In that 1980s ode to excess that is Pretty Woman, Richard Gere’s character, before taking prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold Vivienne to the Opera, spins her some line about people either loving or hating the Opera the first time they see it. Fair enough, you just better hope your first opera isn’t Tosca, an opera of monumental sadness even within a genre that specialises in tragedy.

But one thing I can safely say about the opera is that if you visit the Paul Hamlyn Hall Champagne Bar at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden you will love it forever. It is simply stunning… and what’s more stunning is that so few people actually know that Joe Public doesn’t have to book a ticket to the Opera to enjoy it.

So, why the song and dance about the bar? Well, it’s in an amazing space. An enormous, towering atrium protected and illuminated by a vaulted glass ceiling high overhead. The bar itself sits at one end of this impressive space beneath a vast, optical illusion inducing mirror. Not only does this seem to double the already generous space, but high above, it gives the impression that the pod like amphitheatre bar is suspended in mid air with no discernible means of entry other than a pair of wings.

This is a champagne bar and in this glorious space, within one of London’s cultural powerhouses, that is only appropriate. Fine fizz of all types is available by the glass or bottle. If you have an appetite for food as well as champagne and culture, surrounding the bar on the mezzanine floor is the excellent Amphitheatre Restaurant and Bar.

If you’ve never been, make sure this is on your to-do list. It’s a magical, memorable place for a drink… with or without the opera thrown in. And while you raise a glass, you should also offer a toast in memory of the late publisher Paul Hamlyn, who gifted the Royal Opera House £10 million to refurbish this breathtakingly beautiful space.

Open for special events or book for afternoon tea

The Champagne bar at the Royal Opera House is at

Royal Opera House
Bow Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 9DD

 www.roh.org.uk/visit/restaurants-and-bars

Tags: bars in Covent Garden, Bars London, Best Bars London, Paul Hamlyn bar, royal opera house

The post Champagne Bar at the Royal Opera House appeared first on Best Bars London.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But they didn’t take into account the poor souls who haven’t managed to drag themselves up in time for it. And that’s quite a lot of us come the weekend.

So, step forward brunch, the most important meal of the weekend. And possibly the whole week. One that combines the very best comforting food with the opportunity to drink restorative libations.

Which is why we found ourselves late on a Sunday morning at Powder Keg Diplomacy, a well loved local bar and restaurant on St Johns Hill near Clapham Junction. Here they have concocted the perfect recipe for a popular local hangout… warm, welcoming and stylish with just the right dash of Victorian colonial eccentricity. We turned up with kids in tow and were all welcomed in by the fun and friendly staff who were dealing with Sunday in a much more positive frame of mind than we were.

The bar is split into three areas, there’s a comfortable lounging around area at the front, a well stocked bar with booths lining the wall opposite, and then beyond the bar towards the back, a Victorian style conservatory area dotted with period tables and chairs. Seated in a comfortable booth we could see local denizens of all ages arrive for a combination of coffees, cocktails, beers, brunches and lunches.

Crispy bacon rolls wee ordered and devoured quickly. The ever-helpful staff. much to the kids delight, were also able to provide a couple of enormous Yorkshire puddings for them. Whilst they gorged themselves we spent our time perusing the many variations on a Bloody Mary that were on offer. If Bloody Mary’s are not to your taste then a wide selection of restorative cocktails were also on offer. The Espresso Martini, made with rum, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso was irresistibly tempting and suitable stimulating.

Brunch turned to lunch, during which large amount of roast beef disappeared, quickly washed down with craft beer. If the younger members of the party hadn’t needed exercising we may have even stayed longer… perhaps for my new invention which merges lunch with tea and which I have christened ‘Lafternoon’.

We left fully restored with firm intentions to return, not just for brunch, but to enjoy an evening of food, cocktails and colonial extravagance.

The Powder Keg Diplomacy is at 
147 St Johns Hill
SW11 1TQ

www.powderkegdiplomacy.co.uk

Tags: bar reviews, bars in Clapham, bars in st Johns hill, bars in SW11, Bars London, Best Bars London

The post Powder Keg Diplomacy appeared first on Best Bars London.

The romance of train travel is usually lost when you’re squeezed onto the packed 6.42 to Norbiton on an unseasonably warm autumn evening.

But why suffer the squeeze when you can idle away a few hours enjoying the happy hour and train-themed ambience of great bar? A bar like Carriage 34 in fact.

Situated just a stone’s throw from Waterloo Station on Lower Marsh, Carriage 34 is decked out with a row of booths along one wall that resemble a US train carriage – including moving scenery taken from a New York train journey.

It strangely fascinating, watching New York slip by as you sip your drink. And the drinks are good – with all your favourite cocktail standards like Mojitos and Margaritas, a range of very moreish Martinis and some specials thrown in too, like the Waterloo Brew and Soul Train

2 for 1 Happy Hour runs from Sunday to Friday from opening until 8… just enough time to relax before your journey home. The only problem is your departure may be delayed not by signaling works but by your desire to stay for just one more…

Carriage 34 is at
34 Lower Marsh
London
SE1 7RG

www.carriage34.co.uk

Carriage 34, Bars in Waterloo, Bars in SE1, Best Bars London, Bars in London, Bar reviews for Carriage 34, reviews for Carriage 34

The post Carriage 34 appeared first on Best Bars London.

We couldn’t say it better than they say it themselves… “Café by day, bar by night, fun things to do.”

It’s a simple recipe, but hey, it works so well. And in gorgeously kitsch retro surroundings. So, hats off to Kristie Bishop and Coralie Sleap who first opened Drink, Shop Do as a pop-up shop in a beautiful Kings Cross bath house in 2009.

One of the coolest, most compelling and downright tempting aspects of this great meeting and social spot is that everything you see is for sale from the art on the walls to the furniture to the products dotted around and on the shelves.

There’s always something going on, by day a café meeting pace perfect for afternoon tea and crumpets, by night a cool bar, with delicious, freshly made cocktails and dancing ‘til late on Friday and Saturday nights..

And, if that’s not enough and you want to get creative every night upstairs at Drink, Shop Do you’ll find fun things to ‘DO’ – with events ranging from Lego Robots to Play with Clay.

So much more than a bar… so engaging… so cute…. so get yourself down there and enjoy the experience. Drink Shop Do – best cool bars London winner.

Drink Shop Do
9 Caledonian Road,

Kings Cross,

London,

N1 9DX

www.drinkshopdo.com

Tags: Bars in Kings Cross, bars in london, Bars London, best bars, Best Bars in London, best bars in North London, Best Bars London, best cool bars London, Drink Shop Do

The post Drink Shop Do appeared first on Best Bars London.