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The best bar none: venue in a hotel beats London pubs
Ellen Widdup, Evening Standard28 May 2008
A hotel bar that opened less than six months ago has been named the best place in London to drink.
The Coburg Bar, in the Connaught Hotel, Mayfair, leads a list of 50 venues rated by quality of drinks, service and ambience.
Designed by India Mahdavi as part of the hotel's recent refurbishment, it features antique and contemporary decor. Cocktails start at £12 a glass.
It was chosen from a list of 650 establishments for Time Out's annual selection of the best bars and pubs in the capital.
Time Out Food and drink editor Guy Dimond said: "The Coburg is everything you could hope for in a smart hotel bar. The cocktail list is a fascinating read, as it charts the origins of the cocktail from sours up to the modern day, and the wine list is exemplary.
"London has an ever-growing, everchanging bar scene. Some people prefer an honest pub with great beer, other people prefer the glamour of a fashionable lounge bar, and some people prefer the discreet decor and pampering of a good hotel bar."
In second place is The White Horse in Parson's Green, commended for having 80 different varieties of bottled beer and more than a dozen on draught.
Third is Hawksmoor in Shoreditch, praised for its good-value cocktails.
Also in the top 10 is the Warrington Hotel, built in Maida Vale in 1857 and recently given a new lease of life by Gordon Ramsay. He has had the opulent bar restored, and serves well reviewed gastropub food upstairs.
Mr Dimond, who visited each venue with colleagues Ben McFarland and Charmaine Mok, said: "Bars and pubs are not like theatre, or dance, or other more predictable forms of London entertainment.
"Bars have busy nights and quiet nights; a sports fixture or sunny day can alter the vibe of a popular bar entirely. We can't give a guarantee that you will have a great time in one of our recommendations - but we do think the odds are very high that you will."
TOP 10 PLACES FOR A DRINK: TIME OUT'S VERDICT
1. Coburg Bar, The Connaught Hotel, Carlos Place W1
Extensive wine list and range of cocktails. Customers tend to be well-dressed and moneyed. When to go: when you feel the need to be pampered.
What to have: one of the cocktails.
2. The White Horse, Parsons Green SW6
Eighty bottled beers on offer and more than a dozen-strong draught selection.
Go: at lunchtime on a summer day.
Have: pint of Meantime London Porter.
3. Hawksmoor, Commercial St E1
American-inspired steakhouse and cocktail bar. The cocktail selection is neither severe nor expensive, with much at £6.50.
Go: when your belly is feeling brave.
Have: a Tobacco Old Fashioned.
4. Milk & Honey, Poland St W1F
Non-members are welcome before 11pm - as long as you book in advance. Serves wonderful cocktails.
When: before 11pm if not a member.
What to have: ask the bartenders.
5. Lonsdale, Lonsdale Rd W11
Decorated in Seventies sci-funk style, with brass bubble walls and red leather seating. Fair prices.
Go: late in the evening but not too late - it gets stupidly busy.
Have: classic London cocktails.
6. Mandarin Bar, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel, Knightsbridge SW1X
Caters for whisky aficionados, a vast selection of cocktails. Attentive table service and nightly jazz.
When to go: when even shopping at Harrods isn't posh enough.
What to have: keep to the classics.
7. Vinoteca, St John St, Farringdon
More of a gastropub in spirit, emphasis on robust and strictly seasonal food. Boasts 200-bottle wine list.
When to go: after work.
What to have: wine.
8. Shochu Lounge, under Roka restaurant, Charlotte St, W1T
Evening-only lounge bar serving hot or cold sake and a range of cocktails.
When to go: When you need a fix of alcoholic exotica.
Have: Hello Kitty - a house punch that hits you with a velvet glove.
9. The Rake, Winchester Walk, SE1
Tiny wooden shed of a room with a big range of beers that would put a Belgian bar to shame. There are also ciders, perrys, jenevers and schnapps.
When: after forage in Borough Market.
Have: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
10. The Warrington, Warrington Crescent, W9
Inside the historic Warrington hotel, it boasts beer sourced from local microbreweries.
When to go: When you want a proper, historic pub interior with ace beer.
Have: a pint.
