Bar 190 in City of London, Westminster

Though their 'special' cocktails are gone (and have been for a couple of years now), the bar has finally recouped some of the pizzazz it lost after covid, with a great selection of drinks and some delectable food. Though I will note that the proms happen every year in summer, just around the corner, on most nights. I'm aware of that, so it seems odd that the bar is so apparently unprepared for the influx of patrons following a performance...

On Google it said it’s a friendly bar. It’s not! We didn’t get past the door.

We went by chance (group of 6 including children) looking for a place to have lunch before entering Hyde Park. Although it is a bar, they accommodated us very well, the food was very good and the service was friendly.

Service attentive, bar food ok. Old and worn out interior. Some staff who do not work there passing by whistling and talking loufldly to each other from a distance. Ruins the cosiness and lobby bar experience. One moment, you are sipping a cocktail speaking to your guests. The next one, you are transported to a Sicilian fish market atmosphere. Actual bar staff is very attentive. Cocktails ok, could be a tad more chilled. But made with skill.

I was very unpleasantly surprised by what visually is a lovely bar. The service was exceptionally poor and unwelcoming. We had planned to have some drinks here before heading elsewhere in South Kensington. On arrival we were greeted (sort of) by a woman who couldn’t have cared less about her customer service, our visit to her workplace was clearly a large burden and I found her general demeanour to be very rude and passive aggressive. One of her colleagues did however, swoop in to remedy the situation and accommodate us. Not a great start. The disappointing atmosphere continued when we had to actively (but politely) flag down a member of staff after being ignored for 15 minutes in a bar that wasn’t particularly busy, to then make eye contact and attempt to order and be ignored several further times was a real shame, and felt very deliberate and unwelcoming, therefore we decided to leave after one drink. This is the only time I have ever asked for a service charge to be removed after years of living in London because it was so substandard, particularly in comparison to the levels of service you experience elsewhere in the same area.

Super cosy atmosphere inside, friendly service and delicious cocktails

Last Saturday we went there for my hen do and the place, the service, everything was amazing!!. Couldn’t have a better night! The staff were very kind and friendly. The environment is also perfect to go and drink some cocktails and have a good time.

Intimate space -- especially the snug with pages of drinks and specialty cocktails and site of an early album release party by the Rolling Stones

I would give it a zero if that were an option. Waited 15 mins to order our drinks and we gave up after a further 10 minute wait for the drinks to be made. Upon exiting the establishment we simply informed a member of staff that we “had given up on being served”. Went to the Verdi kitchen for a lovely drink with speedy service in the Royal Albert hall instead. Avoid! Edit: I wouldn’t usually follow up on a review but the information from the hotel is completely incorrect. We were not informed of the wait on arrival. We tried to inform bar staff that we were leaving but couldn’t get their attention so we left. As we left a member of staff said goodbye and we informed them that we had given up on our drinks. In no way could this be considered abusive. I think perhaps you mistake us for different dissatisfied customers.

Lovely, old school hotel/ cocktail bar. Very relaxed atmosphere

My friends and I stayed for one night at The Gore and had the most amazing time. It was made extra special by the service and drinks at Bar 190. Massive thanks to David and Salvador who kept the cocktails coming, took our photos and provided olives as a snack. Highly recommend the Espresso Martini! As guests we were allowed to stay later than the usual opening hours and were served by a lovely man (so sorry, I’ve not got his name) who took over the all important drinks duties for our group. Thank you again and please don’t watch what will no doubt be the embarrassing CCTV of 3 middle aged women singing and dancing.

If you want an elegant classy place for cocktails with great service and great drinks. You can't go wrong with bar 190 at the Gore Hotel

Daniel and David might be the most pleasant bartenders I have ever encountered! Will come again!

The staff of the bar is really polite!! I loved it ❤️

Amazing atmosphere. Sophisticated, not cheap but very well presented and good quality. It’s our go to cocktail bar when in town. I would avoid the sesame old fashioned. Too Smokey sesame overpowering everything I couldn’t drink it. The replacement I suggested was better and the barman made it to my specifications. Craggenmore old fasioned with orange bitters and twist of orange peel. Winner

Very classy and cosy atmosphere and amazing mulled wine and mince pies! The bartender, Daniel, was lovely and very attentive. Will definitely come back

Bar à cocktails très sympa dans l’hôtel. La carte avec plein de classiques et un service très professionnel.

