Nightjar

Not worth the wait if you value your time. Tried to go 3 times on a Tuesday night. Though the bouncer was nice and took our number down and kept telling us to come back. It never worked out. On third try he told us to join the line (4 hours after our first attempt to try and get a drink there). If you have some self respect, skip nightjar, and get a drink elsewhere.

Although I thought our hosts were rude, I’m giving four stars because the ambiance and drink menu are superb. Pls do work on manners. When a customer inquires about an item, don’t glare at her as though she were an idiot. When the time to pay comes, don’t lag and be dismissive. Also, even when a bit busy, attempt to be invested in each guest. Btw, the doorman was very polite. Thank you :).

What a fabulous surprise hidden behind the unmarked wooden doors. OK. .it’s marked, but tiny :) It’s small, dark and perfect. We were able to sit in p one of the Cove booths on the side which stew great for groups. It’s table devolve service which was fantastic. Menu is divided into sections based on eras of cocktails. They even have a group size cocktail section! The live calypso jazz music made the vibe even better. Cocktails arrived and we’re a spectacle themselves. Overall, amazing. Go, you won’t be disappointed!

It’s a speakeasy type bar that does pretty well. I would say that I enjoyed the presentation and showiness of the drinks more than the drink itself, but it was still a cool experience. I don’t know if I would necessarily go back a whole ton, but it would be a good place to take friends who want the speakeasy experience. Pricing wasn’t too terrible, but definitely not on the cheap side. Make reservations and expect to be warm once you get inside!

Nightjar has beautiful and wonderful cocktails. The ambiance is warm and inviting and the stuff was incredibly professional. I recommend a visit for a date or any time you would like to enjoy an innovative cocktail.

EIne wunderbare Cocktailbar mit freundlichem Service und hervorragenden Cocktails. Das Ambiente ist sehr gemütlich, eine absolute Empfehlung!!!

After my visit this has to be my new favourite ‘secret’ cocktail bar. An amazing array of different cocktails all come beautiful presented with some dramatic flair. Every single drink I had tasted great.
What I love about this place is the live music they put on. It makes it feel more personal rather than another cocktail bar. It’s actually quite large for its location. A must visit if you’re trying to impress. (Visit — 17/​08/​2015 Evening Drinks)

Loved this place, my first visit. From the exceptionally friendly doorman (apologising for a 5 min wait!) to the laid back, friendly staff and convivial atmosphere.
Cocktails were imaginative, fun, expertly made and a good price.
It only loses a star as we had a slight mix up over one cocktail and one that we hadn’t ordered arrived. I’d expected the waiter to take it off the bill but it wasn’t.
Still, will be going back as soon as I can.

Fire, ice, foam, strange glasses, these are just some of things you’ll come to expect at my HANDS DOWN favourite cocktail bar in London.
Each delicious, perfect strength cocktail comes with a special twist. Whether it be a flaming whisky soaked cake or a owl shaped cup.
What makes this cocktail bar my absolute favourite is that the cocktails don’t taste like alcohol with a pinch of fruit juice like most other cocktail bars. They’re well balanced delicious tasting cocktails I can have all night (if i weren’t so broke). Food is pretty awesome there too!
Reservations are always required even on a Monday night! They start letting people without reservations in at 9pm but a £5 cover charge applies for the live band.
Nightjar is quite hard to find as the entrance is a single doorway with a tiny nightjar sign next to it. Heading into the basement you’re immediately transported to the 1920s complete with a 1920s live band.
The waiters and waitresses are always busy but will always make time for you if you need anything. If the bar is particularly backed up they serve a delicious spiked fruit punch to keep you going.
What are you waiting for? Make your reservation now! :)

I came here with really high expectations, after all is rated #3 in the world. Unfortunately I wasn’t that impressed. It’s a very pretty space and the live music is a nice touch. Service sucks though. I sat for almost 15 min with no acknowledgement from anyone, asked for water a million times and never got it and the drinks took a long time. Next to me, there was a table of guys that seemed like investors so they got all the attention and I was ignored.
The beyond the sea drink is served on a ridiculous shell that makes it hard to drink. I don’t mind paying for premium cocktails or waiting while they are crafted, but for a place with a no standing policy, I expected better service.

