The Bar At The Courthouse Hotel

Wicked hidden spot. So surprised it’s not that busy.
Definitely try and get a ‘cell’. They’re great!
Nice selection of drinks and snacky food.
A neat experience!

I really like this bar! Instead of a booth, you get to book an old prison cell?! Complete with old toilet! Plenty of space for a group of you, very friendly staff (they made a birthday cocktail for our friend), lovely cocktails and ok-​ish prices. Would definitely go again, was weirdly quiet when we went on a saturday night to so that was a bonus!

I liked the look and feel of this bar and especially the little booths or should I say cells? What was probably once the holding cells for those appearing in the court rooms have now been changed into intimate drinking rooms where you can have privacy for talks or whatever…
We were here on a Friday night and surprisingly it was rather empty. I don’t really mind this however, you kind of expected to have a fuller bar for a venue based in the middle of London. The music was not too loud but was upbeat modern music which, with the look of the bar, the music, all was missing was the people!
They have an extensive cocktail menu with bar food. It is laminated which I rather dislike at adult venues (where children will not be plastering the menu with odd bits of food, that’s what I mean by ‘adult’!)
I’d probably pop in again, maybe different nights it is busier.

Ended up having a free cocktail here as part of an online deal booked for the private cinema, it certainly wasn’t bad but standard cocktail prices were £9.50 and that would be on the steep side. Not to judge how people spend their money but there did seem to be some ladies of the night entertaining older businessmen here, they were no doubt a bit surprised by the cinema-​going bargain-​hunters there to watch Elf, amused me nonetheless! Oddly out of place laminated paper menus though, didn’t fit with the fairly classy ambience in general.

Located in the old holding cell area of what was once a court house, and is now the court house hotel, The Bar — do you see what they did there? :) — is a fun place to visit from time to time, and appears to be full of non-​residents. You can even book space in an actual cell in advance!
It appears to try to be in direct competition with other bars in the area, but price-​wise it is a little on the steep side, but the drinks are good, and it’s certainly worth a look.

Tucked in the back of the Courthouse Hotel on Great Marlborough Street, this bar is worth a visit for novelty value alone. Once the holding cells of the Magistrates Court, the building still boasts some of its original features, including the cell loos! The cocktail menu is bog standed, but mixed well, and an after work happy hour (2 for 1) means a visit won’t sting you. There one thing I don’t get about this place is the strip joint (neon) lighting — it lends the whole place a sleazy cold feel — sure it goes with the ‘lockup/​cell’ vibe, but it ruins the atmosphere. A bit of warm lighting and a few bright coloured cotton cushions would transform this place from an ice cave to somewhere you might just want to stay beyond happy hour.