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Some of the best bars in Europe are hidden in unusual places.
They are reminiscent of the speakeasies that sprang up in the 1920s, when prohibition laws in the United States made alcohol illegal.
Instead of the desired effect of creating a sober nation, Prohibition resulted in the rise of a clandestine drinking culture.
One hundred years later, the concept – and creative cocktails – have spread across the pond in the form of sophisticated underground lounges.
In this article, MailOnline Travel has selected nine of Europe’s best – from a 1940s bar with train carriage-shaped seating to an award-winning speakeasy inside a pastrami shop. Scroll down to decide which is your favourite.
MailOnline Travel has selected nine of the best hidden bars in Europe. The first? Panda & Sons – Edinburgh: This bar is hidden behind an old-school barbershop on the city’s famous Queen Street.
Inside Panda & Sons is a classic bar with barber stools, old advertising posters and plenty of cocktail options.
You might easily pass by Panda & Sons, which looks like an old-school barbershop on Edinburgh’s famous Queen Street.
While you won’t find the advertised 25¢ haircut and shave inside, you will find a bookshelf that opens to a classic bar with barber stools, vintage posters and plenty of cocktails.
Learn more at pandaandsons.com.
The Washhouse – Manchester
The Washhouse – Manchester: This is a speakeasy camouflaged as a laundromat. Guests can enter via the washing machine or the vending machine, as seen here
Inside The Washhouse is a dimly lit bar offering an extensive cocktail menu.
The entrance to The Washhouse is camouflaged as a laundromat, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a place to wash your clothes.
Instead, you’ll find two hallways (one shaped like a washing machine, the other like a vending machine) leading to a dimly lit bar.
Inside, all kinds of surprises await us, from a disco-style bathroom to an extensive cocktail menu.
Find out more at lavaderomcr.com.
The little red door – Paris
Red Door – Paris: Visitors can enter through a side door located to the left of the red door seen in this image.
Since opening in 2012, Little Red Door has appeared on the World’s 50 Best Bars list 10 times. The photo above shows the interior of the bar.
The name of this Parisian bar may give you a clue as to where it is located. Once you reach the bright red door, you won’t be far away. The actual entrance is through a door located to the left of the red door.
Guests will find warm lighting, exposed brick walls and sleek furnishings. Since opening in 2012, Little Red Door has appeared on the World’s 50 Best Bars list 10 times. Reservations are not required. The bar only accepts walk-in customers.
You can find more information at lrdparis.com.
Cahoots – London
Cahoots – London: This 1940s cocktail bar is located in Kingly Court, Soho. Its three sections replicate a ticket hall, a signal station and a tube carriage.
In Cahoots’ underground seating area (above), guests can relax in a vintage train car with seating and booths.
This 1940s cocktail bar is located in Kingly Court, Soho. It replicates a disused tube station and is made up of three parts: the ‘Ticket Hall’, the ‘Underground’ and the ‘Signal Station’.
In the underground section, visitors sit in seats and cabins from old train cars, the ticket room is a fake black market for liquor and cocktails, and the signal station (the apparent base of a pirate radio station) is covered in flashing lights, old telephone switches, levers marked with danger signs, and networks of cables.
To book, visit the Cahoots website in cahoots-london.com.
Paradise – Barcelona
Paradiso – Barcelona: This Spanish speakeasy is accessed through the door of an old refrigerator inside the pastrami shop pictured above.
The interior of Paradiso (pictured) is clad in wood that elegantly weaves across the bar and ceiling.
This cocktail bar is accessed through the door of a vintage refrigerator inside a pastrami shop.
Although it is no secret, Paradiso was voted number one on the list of the best bars in the world in 2022.
Its interior is clad in wood that elegantly weaves through the bar and ceiling illuminated by warm lights.
Guests can expect innovative and extravagant drinks, many of which are accompanied by smoke, fire and dry ice.
At Paradiso, advance booking is not required. Visitors must join a virtual queue accessed via a QR code at the door.
Visit: paradiso.cat/.
Mercy Brown – Krakow
Mercy Brown – Krakow: This bar is located above a restaurant in Poland and transports diners to a “world of madness,” according to its website
This bar may be hidden away, but there’s nothing discreet about it. Located above the Smakolyki restaurant in Krakow, Poland, Mercy Brown serves live jazz and burlesque shows as its main course.
Its location is so secure that the bar did not share any photographs of the entrance with MailOnline Travel. However, we do recommend checking out the restaurant’s cloakroom (hint, hint).
Decorated with soft lighting, velvet sofas and gold curtains, its 1920s-themed interior takes guests into a “world of madness” and “exudes the decadence of old,” according to the bar. website.
Visit: mercybrown.pl.
Gate 74 – Amsterdam
Gate 74 – Amsterdam: The interior of this hidden bar features dark leather seating, wooden tables and tasseled lamps.
This Prohibition-style bar is hidden in plain sight in central Amsterdam, behind a nondescript green door covered in vines, which is not often photographed, the bar’s manager told MailOnline Travel.
Its art deco interior features dark leather seating, wooden tables, tasseled lamps and lots of antique furniture.
Guests must ring the bell outside to enter and secure their seats through the Door 74 website: finddoor74.com.
Bar Tausend – Berlin
This late-night bar is not easy to find. Its entrance is hidden behind an unmarked door beneath Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse train station.
The futuristic bar is located in a long tunnel decorated with circular lights, mirrors and black sofas. Cocktails, live DJ and dancing are on the menu.
Behind the scenes is an even more exclusive venue, Tausend Cantina, a restaurant offering a variety of dishes from black mashed potatoes to prime steaks.
Reservations for Cantina are mandatory and can be reserved here.
Club Derriere – Rome
This underground club is hidden in the back of Osteria delle Coppelle, a popular restaurant in Rome.
Reservations can be made at clubderriere.superbexperience.com But walk-ins are also accepted.
You can enter through a hidden door at the back of a restaurant or through an unmarked entrance on a narrow street near the Pantheon. You’ll see unfinished walls, antique sofas and chandeliers.
