Mr Fogg’s Hat Tavern & Gin Club | A Quirky Victorian Cocktail Bar in Soho
Mr Fogg clearly hasn’t lost his penchant for travel – he’s headed all the way to deepest, darkest Soho next in order to swing the doors on his latest whimsically eccentric cocktail parlour.
It’s called Mr Fogg’s Hat Tavern & Gin Club, and it’s the latest pin in the map for the ever-expanding Fogg’s empire, which now includes quirky taverns, glamorous railway carriages, and subterranean apothecaries among many other examples of its quirky Victoriana-style cocktail lounges. And, as with the others, this venue too has its own unique spin on their playfully offbeat signature style.
You’ll find it on Soho’s Great Chapel Street, a location that’s literally perfect for a Victorian Hat Tavern & Gin Club for two reasons: 1) it’s opposite a former Victorian hat factory, and 2) it’s housed in a former gin club. In fact, the two floor space us divided thusly into two areas, which we’ll take one-at-a-time right here:
Upstairs, The Hat Tavern looks out onto the former, Henry Heath Hat Factory (established 1822), where any gentleman worth his velvet would get their top hat from. Here you’ll find a long bar flanked by a squadron of tables that have been crafted into glass-topped display cases showcasing the hats & accessories that the factory opposite once churned out, and all of it is surrounded by time-worn wood-panelled walls, and a bronze ceiling covered with dangling vintage curios. Here, you can get familiar Fogg-style fancy cocktails, such as the Bowler, which blends cognac, rum, and spiced chocolate bitters.
Downstairs you’ll find The Gin Club – a throwback to when the place housed an ancient bar called The London Gin Club – which you’ll be astonished to learn specialised in gin. There are dozens of bottles of the stuff lining the shelves behind the low bar, looking out onto a cosy space with intricately patterned carpets, plush sofas, and plenty more hats on display. To drink, you can get yourself a miniature bathtub filled with gin, elderflower liqueur, pineapple & ginger syrup, and ‘lavender air’ (to get one, just say you need to ‘Take A Bath’), or a Pacific Gimlet which brings together gin with yuzushu (it’s like yuzu sake) and a zesty hit of kumquat.
As with most venues from Mr Fogg…
…this one’s not to be mist.
NOTE: Mr Fogg’s Hat Tavern & Gin Club is open now, seven days a week. You can find out more, and book a table at their website right here.
Mr Fogg’s Hat Tavern & Gin Club | 22 Great Chapel Street, Soho, W1F 8FR
Making a night of it? Pop into one of Soho’s best restaurants