Cato is the new kid on the Seven Dials block – and what a cool kid it is. Launched in Covent Garden in early February, it brings a drinks concept focused on British spirits, fresh ingredients, and ingredient-led cocktails.

The bar is a new project from hospitality group Bart & Taylor, developed in collaboration with award-winning bartender and author Angelos Bafas. Named after Cato Alexander – widely regarded as the world’s first celebrity bartender – the venue draws on historical reference without positioning itself as a heritage concept. Instead, the focus is firmly on contemporary cocktail-making, with an emphasis on sourcing, seasonality and clarity.

A multi-level venue in Seven Dials

cato occupies a multi-level space, with the venue arranged across three distinct areas. Each space supports a different part of the bar’s overall offering, from lighter, accessible serves through to the main cocktail programme and experimental work.

On the ground floor, The House of Julep serves as the main entry point to the bar. As the name suggests, this part of the venue centres on the julep cocktail – a drink made with bourbon, sugar, and crushed ice, that Cato Alexander himself helped popularise in the 19th century. The menu here focuses on fresh, herb-led drinks, designed to be straightforward and approachable.

Now, we tried the Mint Julep (pictured below), and calling it “approachable” might be pushing it. This drink will knock your socks off – but it’ll stay lodged in your memory long after the glass is empty. Indulgently sweet yet somehow deeply refreshing, it comes with a serious kick of bourbon. Not one for the faint-hearted, but we’d happily order it again… and again (and maybe stop there, for the sake of our livers).

The lower level is where cato’s main cocktail menu will be served. Still very much an intimate setting with a small main room and adjacent space – New York tavern meets contemporary London bar. Here, the drinks programme takes all the limelight, and it’s easy to see why (more below).

Completing the venue is the Study, a communal table space that will be used for masterclasses, pop-ups and experimental serves. This area will host sessions led by the cato team, offering a platform for development, collaboration and new ideas.

The cocktail programme

The bar’s main cocktail menu, titled Colour Has Flavour, explores the relationship between colour, flavour, aroma and texture. While inspired by synaesthesia – a phenomenon in which senses overlap – the structure of the menu is intentionally simple.

The list comprises fourteen cocktails, divided across seven colours. Each drink is named after its two defining ingredients, offering a direct description of what to expect. Notably, all cocktails on the menu are made using exclusively British spirits and produce.

We’ve worked our way through the menu, and while we couldn’t try everything (sadly, no superpowers here), here are a few of our favourites:

• GREEN (Jalapeño + Shiso) combines pod pea vodka with Norfolk shiso, South Devon jalapeño liqueur, dry vermouth and gooseberry brine. By far the winning cocktail for us. By far the winning cocktail for us – just splendid, and you don’t even need to like spicy drinks. The jalapeño kick is present but mellowed, pairing beautifully with the shiso.
• ORANGE (Wildflower Honey + Turmeric) blends Glendronach 12 Year Old Whisky, elderflower + honey “orange vermouth”, fermented turmeric, elderflower + truffle wildflower honey, and, as the bar calls it, weird “orange” soda. You’d think mixing truffle and honey – two ingredients with main-character energy – would lead to a strange battle of the stars. But actually, it’s beautifully balanced, and every flavour gets its moment. A must-try.
• PINK (Rhubarb + Apple Blossom) has Ramsbury Single Estate Vodka, caramelised forced rhubarb, apple blossom “pink” spirit, homegrown lemon balm, and English fortified rosé wine. This one is a crowd-pleaser with a sweeter edge, but not clogging or sickly. Remarkably (and alarmingly) easy-drinking.

These three are £15 each, with the full menu ranging from £14 to £17 – very reasonable for cocktails this polished, complex, and clearly crafted with expertise.

Ingredient-led approach and sourcing

Ingredients play a central role in shaping cato’s menus and day-to-day operations. A key feature of the bar is its in-house growing system, which supplies many of the herbs used across the drinks programme, including mint.

Beyond this, additional ingredients are sourced from urban allotments and small family-run farms. The team’s longer-term ambition is for cato to become self-sufficient when it comes to herbs and fruit, supporting a menu built around seasonal British produce. This sourcing model informs both the flavour profiles of the cocktails and the way they are constructed, with a focus on minimal intervention and clear expression of ingredients.

Food offering

Alongside the drinks, cato will offer an array of American classics. Dishes include fried oysters – a reference to the original cato’s Tavern – as well as burgers, toasties. The real winner for us (vegetarians, so take it as you wish) was the warm, crispy focaccia – it tears apart beautifully and comes with a generous knob of butter. Please do give it a go. It’ll take up prime real estate in your memory for a while.

Verdict

cato is a charming bar for anyone serious about their cocktails. Expert-led, each drink is crafted with meticulous attention to detail – and it shows. You might not love every cocktail, but it’s refreshing to encounter genuinely interesting flavour combinations and savour ingredients you rarely see outside the usual margaritas or standard crowd-pleasers. Oh, and the staff really, truly knows their stuff. Definitely one to visit again.

Key details

• Address: 17 Mercer Street, London WC2H
• Website: catobar.co.uk
• Socials: @catocoventgarden

See also

New February restaurant and bar launches we’re bookmarking

This month in food: hottest new January launches

Love in action: Valentine’s Day 2026 experiences to remember