Whistle stop before a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The place quickly filled up and the service was good, warm and friendly. Just beware of London prices, £14 for a glass of wine. Where we sat was a little dark, other than that it was a nice, friendly atmosphere and I would go there again.

Really nice setting and atmosphere but the service was very poor and the cocktails were fairly average considering the price. We were seated at the end of the bar and forgotten about, we waited 25 minutes before asked what cocktails we would like despite not being given a menu. After the further wait for the two espresso martinis it cost £16/cocktail and there was a £4 service charge included on the bill despite the very poor service.

Excellent cocktails, fantastic place, charming service.

Good cocktails, service was great for first 30mins, and then just forgotten about.

Impressive bar, lovely selection of bottles, friendly vibe, especially with the post Royal Albert Hall crowd.

Bar 190 is my favourite bar in London, the drinks made by the bar manager were delicious, he made each drink to perfection and was so warm and welcoming which just enriched the whole experience. He also brought me some delicious nibbles!

Dominic was very attentive and entertaining. He even helped us with plans while we are visiting. GREAT spot to put on your list!

Great bar in The Gore London hotel. The staff are knowledgeable, attentive, innovative and creative. Sebastian and Dominic are great conversationalists with keen attention to detail and great local suggestions. All bar staff are talented bartenders, so you can't go wrong with any cocktail. This is a fabulous piece of history with the Rolling Stones connection, and a wonderful environment.

A really great atmosphere and a beautiful building! We came here for a celebration and were not disappointed. But what makes this a 5 star is the excellent service we got from Dominic, honestly second to none!

Recently came in with a couple of friends after a show. David looked after us and he was so knowledgeable, professional and very attentive. Definitely will be returning!

Atmospheric pub in South Kensington. Highly recommend to visit after performance in Royal Albert Hall

Well-mixed cocktails and a fair range of them. Very good range of bottles in the bar back. Slightly old-fashioned panelled main space. There is a fun nook at the back that seats six people in a canopied enclosed space!

The cocktails were not up to their last-year standards, but still a great place to go for drinks. I had the "lamb shepherd's pie"...I cannot recommend it. The ambiance is wonderful

Just popped in here for cocktails. Not a great experience, £16/cocktail and collectively our group felt it was the worst espresso martini we've had. It turned out the usual mixologist wasn't there and we got a big discount on our drinks when we mentioned it. Ambience is nice, service was good in a nice part of London. Hopefully just a one off bad experience.

Slow unenthusiastic service. Good drinks but not stellar. Unfortunately since the location deserves better.

Pricy but worth every cent. So glad I found this place. Great for cocktails but no draft beer.

Well presented tasty cocktails. I expected more variety and creativity. The atmosphere is amazing and the interior design really classy!

This is place is amazing. Santo should win a Chemistry Nobel Prize for his cocktails. I had a Tudor which had Sesame Oil Washed Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Homemade old fashioned syrup, Smoke and the house signature "Bar 190" which is served in a marble cup, best drink ever.

We had a splendid experience at iconic Bar 190! Very special atmosphere, quintessentially British, with a swinging 60s vibe and delicious cocktails created by passionate Santo. He won our heart with creative pours, each of them with a story to tell that will make you want you come back for more! Highly recommended.

We had a magical evening at Bar 190, The Gore Hotel London. Santo suprised us with the most delicious cocktails and glassware. We recommend getting The Tudor, a fantastic display of bourbon and smoke, and the Bar 190, for cognac lovers. The atmosphere will take you back to the fantastic 60s and 70s. Great for predrinks with friends before dinner.

On a recent visit to my favourite cocktail bar I was warmly welcomed by Santo Borzi his happy demeanour and knowledge made it a visit to remember (hic :-) .. he is a credit to his profession and to The Gore. Cheers.

Managed to find us a table on a busy night, just for drinks before a show. Nice cocktails, all made with attention to authentic recipes. Enjoyed our visit.

Beautiful wood-panelled bar with fantastic cocktails. The bar staff were very welcoming and made us drinks according to our tastes. Can't recommend highly enough. They made my birthday feel special. Thank you!

Marco and Josie behind the bar were a delight. Lovely spot to have a drink. Gorgeous bar.

Classic warm ambiance friendly staff

Not as good value for money as pre pandemic. A plate of risotto and a G&T £39 + service. Desert was ordered but not only did it arrive very late it was embarrassingly small. The ice cream with the dish was the size of a large teaspoon and it had virtually melted. The waiter too was embarrassed and said he couldn’t charge for it. You need to do better 190.