Nightjar is always on the list of 50 best cocktail bars in the world, so it was on my to-​do list for a while. It´s actually not so easy to get in, as you need to schedule in advance, sometimes more than a week prior to your reservation to get in. But once you go down their set of stairs and arrive at the bar, oh boy, you´re in for a treat. For now, sit down, cause this is a long review.
The decoration itself is amazing, it looks like what I imagine a speakeasy was, back in the day. Add dimly lit lights, a pianist playing jazz and it felt as I went back in time. When I arrived, I asked for a place at the bar. Turns out that they usually don´t allow people at the counter, but the hostess told me that she was gonna try to get me a place there. Meanwhile, I went to my assigned table (they have a no standing policy, so another reason to get a reservation).
It was ok though, as I made friends with a local couple that were there also appreciating their cocktails in a table right next to mine.
Their menu is amazing, and they have a lot of house cocktails. I asked for a London Mule, with Tanqueray gin, apple & rhubarb, kamm & sons liqueur, lime, honey, galangal beer and stout bitters. Yeah, all that comes in an amazing mini barrel, which actually is not so mini. I loved it. Next up was the Monterrico cocktail, with Zacapa 23 Rum, Bentianna, Gingerbread Syrup, Lime, Pimento Dram and Purple Carrot Juice. They also torched a chocolate bear so that it stays glued to the bottom of the cocktail glass. As you drink, it melts and adds a hint of flavor. Amazing.
As the couple that I was chatting were preparing to leave, the waitress tells me that the head bartender, Marian Beke, has let me join him at the counter. Yes!
The bar behind him is nothing short of amazing. Sure, their liquor selection is great, but what draws you is their huge collection of house bitters, tinctures, juices and infused liquors. All prepared by their staff.
I chatted a bit with him about the house specialties, and I asked him to make me an unusual cocktail. He points at the Deep sea in the menu: Bols Genever, Sweet Vermouth, Old Tom Botanicals, Ocean Bitters, Squid Ink and Seaweed Wrap. Weird, I thought, but sure, bring it. The seaweed is wrapped around the glass, so when you take a sip of the cocktail, you get a bit of well, seaweed taste in your mouth. I loved it, it tasted just a bit like the ocean. Another perk of sitting at the bar is that they serve your cocktails on top of their house cards (with cocktails and ingredients) instead of regular coasters. A small detail, but a pretty cool one.
Time for my last cocktail of the night. I ask him to make me a negroni, my favorite cocktail, with a house twist. I see the bartender getting the gin, carpano antica vermouth and aperol? Then he added a couple of dashes from what seemed to be some house bitters and stirred it. Then he poured the cocktail an old fashioned glass and covered with a piece of suede, and garnish it with a dried orange and a cinnamon stick. Beautiful. I had already tried a negroni variation with aperol before and didn’t liked much, but this one was pretty good. The house bitters seemed to add some complexity to the cocktail. Tasted very orangey and a bit more sweet than a regular negroni, but very good indeed.
This was one of my best experiences in a cocktail bar. The service was top notch. Cocktails were among the best I ever had, and their recipes are so exclusive that it’s hard to replicate them elsewhere. Definitely worth a visit.
ps. this review is long overdue and it was sitting in my unfinished list of reviews, but since I’m going to a speakeasy cocktail bar today, i figured i should make an effort and finally finish this one: P

Some of the coolest cocktails I’ve ever seen, not to mention the biggest! I’m so happy I found this place on Unilocal because I don’t know how else I would find it especially since I’m not from the area. It was a little tricky to find because its just a door along the street. We arrived around midnight & waited in line behind 1 group. After waiting 5 minutes, we were led downstairs. It was a cool jazz bar/​speakeasy. I was surprised we had to wait in line because there were a ton of open tables. We were greeted with a bowl of popcorn. I ordered the London Mule & I don’t remember the name of my husband’s drink, but it was definitely one of a kind. His drink was complete with a spicy cucumber & pop rocks on top. The menu lists all the ingredients in the drink, but we didn’t have a clue what a lot of the ingredients tasted like so we asked our server for suggestions. My drink came out in a small barrel. Not even joking. For someone my size, I thought these drinks would get me in trouble.
Come here for some of the craziest craft cocktails presented in a way you won’t see anywhere else. Great place to chill & the drinks were amazing!
Heads up! Allow a bit of time for the drinks as they are intricate. Also, don’t expect to order a ton of drinks. There wasn’t as much of the drink as I thought there would be in the barrel, but it’s still a LARGE drink. I think 2 or maybe 3 would be my limit here. Lol.

