Sergio Leanza, who poured the first drinks when the London Bridge bar opened nine years ago, returns to lead it into its tenth

Nine Lives, the tropical dive bar in a Victorian basement a few steps from London Bridge station, has appointed Sergio Leanza as General Manager, effective 17th August 2026. For those who know Nine Lives well, the name will ring a bell – Leanza was part of the bar team that opened it in 2017, before going on to found his own independent venues, Funkidory and Mama Funki. Now he’s back, this time running the show.

The appointment carries a symmetry that feels entirely in keeping with a bar whose name has always stood for things given a second life. Leanza and Nine Lives founder Allan Gage first worked together over a decade ago, when Sweet&Chilli – the creative agency that owns the bar – was producing the acclaimed House of Peroni. Leanza was among the founding bar team when Nine Lives opened its doors in 2017, and the intervening years spent building and operating his own venues have only sharpened what he brings back with him.

He joins at a pivotal moment. Nine Lives celebrates its ninth year this autumn with a new Cocktails & Tacos menu launching in October – described by the team as a deeper exploration of the harmony between authentic Mexican food and modern cocktail culture. The bar’s ambitions for 2026 are clear: to re-establish itself as one of London’s must-visit bars.

“Nine Lives has a soul that’s hard to explain until you’ve spent a night in it. I remember being part of the conversations around the idea of the venue before it even opened, and I’ve watched it grow ever since. Allan, Emma and Tom have been a big influence on me throughout my career, both through the opportunities they’ve given me and through the way they approach hospitality and creativity. Coming back now feels like a natural next chapter, and I’m looking forward to helping shape where Nine Lives goes next.”

[Sergio Leanza, General Manager, Nine Lives]

“Sergio and I go back over a decade – he was part of the team when Sweet&Chilli ran the House of Peroni, and one of the people who poured the very first drinks at Nine Lives, nine years ago! He left to build something of his own, and he did exactly that – Funkidory changed the game in South London’s cocktail culture. Welcoming him back as our General Manager, in the year of our ninth birthday, feels exactly right.”

[Allan Gage, Founder, Nine Lives]

Nine Lives opened in 2017 in the basement of the Sweet&Chilli building on Holyrood Street, London Bridge. Its kitchen has been led since 2020 by chef Ramon ‘El Tigre’ Ramos from Guadalajara, Mexico, whose tacos – served alongside a cocktail list that includes what the bar boldly claims are London’s Best Margaritas – have become a fixture for the London Bridge crowd. Music runs from carefully curated playlists early in the week to hand-picked DJs playing disco, funk, boogie and vintage soul on Thursday through Saturday, broadcast through a custom-built quadraphonic soundsystem.

Sustainability has been a core principle since day one – the name Nine Lives itself refers to an ethos of salvation: unveiled treasures, nothing wasted, everything lovingly sourced and selected with intention.