LAB Bar

Such a cocktail menu, they have so many options available that you’re definitely going to find a drink that you like, it just might take a while.
The place looks small but has a large downstairs area, there’s sometimes table service but the bar might be your best bet to get a drink quickly. They’re pricy but worth it. Generally when I’ve gone here, it’s not been too busy, I tend not to try on the weekend.
They make cocktails and they take time, try not to get annoyed and just be happy when you do get your expertly mixed drink. Sometimes they play around a bit but it’s all with the aim of getting you a good drink.
I do need to take a star off for Dimplomatico Rum, every time we go here we want to get the drink, but they never have the rum, it’s always «just run out». It’s not difficult to get and if it is the case that you just don’t stock it anymore, take the drink off of the menu, they seem to get reprinted and updated on a regular basis…

As a mixology fiend, how could I not come here? The Fairy Rose and 42^nd St are amazing. But you know what else is amazing? The rest of the 98 or so cocktail creations here, as well as the super cute bartenders. Come on an early weeknight to avoid the crowds, and you can while away the hours to your alcohol-​fueled heart’s content.

I stopped into LAB on Halloween to find the staff had really gotten into the mood and decked the place out with faux cobwebs and crime scene tape, which seems par for the course in Soho.
All tables were either taken or reserved, and as a group of 3, we were in an awkward position near the bar when a lovely member of staff came up to us, checked their reservations, and said we could have a table that was reserved as long as we were happy to give it up when the booked party arrived. She led us to the table, told us about the specials and the Halloween menu (a Jägermeister fest) and took our orders. The drinks arrived quickly, and were absolutely delicious — and 2 for the price of 1 before 7pm, as a bonus, making their price a complete score for Soho.
The music was good, the crowd was good, and my very favourite feature was that we had more table space than most other pubs and clubs I’ve been inside in the area.

excelent drinks…

Definately worth a visit. The bar is a little small up top but plenty of room downstairs. The menu is advanced, so much so it is quite taxi g to choose so I let the bar man choose for me. I can’t even remember what it was called but I can tell you it was gooooood!
Music was good and not too loud so could still hear the person I was with. I was there on a Thursday. Probably a quieter night than the weekend. Prices were pretty good by London standard. Friendly staff and clean. Top marks!

Nice bartender, but the drinks are hit-or-miss…and tend to be very sweet. They have hundreds of drinks on their menu, and I think if they were truly serious about cocktails, they’d pare the list down significantly and focus on doing a smaller selection really well.
The crowd was pretty rowdy, even early in the evening.

If you want quiet, high-​class, sophisticated drinks then probably don’t bother going to LAB. If you’re looking for somewhere a bit different to get a cocktail with friends before the theatre or your dinner in Soho, it’s a great option.
The cocktail menu is enormous, and full of whacky concoctions (e.g. one option is designed to taste like a Solero ice cream. Prices aren’t cheap, nor are they far above the norm for London.
The service is fairly average, and it’s worth noting that it’s not a huge venue — make sure you book for Thurs-​Sat fo sho.

Amazing cocktails. The bartenders out a lot of love into every details. They are also friendly and notice you as you enter the bar. However, the sound level makes it almost impossible to speak if you are a group bigger than 3 or so.

I’m giving this place 4 stars because for what it aims to do, I think it does it relatively well. LAB is the London Academy of Bartenders, so this place takes its drinks pretty seriously. They are knowledgeable, they take their time with each drink, and everything is pretty precise. They have an incredibly extensive menu, which goes into great detail about what is in ever drink. At the same time, you can suggest others or kind of talk with the guys about what you like and they will make recommendations or tweak cocktails to fit what you want.
It’s in a pretty bustling part of town, so if you want late night tables, you’re probably better off making a reservations for your group.
On the negative side, everything is pretty elaborate, so you don’t really have the option of having a simpler more classic cocktail. And because these are all pretty elaborate drinks, there are lots of syrups, juices, sugars, etc… which make each drink pretty sweet. I’d recommend asking for your cocktail of choice without added sugar syrup.
Toredaore — essentially an apricot margarita. Fresh lime juice, apricot brandy, and tequila. Comes in a martini glass. Didn’t like the flavour of the apricot brandy. Would’ve taken a regular margarita over this one, but I can say it wasn’t very sweet.
Berry Collins — this is sweet and much like a berry smoothie for those who want something that doesn’t seem alcoholic. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries thrown together with Stoli, blackberry liqueur, lemon juice, and soda. Comes in a tall glass with lots.of.ice. There are actual chunks of fruit in there, which is nice. Too much ice. But the flavour is great, although it really seems like sweet berry juice.
Would go back, but would be very hands on about preferences and would probably customize/​ask for things less sweet.
Staff and bartenders are nice. Expensive place, though.

Great cocktails, cosy atmosphere but it takes way, way too long for drinks to be made and served.