One of London’s best cocktail bars to date: innovative, ever-​changing menu, great live jazz and blues, dim-​lit and exclusive. It won me over from the first time!

Go on Weds and book a table if possible. It’s free that evening and you’ll get to hear live free music. Wonderfully secret and ambient inside. Does fab cocktails and has a great vibe all round. Will be back again!

This review is a year and 5 months late.
I went to London with my friend during the week of my birthday. (January 31^st) Since this was the last day we were in town, we decided months before hand to reserve two seats. We absolutley LOVED our time there. The band was great, the food and especially all the different drinks. I highly recommend this for a party of 2 to 4!

A friend brought us here after midnight on a Saturday. We were skeptical, standing in the short queue at the door with little indication of what was to come. After stepping inside and then down into the basement, it was really cool to step into a different world.
The Jazz and Blues band perform live at this hour and the crowd was really into it. The tables were filled with rather dapper folk, who munch on yummy popcorn as they peruse the extensive cocktail menu. The cocktails are prohibition, pre and post, era and I tried the Royal Hawaiian that was so delicious. Superbly presented in a half coconut punch bowl and I could almost taste the sweet jack fruit in my drink.
Wish I had stayed longer, but I’ll definitely be back. I see that you can make reservations online. I’m glad though that I could try it on a whim. It was definitely worth it!

Nice jazz venue bistro venue — performed there once with jazz trio combo —
Comfortable place and good food.

Fall down the rabbit’s hole to this dreamy and fanciful speakeasy cocktail bar in the heart of Shoreditch.
Golden candlelight and cozy dark corners, beam off the glass of old jars and leather books. The surroundings are almost as lush as the drinks to come. This is a comfortable bar where you are seated and doesn’t get over crowded yet the atmosphere has a buzz. It also means it is difficult to get in as space is limited and reservations are recommended. Yet the extra effort really is worth it, and the helpful staff will actually try to get you in. Everything about the place is a pleasure to the senses but let’s face it, its the cocktails that are the stars here. Order from the highly creative drinks menu, exciting, innovative cocktails that really make for an exceptional time out.

Yep, this place deserves its reputation, despite the booking hassle and high prices.
If you like fantastically interesting and well-​made cocktails, there is no substitute. Everything we tried here (6 cocktails between my wife and I trying our own and our friends’) was perfectly balanced, interestingly flavored, and beautifully presented. The shared Pot and Ketel was a surprisingly good deal on an otherwise expensive menu — we definitely got more than the stated 6 servings out of it, and it was very tasty besides. And my Brown Derby hit the bourbon spot. Next time I’ll try to branch out, but it’s hard when confronted with such excellent-​sounding whiskey cocktails like their Boulevardier and Waldorf Gloom Lifter.

Cool place to check out. Great live music (jazz, old school, prohibition theme), extensive cocktails list — sexy vibe. Have to book well in advance (or try your luck at the door — unlikely you’ll succeed but you can try!!) but worth the experience! Honey smash and the cold coconut rum cocktails were the highlights. Attentive service too!

A speakeasy, prohibition bar. Surprisingly non-​pretentious, with a delicious concoction of ingredients for each piece of art — yes, I truly believe these cocktails to be masterpieces, produced by skilled mixologists who take genuine pride in the flavours and experience of the drinks they produce.
With such a vast list of cocktails and flavours to pick from, surely something to please even the most difficult of pallets, it was hard to make a choice. If you like trying most things, I recommend closing your eyes and pointing at random and the result will most definitely not disappoint! The drinks themselves are so pretty you don’t want to drink them. But after you’ve taken that first sip, you just can’t stop! I can’t even remember the name of mine, but it was rose infused. The Honey Smash was good as was the one with elderflower and coconut (again the name escapes me)!
Sunday-​Wednesday you need to book but tables are free (though expect a charge for a no-​show), Thursday to Saturday on the other hand you have to pay £15 just to grace the table-​service bar with your presence. There was a man playing jazz pieces and the likes of Ray Charles on the piano and the staff were really friendly. At £10−12 for a cocktail it’s not cheap, but believe me so worth it!