Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 21:20:00

Spread over three floors in the heart of the City of London, directly opposite Bank station, Forge is a bar, restaurant and late-night venue built for the Square Mile's after-work crowd. Occupying a converted building at 24 Cornhill, it pairs an industrial design of exposed brick, warehouse-height ceilings and original pillars with a charcoal pit and open kitchen that turns out slow-cooked meats alongside a long list of cocktails. The ground-floor Main Bar acts as the everyday hub, with a long counter, high tables and a mix of standing and seated space well suited to pre-dinner drinks and post-work gatherings. Above it sits the Cocktail Lounge, a striking room with its own island bar, booths and DJ booth that works for parties, masterclasses and corporate functions, while the basement Club Room offers a self-contained party space with a separate bar and dancefloor. Across the whole venue, full hire can stretch to more than eight hundred standing guests, making it one of the larger evening spaces in the financial district. A late licence running to three in the morning from Thursday to Saturday underpins its reputation as a place to carry on dancing once the surrounding offices have emptied for the weekend. The kitchen leans on a searing charcoal furnace for its signature dishes, served in a banquet-style dining room of mismatched, reclaimed furniture, and a long happy hour keeps drinks flowing through the early evening. Music policy spans commercial, pop and house, with a smart-casual dress code and an over-eighteens door. Its position opposite Bank station and the Royal Exchange, within walking distance of Liverpool Street, gives it one of the best-connected addresses in the City. For City workers looking to eat, drink and dance without leaving the Square Mile, Forge has carved out a dependable niche.