This is a fun spot in the heart of Soho to meet your friends and have some exciting new cocktails. If you’re into typical cocktails without much more than a little bit of ice, this probably isn’t the place for you.
They’re cocktail menu is a mini brochure, with a huge variety of flavours. This place really does live up to its experimental name. With ingredients like chilli, lemongrass, ginger and our trusted friend alcohol, it’s hard to go wrong here.
Perhaps a bit hipster for most people, but you can reserve tables if you’re going with a group, which is handy :)
Enjoy

Klein aber fein ist die L.A.B — Bar in Soho — ein Muss für Cocktailenthusiasten. Die wunderschön gestaltete Karte bot eine große Auswahl an Drinks, die von klassisch bis sehr außergewöhnlich reichten, und man merkte den Barkeepern ihr Können definitiv an. Sowohl Barkeeper als auch die Kellnerin waren sehr freundlich und wir genossen den Abend im L.A.B sehr und werden beim nächsten Abstecher nach London bestimmt wiederkommen.

Great cocktail bar if you’re in the area, or if you’re a big cocktail enthusiast. It can get pretty busy in here but it seems like most people are in here only for a drink or two so you can generally find seats, if not immediately then after waiting for a bit.
The cocktail menu is HUGE, definitely catering to all tastes, and they’re pretty decent value, generally between £8−9 so what I’d really pay for a decent cocktail. And a lot of the names are really cool and imaginative, with definitely some geeky vibes. I particularly appreciated all the Game of Thrones references. There’s lots of classics to choose from but also some great twists on classics and some inventive concoctions as well, so you can definitely choose how adventurous you want to be that day.
I got the Game of Sloane’s, of course, which was Sloane gin, coconut liqueur, lime, mango, coriander, and chilli sugar. I’d never had chilli in a drink before and it was really great. Possibly not something I’d get again, mostly because there must be a hundred cocktails on offer, but a solid choice. The lychee collins was also a great choice as well.
The service was achingly slow, but the drinks are quite complex and there’s so many of them, and there were always loads of people at the bar, so I can understand that when the drinks are so lovely.
The music when we got in what quite good, but sort of deteriorated after that. That’s just my own personal taste though, but when you started out with Michael Jackson you have to live up to those expectations, right? On the plus side though, the music wasn’t annoyingly loud where you had to yell over it in order to carry a conversation. I can never understand why bars do that — it’s like they want for you to not be able to understand your companions so that you buy more drinks to compensate for how awkward it is to say ‘what’ for the fifth time.
tl;dr — A solid choice for a cocktail bar in Soho. Reasonably priced, well made drinks, and huge selection, in a venue where you can actually talk to the person next to you.

Cocktail excellent, très fin et travaillé. Bonne ambiance… On avait pris un Bombay ricycle club, jam pot, sorano, velvet violet. Super bons… On a pas trop vu après car on y était pour démarrer la soirée mais coin très animé. Beau bar…

You can’t really go wrong here if you fancy a cocktail in SOHO. Friendly bar staff who know their stuff. Prices are reasonable, the menu is extensive, some great spirits on the shelves. It’s easy to be stumbling outside once you hit the fresh air.

Book in advance and don’t dress too formally — no ties allowed! Waitress service.
An extensive, creative and experimental cocktail list and, as is the case in most exclusive cocktail places, they take their time in preparing.
Décor is kinda trendy, funky, commercial.
Not easy on the wallet but the cocktails are worth it.

I came here on a Friday night for a friend’s birthday drinks and really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t be surprised if every bartender working here had a serious caffeine addiction. They were ON IT. There is always a queue at the bar, whether you’re upstairs or downstairs, but I didn’t felt like we waited very long.
The cocktail list is overwhelming. I usually see this as a bad sign. In the past, if there are more than 2 – 4 pages of cocktails, they’ve been filled with sugar or colored gimmicky crap without any taste or actual kick to them. I ordered quickly for my first round and went with something on the first page. Woody pop? Something like that. It had Woodford Reserve in it and bourbon is usually a good sign. I was floored when I got it. It was so delicious and, despite it being a Tuesday morning, I wish I had one at my desk right now. Maybe in a thermos so nobody at work knew what was happening. Anyways.
I admit when we were first told where drinks were happening, I looked it up. I opened the crazy huge menu PDF. When I saw how long it was, I took drastic measures: I searched for the term ‘tequila.’ Their list of tequila cocktails is somewhat disappointing. There are only a couple of them. But the red hot chilli pepper cocktail? DO IT. DO IT NOW. It’s so good, I won’t hold it against them that there aren’t many tequila options for cocktails. Their actual tequila list is marvelous and something else entirely.
All in all, I’m glad I had a reason to go here. It’s not the sort of place I would have walked in off the street, but once inside I really enjoyed it. It started getting crowded and kind of not-​my-​scene in the basement after a little while, but I’d definitely go back to kick off a good evening and try some more concoctions. Seriously good cocktails. Well done.

