park Lane signals its potential quality. It has however been criticised for attracting “chavs”. And there’s also not much of a dance floor. On a Sunday it doesn’t make too much of a difference, the party tends to be low-tempo, yet still fun.

Address:
35 Hertford Street
Mayfair
London
W1J 7SD

Monday

Cirque du Soir

Monday night at Cirque du Soir is award winning. And rightly so. It has a touch of craziness, with plenty to entertain. For a start it’s a daring thing to put snake charmers and fire eaters in Mayfair. But it works.

The focus in the club is on the entertainment. And this format is successful, other clubs such as The Box in Soho also put a lot of emphasis on the acts.

And make no mistake, this club is every bit as exclusive as the other clubs on this list, despite its quirkiness.

Address:
Cirque du Soir
12 New Burlington Street
Mayfair
London
W1S 3BF

Tuesday

Funky Buddha

Funky Buddha has been famous for Tuesday nights for a while now. When they first started getting hot it was in part because of the professional footballers that would come and party at the club on a Tuesday. This in turn attracted a certain type of girl (glamour model types). Again there’s not much competition on a Tuesday, but regardless of that the night is fun by any standard. It’s not at the peak it once was, you can’t hold that against the venue, when they’re leading the way on a Tuesday night.

Address:
Funky Buddha
15 Berkeley Street
Mayfair
London
W1J 8DY

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday

Chinawhite

Open from Wednesday onward, Chinawhite kicks off mid-week in style. It’s popular during the week, and as you would expect from such a famous club, popular at weekends also. If you want a guaranteed awesome night out then Chinawhite is the one.

Why’s it so popular? Ever since it opened the club has been known as a “celeb hangout”. It’s even been said that Chinawhite created the exclusive clubbing scene in London. Have you ever heard of Chinawhite? The chances are you have because of it’s position as one of the best clubs in London, there’s no shortage of partying at this nightspot. Highly recommended!

Address:
4 Winsley Street
Soho
London
W1W 8HF

As this website is about clubbing, this article is going to focus on nightlife. And if you’re not in to partying, then you’ve just landed on the wrong page my friend.

A mix of celebrities, paparazzi, and clubbers outside Chinawhite nightclub

Where you have to go at least once in your life… if not more

If you’ve ever been out in London, even once, then you’ve got to have been to Chinawhite. It’s the pinnacle of clubbing in London, and the club that when you tell you’re friends you been to, will most likely get the reaction: “Oh yeah, the club where all the celebrities go”. That’s right, it’s hot, popular, and it’s one hell of a party. There’s a stylish crowd at this club, so get ready to don you’re more fashionable clothing, it’s definitely best to dress to impress.

Tip: Like all top London clubs there’s a guestlist, and there’s a simple way to get on it, go here.

The pub that has a knack of attracting A-listers

If you’re more in to pubs then this is a corker. Do you know who Guy Ritchie is? He’s the bloke who married Madonna, and wrote and directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (and a bunch of other films). Well, he owns part of a pub in Mayfair called the Punch Bowl, and wouldn’t you know, he has some famous friends that like to hang out there. Sting’s a local for a start.

The pub’s call the Punch Bowl, and it’s a traditional English pub, where you can enjoy a good pint and a good old fashioned conversation. And as you would expect it’s rather popular. This is helped by its location; Mayfair. There’s no specific dress code, but if you’re going to drink in an area like Mayfair it’s best not to get dressed in tracksuit bottoms and a curry stained t-shirt. Keep it casual, but maybe add a dash of smart.

Late night debauchery

If you’re still partying by 3am — who isn’t these days;) — then it’s time to add a bit of spice to your night. Jet Black is an after hours club (opens at three in the morning), and a club with rather raunchy entertainment. With the burlesque style entertainment, and the rock and roll feel, you’re unlikely to enjoy tshis venue if your favorite films are made by Disney. However, if you enjoy stepping in to the dark side a bit, and enjoy the hard-core antics of drinking ’till the sun comes up then Jet Black is the place for you. If you’re a local to London, even if you don’t normally pull all nighters it may well be worth going along at least once to see what it’s like. And the next day when you’ve still got a hangover a 10pm you can promise yourself you’ll never do it again.

Great club. Trouble is you won’t get in without being a member.

There are only a hand full of truly great clubs in London, and Maddox is in there, along with other such venues as Chinawhite. The club ticks all the boxes, with the exception of the perceived arrogance of some staff. We’ll get to that later.

Maddox is a few years old — opened in 2007 — yet still holds its own. And even recently being voted the Best Club In London at the London Club And Bar Awards. It was the clubs turn, there’s a different club every year.

Maddox

Crowd

Fantastic mix of clubbers. Most of who are rich gentlemen, whether that be self made or have rich families, and attractive model type ladies. The origin of the crowd is Euro meet Arabs meet British, and every other country that has the wealthy in London.

It goes without saying that the patrons of the club are well dressed, and don’t mind spending a bit of money on alcohol — read that as a lot of money on alcohol.

Venue

There’s two things particularly noticeable at Maddox 1) the minimalist decor, and 2) the courtyard.

The design of the venue is by Sammy Chams, he’s done a number of top clubs around the world, and also does design work on bars, restaurants, resorts etc. All to a high specification.

The courtyard is unique, it can be entered just off the dance floor. For smokers this is a real boon. Often smokers are shoved outside the front, not getting to enjoy the club whist they smoke, not so with Maddox.

Staff

There’s criticism about the staff from some. Is it true that they can be arrogant? Maybe. But it’s all relative, what can seem like arrogance to one person may not be noticeable to another. The club remains popular, so it’s not too offensive to most of the members it would seem.

Music

The music is decent, mixing RnB, house, and pop. It fills the dance floor, so the DJ must be getting something right.

Drinks

The drinks start at standard London prices. However, the members of the club are often big spenders, so there’s nothing standard about their orders. There can also be a competitive nature between tables, seeing who can spend the most. A great benefit to having rich guests!

Address:
3-5 Mill Street
Mayfair
London
W1S 2AU