Lovely setup, great cocktails friendly service

Friendly and always inviting. A large selection of drinks. Looking for comfort then this where to go. Great neighbourhood to be at too

Very expensive, slow service, we got over charged by 20 pounds , never saw a price list or a bill , staff nice , and whole bar absolutely stinks of fish

Great location, great atmosphere, shocking service.

Great bar with many cocktail options. The staff are quick, helpful, and will take care of you.

Marco and the italian bartender was such an amazing guys, really nice cocktail especially the judy gardland, location was wow, i’ll be back for sure!!!

Judy Garland cocktail not to bad. The bartenders were friendly and nice atmosphere. The location is just wow.

Amazing bar. Great manager. Terrible bar tender. He seemed annoyed that we walked in. Ultimately threatened me and I had to complain. Aside from him I’d go back

So glad I chanced upon this pub. Beautiful old meets rock and roll vibe and the bartender (lady from Lithuania) was so attentive and helpful. I suggest pre-book the seat that looks like two beds facing each other behind pillars that make it seem semi-private. Really sexy for dates!

Love this place! Excellent atmosphere and staff with a great choice of drinks too. Not sure now if I stay at the Gore hot for its location in London or just because it as Bar 190 in it. The Japanese cocktail with wasabi is now one of my favourites.

Lots of drinks selection, nice staff.

Lovely cocktails and generous snacks. Pity there weren’t more people to create an atmosphere.

Visited bar 190. Quiet and sophisticated. Delicious cocktails. Expensive. Good for a treat. Stones throw from the Albert hall.

Great bar, food and drinks were quite expensive but so worth it.

Good bar, though the drinks are a little on the pricier side.

Interesting menu of well mixed drinks using high quality spirit. Sociable long open bar space, with private spaces behind drapes. Good atmosphere for a last drink after dinner.

Fine drinks. Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff..

Just doing deliveries seems lively

A truly magnificent find. Part of The Gore Hotel, this is a lovely bar. With great seating, a brilliant cocktail menu. Check out the smoky old fashioned. My husband had one and started a trend. The staff were great. Down side would only be that last orders were at 11.30 even if you were a resident.

Great location but the service was too slow (even worse considering it wasn't busy). Cocktails were good and they made us some off menu.

Lovely way to end a night in West London

Brilliant bar and even better service, yes it's pricey but not overpriced for the area.

A well situated bar for a drink before or after a show at the Royal Albert Hall. Three stars purely because the service (for such a prestigious looking bar) wasn't as good as it should have been.

A beautiful bar with an amazing manager. Authentic, genuine, welcoming and an incredible mixologist - these cocktails are the best. Perfect ambience. You need to visit this place. It’s off the scale. Just brilliant. GO. HERE. NOW!

Santo the bar manager (?) is an amazing an friendly person. Had such a fun evening here. The cocktails are out of this world. They have a very nice menu but we also asked for things which weren’t on the menu and he came up with some absolutely delicious concoctions. Love love love this place. Thank you!

Nice place but we ordered 2 wines & 2 gin and tonics and were charged £63. Obviously we won't be returning 😆

Beautiful spot with chill atmosphere and excellent selection

Great service and very nice cocktails

The best cocktails and service, if a little pricey at £15 plus service per average cocktail. Still you pay your money and take your choice, our drinks were great!

One of the best meals my wife and I have had, food was fantastic, cannot fine fault with the food, setting or location. Definitely will return.

Very authentic and nice place with good variety selection of drinks and ambient is very good for taking your date there.

What was one of ‘the’ places to eat and be seen in the 90s is now merely a depressing hotel restaurant with lackluster cooking and sloppy service. Exorbitant pricing and zero atmosphere. Very elderly clientele. Staff look positively unhappy to even be there. The bar hasn’t changed since the 90s, which was the one saving grace. Such a shame as it used to be such a cool place to eat. Won’t be returning as it was such a letdown.

Amazing Margarita and brilliant service! Highly recommend 💜

We booked the restaurant for pre show dinner, service was efficient, friendly and accommodating and the meal was perfect.

A great traditional bar with friendly staff and amazing restaurant next door.

Fantastic bar packed with history and nostalgia, great decor loads of atmosphere don't expect a cheap round of drinks tho..

