Where to take a film buff

Calling all film buffs. You'll know that the The London Film Festival starts next week - but where do you go for that quick shot that's required to get you through that subtitled, period drama?

The London Film Festival starts next week (Wed 22 Oct-Thur 6 Nov), so for a quick snifter before screenings at the Odeon West End or Leicester Square, head for the International, a modern bar and restaurant just a hop and a skip from Leicester Square. Cool cocktails, decent wines and good snack foods in the bar. A full lunch and dinner menu is offered in the upstairs restaurant.

Oxo Tower: Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, SE1 (020-7803 3888). Great cocktails in a room with a view...

Close to the National Film Theatre there is no better place in these parts than the bar at the Oxo Tower. Apart from the terrific views of the Thames, it offers an eclectic and excellent cocktail list, along with an exceptional wine list.

ICA: The Mall, SW1 (020-7930 3647). Street food with an international flavour...

The achingly trendy bar at the Institute Of Contemporary Art is a popular hangout both before and after a visit to the cinema or galleries. Here you can order anything from coffee to cocktails and choose from a menu offering an international selection of street foods. Unless you are a member, admission costs £1.50, or £2.50 at weekends. However, a valid cinema ticket or proof of admission to the centre's events will guarantee access to the bar.

Akbar: 77 Dean Street, W1 (020-7437 2525). Spicy cocktails and snacks...

The Soho Theatre on Dean Street is once again screening films in the festival, and where better for a quick libation than the glamorous Akbar, beneath the Red Fort restaurant. The cocktails have been created with spicy ingredients from the restaurant kitchen, and these complement the excellent Indian snacks served in the bar.

Plan B: 418 Brixton Road, SW9 (020-7733 0926). Late-night bar with industrial ambience...

A short walk from the Ritzy cinema on Coldharbour Lane, the design of this cocktail bar-cum-club is straight from the Hoxton blueprint - a robust industrial interior, with oh-so fashionable folk as devotees. DJs dictate the pace of the evening, and a latenight licence make this a useful addition to Brixton's drinking circuit.