Cocktails Near King’s Cross for Any Night Out

King’s Cross has plenty going for it, transport links, culture, a fast-changing skyline, but a proper cocktail bar hasn’t always been part of the pitch. Hokus Pokus, tucked in the basement of The Megaro, is built to change that. It’s less a hotel bar than a destination in its own right, and it’s set up to suit more or less any kind of night out you’re planning.

Step below street level and the mood shifts

Hokus Pokus takes its name and design from the 19th-century quack doctors who once experimented with chemistry and miracle cures nearby, including James Morison, who opened his British College of Health just a few doors from where the bar now sits. The room blends Victorian apothecary details with a steampunk edge, all copper, brass and vintage oak, and it runs partly beneath Euston Road, so the occasional rumble of a passing Underground train becomes part of the atmosphere rather than an interruption. It’s lively without tipping into loud, and the kind of space that rewards a bit of time rather than a quick one in and out.

What’s actually in the glass

The drinks are made, brewed and infused entirely in-house rather than built from standard bottles, which is where a lot of the character comes from. Expect techniques like fat-washing, where a spirit picks up richness from an ingredient like avocado oil, or infusions built from fruit, herbs and spices left to develop over time. One example on the current menu takes a gin fat-washed with avocado oil and pairs it with Lillet Blanc, fig liqueur and Fernet Branca, finished with cardamom bitters, a spirit-forward drink built for slow sipping rather than knocking back. Others lean fruitier, like a vanilla-infused vodka cocktail with apricot liqueur and mango, styled as the bar’s own steampunk take on a modern classic. Alcohol-free options run through the list too, treated with the same care as everything else rather than as an afterthought.

If you’re not sure where to start, that’s normal. The team are used to guiding people through the list based on what they usually drink and what kind of evening they’re after, so there’s no pressure to navigate it alone.

Suits more than one kind of evening

Hokus Pokus is built to flex depending on what you’re there for:

A first date or a quiet catch-up with a friend, where the atmosphere does some of the talking
A birthday, team night out or celebration that wants a bit more occasion than a standard bar booking
A standalone drinks evening, where the depth of the menu and the room itself are enough reason to stay
A first drink before dinner upstairs at Spagnoletti, or a late one after, if you’re making a full evening of it

Getting in

The bar is open independently of the hotel, so no stay at The Megaro is required, and it’s just a few minutes on foot from both King’s Cross and St Pancras. Booking ahead is worth doing, particularly for groups, given how popular the space has become. Book a table at Hokus Pokus, browse the full drinks menu, or pair the evening with dinner at Spagnoletti on the ground floor above.