Had a drink in the bar before going to a concert, near Albert Hall,very relaxing atmosphere, very friendly staff, would highly recommend

Fantastic staff and great atmosphere

Καταπληκτικό μπαρ. Στέκι των Rolling Stones του David Bowie και άλλων.Η ιστορία λέει ότι οι Rolling Stones μετά από ένα τρελό πάρτυ ξέχασαν εκεί ένα χρυσό δίσκο ο οποίος βρίσκεται πλέον σε έναν τοίχο του καταστήματος. Επιλέξτε κρασί και ποικιλία τυριών και απολαύστε την ατμόσφαιρα. Ζητήστε από κάποιον να σας ξεναγήσει στα ενδότερα και να σας πει την ιστορία του κτηρίου με τις δυο αδελφές.

Cosy bar handy location near Royal Albert hall

A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided to stop by the restaurant at the hotel before heading to the Royal Albert Hall. We arrived early for our reservation so we went to the bar across the restaurant for some pre-dinner drinks. The staff there was lovely, very attentive and the cocktails were superb. We thought we were in for a great night, but when we moved to the restaurant, it was a disaster. First we didn't got our drinks served for ages, with the waiters not understanding or even being able to explain anything at all. On top of that, they were the total opposite from the bar staff, very rude and chatting with themselves instead of attending the tables, making not only us, but other clients irritated aswell. When the food finally arrived it was actually quite good, but we felt uncomfortable beacuse we felt rushed to finish and go, like they where desperate to finish the service. We tried to understand that maybe they were in a difficult situation or understaffed, so when my husband asked for the restaurant manager to explain the situation, he was very rude, not paying attention at all, like he didn't care. He brought us the check quickly and threw it on the table. It's a shame that we got that treatment. I remember going to this restaurants 3 or 4 years ago, and the services was extraordinary. I hope they can bring it back to what it was. For now I'll just get food at the cocktail back if I ever go back.

I have been here many times and I love the bar with its wall of bottles which seems to include the whole gang of drinks. Its also very cosy and comfortable in the evening. Expensive but a good solid bar.

Really cosy place, with a good selection off cocktails. Menu only has signature cocktails, but they make all the usual suspects if you just ask

190 is such an institution, it's been a great restaurant for a long time, and I have no quibble with the food - but the restaurant was austere and so quiet that it makes it hard to have a convivial conversation over the table. It need low music, old jazz or swing, something that is background and creates some atmosphere. It almost felt awkward.

A bit posh for us, hope they didn't notice we didn't belong. If they did they were nice about it. Gorgeous woodwork on the bar

Really nice drinks and atmosphere, but super expensive and in the middle of no where

Really nice atmosphere feels exclusive but relaxed

Not bad, liked the interior, but the bar lady can't do a decent martini. Left more sober than when we went in, haha.

We had the Christmas set menu and it was completely delicious. £30 for 2 courses or £35 for 3 was very good value for money and the food was completely delicious. Also had a brilliant waiter. Our only regret was that we didn’t have time for 3 courses as we had to get to the Albert hall.

This bar was very popular so no where to sit for a night cap!

I suppose you could get reasonable value here if you're teetotal, but heaven help you if you order drinks. Paying over £140 (including service) for two people for a glass of average champagne each, a glass of an average Spanish white each and two courses of unremarkable food each is simply not justified. The first clue was the increase in price for the fixed pre-theatre menu from £26 to £30 a head just because it was a Christmas menu and it all went down hill in value terms from there. The ambience and decor is nice enough and the staff are friendly enough, but basically this is a rip off aimed at fleecing unwary tourists and those going to a gig at the nearby Royal Albert Hall. Try one of the many restaurants not far away in South Kensington instead.

We stayed at the hotel, and have eaten at this restaurant several times. The staff is friendly, the food delicious and the prices very fair for the quality. We were very pleased and will come back again and again. Great for a pre-show meal before...

Great place to chill out. Very relaxed atmosphere. Nice selection of cocktails and a small bar menu.

What an appalling place. We had to ask for a menu, and we picked from the pre-theatre classic french menu - my "onion tarte tatin" was "deconstructed" so it was a mass of salad, with some sliced red onion on a sheet of pastry -...

Great atmosphere with authentic London feel. The staff was super friendly and the bartender made the best Dark and Stormy (I had)

This used to be a favorite years ago, and we had not been in quite some time, despite spending half the year in our townhouse in Kensington not too far away.....decided spur of the moment to visit for the first time in years on a...

Busy and lively with good service, We booked for 6 o'clock and it seemed like everyone else we were going on to the Royal Albert Hall. There was a queue at the door which meant that always kept open and it was cold if you...