Archer Street Cocktail Bar, Soho: 15(?)/20

Location: 3-4 Archer Street, Soho

Website: www.archerstreet.co.uk 

Visit: Thursday evening

To Note: this is part one of this review but I felt I needed to say something about it!

 

Scores

Ambience 4/5

Design 4/5

Drinks 3/5

Staff 4/5

Archer Street Cocktail Bar. I'm not sure.

I booked and found their response efficient. They checked before the day that we were still attending.

On arrival, the host showed us to the table which was a good thing as it was rammed. 

But.

There are two parts of this bar. The top bar is like a very nice country hotel bar with Louis XIV couches, antique coffee tables and round tables and stools topped off with a large vase of lilies in the middle. Downstairs (and a way from the toilets upstairs) is more nooks and crannies, with library printed wall paper, booths and a larger bar. I asked at the time regarding their main USP - their waiters sing. Apparently, though admittedly they do not advertise this anywhere, this does not start till 10pm; Considering the noise level at 8pm i cannot imagine how this works. There was no specification between the two levels on booking. 

Drinks, a blackberry/mint cocktail and passionfruit/chili cocktail, were average. At best.

Service, at tables, was good and the staff were doing everything they could to get round the tables whilst catering for a large group booking but with 12.5% on the bill I do not appreciate - when going to pay by card - the question do I wish to add gratuity!!

I would like to spend an afternoon here with a bottle of something fizzy. I would like to hear the waiters sing. But on this particular occasion we bolted one drink later for the ever reliable Be At One across the road.

I do not know what to make of Archer Street yet but nor did I feel I could let it off the hook for its ambivalence. A heterosexual haven in Soho I think could be levelled at it...lets see.