🍸Quirky Bar 📍Covent Garden,

Quirky bars. Us Londoners love a quirky bar, don’t we? Well, today is our lucky day because the Capital is getting another one albeit as a three month pop-up

Alcotraz – the notorious prison-themed cocktail experience in Shoreditch have announced they’ll be opening a new location ‘Cell Block’ smack bang in the middle of Covent Garden as a three month pop-up from Friday 4th October 2019.

Taking place underneath Covent Garden in a speakeasy basement, the stakes couldn’t be higher and covertness is paramount when guests attempt to smuggle liquor past The Warden and into the hands of some of Alcotraz’s longest-serving inmates who will then transform the contraband liquor into delicious cocktails.  

It may have generated global headlines and courted controversy since it’s opening on Brick Lane in 2017, but there’s no denying how appeal to curious Londoners looking for a unique night out.  

This time, the infamous bar behind bar is taking this game of cat and mouse to new heights with a more immersive experience that begins before arriving. Guests – or rather, inmates – are given their own Alcotraz processing number and instructions to bring their liquor and covertly meet a cast of shady characters at the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Neal Street. Inmates then smuggle their own liquor into the experience in return for four cocktails.

Alcotraz Cell Block Six Eight can accommodate 40 inmates at a time, and will be serving cocktails behind bars using liquor that has been smuggled in past the guards. How’s that for quirky?

Deets:

Alcotraz Penitentiary: Cell Block Six Eight, 68a Neals Street, WC2H 9PA 

• Instagram: @alcotrazlondon  
• Twitter: @AlcotrazLondon  
• Facebook: @AlcotrazPenitentiary 

Keen to experience it? You might want to book ahead.

It’s not easy to find an authentic aperitivo hour (that’s Italian happy hour for you and me) experience in London. So when I got the chance to experience one of Italy’s most popular exports the traditional Italian way at Hotel Xenia, I wasn’t going to pass on the chance.

It got better as I walked into the hotel lobby and I immediately noticed the contemporary Italian-inspired interiors.

I was already impressed by the handsome Georgian townhouse exterior when I arrived on my Monday evening visit. It got better as I walked into the hotel lobby and I immediately noticed the contemporary Italian-inspired interiors. I’m talking gleaming marble floors, comfy-looking leather armchairs, large gallery windows and contemporary interior furnishings such as artsy ornaments and plants. The stylish interiors are what I would expect in the well-heeled neighbourhood of Kensington and I still got that sense of excitement of being in somewhere fancy.

I was greeted by a friendly receptionist and who led to the equally stylish Evoluzione – the hotel’s onsite Italian restaurant. I always thought that happy hours are best al fresco so I was glad to see that the dining area included an open-air terrace large enough to hold an intimate group. I only wish that the terrace was in a more secluded area of the hotel away from the sound of whizzing cars of Brompton Road.

While Aperol Spritz may hog the limelight, it’s not the only libation on offer.

I’m sure an Aperol Spritz needs no introduction, and I couldn’t fault it here: refreshingly sweet and crisp as it should be. While Aperol Spritz may hog the limelight, it’s not the only libation on offer. If the bittersweet orange flavours of Aperol isn’t your thing, a Negroni or perhaps a Campari G&T is also available.

Nibbles and food is provided for free when you’re drinking in Italy

Unbeknown to me, I wondered how the Italians do Happy Hour. As I would soon learn, nibbles and food is provided for free when you’re drinking in Italy, and staying true to Italian traditions, Hotel Xenia offers a buffet style assortment of Italian appetising favourites with your drinks. We’re not talking about a full-blown buffet with an array of hot- food, but rather, all the parmesan cheese you could want and as much bread, pickles and olives as you want. I wondered why this isn’t common in the UK.

For a bit more, there is the option of ordering something a little more substantial from the Xenia kitchen. An assortment of bite-sized portions of sustenance such as pillowy soft gnocchi smothered in pesto and tomato salsa on a bed of crunchy bruschetta, beautifully presented on a narrow wooden board. But I’d advise you, while it perfectly complements your Aperol concoction. It won’t satiate any appetites as big as mine. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the extra choices here.

As I took a moment to soak up the relaxed ambience of the hotel terrace, ably helped by the sound of jazz gently playing in the background, it was plain to me how ideal Hotel Xenia aperitivo time would be for business meetings, as it is suitable for a casual catch-up with a friend. And it can only get better when the sun’s out on a warm summer’s day and the terrace is open. Mondays is very quiet so avoid visiting then if you want a bit more buzz around you. I’d expect it to be busier on weekends.

True to the hotel name, (Xenia means hospitality in ancient Greek btw), the service was excellent. I felt well-looked after and the level of service was impeccable, befitting the hotel’s name.

It’s true, no-one does happy hour quite like the Italians, and thanks to Hotel Xenia, us lucky Londoner’s don’t have to fly all the way to Italy to experience the real deal.

✨ DECOR & AMBIENCE: 4.0/5
🤵🏻 SERVICE: 4.0/5
🌟 OVERALL: 4.0/5

🍴 Type/Cuisine: Italian
📍 Location: 160 Cromwell Road, SW5 0TL
🗣 Social: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
🌏 Website: http://www.hotelxenia.co.uk/dining/aperitivo-terrace

How many venues can you think of that specialises in meatballs? Not many I assume. This is where Ballroom comes in. But in a city where burgers and pizzas rules, will it make Londoners sit up and take notice?

Ballroom transforms into a basement speakeasy cocktail bar apparently bringing the vibe of New York’s drinking den to Londoners.

Firstly, it’s a unique place just around the corner from the looming Walkie-Talkie. By day it’s a cafe serving the “I am important’ suits of the city. By night, Ballroom transforms into a basement speakeasy cocktail bar apparently bringing the vibe of New York’s drinking den to Londoners. I dig the torn walls that revealed the brick-and-mortar underneath, the on-trend neon signs as well as the low-lit setting created by the little tea lights from the tables. It’s casual with talkative tables but it’s also quite small – just big enough to host around 60 thirsty diners.

I personally don’t mind, but others might find it a bit too overpowering.

The star of the show is, of course, the meatballs. Whilst delicious, I can’t say it blew my mind. The beef meatballs worked well with the rich and tangy tomato sauce and had a chunky texture, generously seasoned with some sort of herb (oregano?). I personally don’t mind, but others might find it a bit too overpowering. Other options are also available such as Thai chicken and lamb meatballs, although I leave judgement to those who’ve tried it.

The cocktail menu is a little surprisingly short – 4-5 cocktails featuring classics like the Negroni and Old Fashioned. It’s done very well, but with such a cool speakeasy vibe, I expected a slightly more extensive cocktail list. The usual red, white, and beer is available as is customary.

So, will it make Londoner’s sit up and take notice? Probably not, but it is uniquely different. Ballroom is worth considering if you’re after a good drink in a speakeasy atmosphere in the corporate surroundings of the City.

🍴 Type/Cuisine: Cafe/Speakeasy Bar/Meatballs
📍 Location: 37-39 Eastcheap, London EC3M 1DT
🗣 Social: Instagram; Facebook
🌏 Website: https://www.theballroomlondon.com/

✨ DECOR AMBIENCE: 3.75 / 5.
🤵🏻 SERVICE: 4.0 / 5
🍸 FOOD: 3.5 / 5
🌟 OVERALL: 3.75 / 5