When you already run the world’s number 1 bar, there isn’t really anywhere you can go but down. So it’s with inevitable disappointment that we look upon the impossible elegance and decadent luxury of its new sibling.
This is The Red Room, the new drinkery in the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. That’s the same Connaught Hotel whose eponymous bar has been in the top 5 of the World’s 50 best List for the past half decade, and which has now finally wedged the crown firmly upon its own elegant head.
To access the bar, you’ll need to play a kind of ultra-luxury treasure hunt, first locating the Connaught’s Champagne Room then pulling back the plush velvet curtain at the back to reveal the space in all its rose-tinted glory. Virtually everything has some shade of rouge in it, from the rose-veined marble fireplace, to the pink onyx bar, to the red-flecked glassware, to the crimson-hued artworks livening up the walls. Those artworks, it should be noted, are all created by a quartet of esteemed female daubers (Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, Ti-a Thuy Nguyen and Trina McKillen), and this is the first time many have been shown to the public.
The bar itself has also gotten the memo apparently, and serves predominantly red wine. And, this being The Connaught, it’s not just a couple of bottles of coronership antifreeze. They have a cellar stuffed with over thirty thousand vintages to choose from, including some of the rarest on earth. But the best bit? They have a fancy new Coravin system, which means that you can get many of those ultra-rare wines by the glass. Does your wine bucket list include a 1994 Petrus? Did you ask Santa for a 2011 Richebourg Grand Cru? Are you jonesing for a 2018 Sauvignon Blanc? They have them all.
And, if you can, make sure to order them while you’re sitting down at a table, because they’ll be wheeled around to you in one of their awesome custom-made drinks trolleys, chiselled from the very same marble as the fireplace. Those trolleys will also bring you wine-friendly snacks too, like charcuterie, British cheeses, Gochuchang chicken oysters, veal carpaccio and kale tempura.
Looks like even the food menu will be well-read.
NOTE: The Red Room is open Tuesday – Saturday, 4pm-1am, and is a walk-in only bar. You can find out more at their website right HERE.
The Red Room | The Connaught Hotel, Carlos Place, W1K 2AL
Love vino? Check out the best wine bars in London
The Nudge is an independent, searchable and highly-curated guide to the most interesting places to go and things to do in London, giving members unrestricted access to our full compendium of continually-updated restaurants, bars, events, exhibitions, date ideas, itineraries, member perks, weekend guides, monthly agendas and more – all delivered via our website, email newsletters & members’ app.
Join us to see what’s hot in London this week; to explore all of the recommendations & ideas stored within The Nudge’s website and members’ app; and to start making the most of life in London today. Start Free One Week Trial
Carpe Diem!