Holy crap there are so many cocktails here. So many choices. Too many choices. I feel like I spent an hour researching the menu before I was able to make a decision. The great thing about an amazing cocktail is how you can actually taste the quality in the ingredients and the time taken into adding in all the right amounts and mixing properly. The cocktail I got, whatever it was (the name escapes me now) was fantastic. I’ll gladly come back to LAB next time I’m looking for a good drink!

This is a really top notch cocktail venue. The worst part might be trying to decide what the hell to go for! Eventually decided upon a retro sweet cocktail in the form of the Parma Violet. Tasted really nice and my friends were pretty chuffed with their selections too, particularly The Pornstar Martini I just can’t score any higher because of how hideously expensive it was. Just the one ta!

As long as you take this place with a grain of salt– ignoring the slightly grimy setting and saving your restroom break for another venue, you’ll enjoy it.
I’ve come here two times and sat at the bar both visits, really liking being in front of all the action. They’ve got drinks for everyone and every taste, with such an extensive menu that encompasses your every whim.
I loved the Breakfast drink, with the grapefruit juice and blowtorched egg white that morphs into a beautifully caramelized crust on top of the drink. Also enjoyed the Passion8, a tall juicy drink appropriate for a tiki bar, and the Banana Bonanza which was a sweet, easy to drink, cocktail in a martini glass. Drinks ranged from 6 to 11 quid, and they even have non-​alch drinks for your teetotaler friends… located in the «Lame» section of the menu.

Choices! All the choices!
If you are a fan of drinking (and let’s be fair, who isn’t), especially of well made cocktails, then you need to visit Lab Bar. I’d go right now if I were you. Finish reading this review when you get there, I’ll wait.
There? Ok, good, grab the cocktail menu. Impressed? I was. That’s a long menu with different pages each for a different type of drink or different type of liquor. Gin, vodka, bourbon, etc. Sweet, dry, highballs, martinis, whatever you want, they have it for you.
The only issue is service. They usually have a bunch of bartenders working behind the bar but because the drinks do take a while to create (the joy of a well made craft cocktail) it can be slow. I’d order your next drink before finishing your first if you don’t want to sit drinkless for a while.
This is also a place with a sense of humour. The bathrooms read «baristas» for boys and «bitches» for girls. Ah, bar culture.
It’s a great bar with great drinks. How can you hate any of that?

How well do we REALLY know our partners? Do you think 1 year, 5 years or 10 is enough time?
Just being in London on my birthday is a celebration enough on its own, but it was only apropo to have a cocktail. To make it interesting, I asked the bf to surprise me. (you should’ve seen the panic on his face: «omg, if I get this wrong, I’m in the doghouse!»)
It took him a good 15 minutes to decide (the cocktail list is astounding) and get the drinks — you should also know that the bartenders take utmost care when making your drinks — not such a bad thing, but when you’re parched, this seems like forever.
Finally, he arrives with my cocktail. He then challenges me by saying, «ok, your turn to guess what I got, and tell me what the ingredients are in your cocktail».
* Does he KNOW who’s he talking to?! I am miss cocktail queen! *
First, I’m guessing your drink. Highland Park? Nope. They ran out of that so it was back to good old Johnnie Walker black.
Back to my drink. I took a sniff then a sip. Paused thoughtfully. Then another sip.
I replied: «well, there has to be gin in here because you know I like that. Since this has the flavor profile of a martini, it obviously has dry vermouth and I can definitely pick out the absinthe, but something else is in here I’ve never had before, am I right?»
He sits there with this look on his face that translates to: «you’re such an alkie!» but I took it as a compliment. I didn’t guess the Crème de menthe, which threw me off a bit, but nevertheless, it was a well balanced drink.
After a couple of minutes, bf gets up and says: «I gotta go to the loo.» And as he walks off, I asked him, «hey honey, what’s the name of my cocktail?»
«Oh. Bitch on wheels.»

Das L.A.B. stehet für London Academy of Bartendeing und wahrscheinlich hunderte von Barkeepern haben diese Schule durchlaufen und das Wissen in ihre Heimatstädte mitgenommen. Für Freunde der Bar-​Kultur ist ein Besuch ein absolutes MUSS!
Mein favorit cocktail ist der «Nuclear Daiquiri» aber hier wird wirklich jeder glücklich. Täglich ab 16h00 geöffnet finden sich gerade am Anfang der Woche viele Londoner Barkeeper aus anderen Locations zum privaten Vergnügen und zum Austausch mit Kollegen hier ein.
Immer lohnenswert ein vorheriger Besuch bei GERRY’S WINES & SPIRITS und im THE VINTAGE HOUSE (beide in der gleichen Straße).