New cocktail bar cato launches this month in Covent Garden
February 5, 2026
This month sees the opening of new bar cato in Covent Garden, bringing New York City soul, British produce and a boundary-pushing cocktail list to Seven Dials.
Ahead of its opening, the team has revealed further details about the concept, spaces and cocktails set to define the new bar.
Bringing inspiration from Cato Alexander, widely regarded as the world’s first celebrity bartender, cato is created by hospitality group Bart & Taylor, in partnership with award-winning bartender and author Angelos Bafas (@mr.ungarnished), known for his stripped-back, ingredient-led style. The venue unfolds across three distinct spaces, each offering a different expression of the cato experience.
On the ground floor, The House of Julep will serve as a lively, welcoming entry point, centred around the julep – the cocktail Cato Alexander made famous in the 1800s. Frosted cups will feature mint and herbs grown on site through cato’s in-house growing system, supporting the bar’s ambition to become the first self-sufficient bar for herbs and fruits, with additional sourcing from urban allotments and family-run farms.
In the basement, cato will offer a more intimate setting built around its main cocktail menu, Colour Has Flavour. Inspired by synesthesia – where senses overlap and inform one another – the menu explores how colour shapes flavour, aroma and texture. Fourteen cocktails span seven hues, each named after its two defining ingredients and crafted using exclusively British spirits and produce, celebrating the depth and diversity of UK terroir through a global lens.
Completing the venue, cato’s Study will act as a creative laboratory, with a communal table hosting masterclasses, pop-ups and experimental serves led by the cato team.
Food at cato will involve elevated American classics including fried oysters – the signature serve at the original Cato’s Tavern – alongside indulgent burgers and toasties.
DCL acted on behalf of The Yards landlord Longmartin to let the 2,280 sq ft venue at 17 Mercer Street.
