Voltaire

New furnishings however all look a bit tacky. Very out the way and won’t go back for drinks however staff were very friendly.

Voltaire is a very classy champagne bar and as such it’s not really a venue that I normally find myself drawn to. Part of it is that it’s part of a hotel and part that I’d rather have a pint at a pub instead. I did however go there and was quite impressed by it.
They are making a lot of effort to become a good venue for after work drinks and events and be more appealing to the crowds and in this effort they have now teamed up with the Amy Winehouse foundation for charity. Over the next few weeks the bar will be the home of some cool Amy Winehouse street art that will later on be auctioned with all the proceeds going to charity. The opening event was quite good, with a live Jazz band, although towards the end the dj kept playing Amy Winehouse songs on repeat and there is only so many times you can listen to Rehab in one night. That of course does not happen every night so you don’t need to be afraid. You can still go look at the artwork while it’s there and enjoy your drinks at the bar.
They have also teamed up with three street food vendors, who are going to be providing really nice food to go with your drinks.
The Cheese Truck will be serving cheese sandwiches which are all delicious and will go amazingly with a glass of wine.
Bill or Beak is providing chicken and duck burgers that for me were the best option available and I’d totally recommend them. They are not particularly messy either so don’t hesitate ordering one.
Talking about messy, the last vendor, Randy’s Wing Bar is providing spicy chicken wings and buffalo kings prawns that albeit extremely yummy I really don’t think they should be eaten in a classy bar. They were incredibly messy to eat and I just felt like I had to go wash my hands right away. I am not a fan of eating things like that in public or at least not outside a chicken place where everyone is eating with their hands.
For the the highlight of this bar are the private vault booths that you can book and have a night with your group drinking and having fun. I think the ambience in those a quite different to the main bar area and quite alluring as it feels like you’re in an old vault that came out of a film.
I would recommend checking out the bar anyway, especially if you are into champagne bars, but I doubt it’s going to become one of my regular haunts.

I can see how this bar could be an amazing night out, however a Saturday is not the ideal day to visit.
We went there for birthday drinks and it was extremely quiet. This is to be expected on a Saturday night in the city. Unfortunately they had already run out of some of the bar snacks and some of the cocktail ingredients. This is a real shame considering there were only about 6 people in there.
Saying that, the vaults are well worth booking as they are cosy and private. The little touches such as the fur blankets really add the little extra touches needed for a special night. It’s just a shame that they aren’t quite geared up for a Saturday.
It would also be really useful if the staff were able to confirm allergen info on the menu

A nice downstairs bar located in the crowne plaza the city. The hours here seem to me to be based on what they want it to be (came here a couple of other times within their posted operating times and they were closed).
But any who, there drinks are ok priced (high, but not the highest) with about 5 – 7 beers on draft, mixed cocktails and of course champaign. This place have nice staff and a really nice décor. You also get a free light bite when you check in here, I chose the onion rings with plum sauce (onion rings were good but plum sauce was excellent). Overall a nice daytime bar if you are staying in this hotel.

I attending a fantastic Langley’s Gin Tasting event at Voltaire in the Vaults… which are very intimate and cool spaces located in the fabulous Crown Plaza Hotel in the City of London.
The attentive and friendly bar manager gave us an overview of the history of the vaults, which have been a prison, bank and home for disenfranchised women over the last few centuries– how cool! (of course there has been some decorating since those times!)
I could absolutely see myself reserving one of these vaults for a little gathering, or if I wanted to impress out of town guests in particular.

This is a cool venue. I can’t comment on the main bar as I was there for an evening in the vaults, which are excellent. They are the former bank vaults under the road, adjacent to the basement voltaire bar. Its a pretty cool venue, with each vault booth decorated to a particular theme. The décor is classy and I’d recommend it for an interesting night out.

This was unexpected. Pop music, caged private booths (yes, I said caged — as the private rooms are literally couches /​chairs with fancy little pillows and blankets in a fucking cage), solid booze selection.
Ended up here accidentally while looking for a place open late — open until at least 2am. The drinks were a bit on the pricey side but the beers were around 5 pounds — not the end of the world. The bar inside is classy and has a good amount of seating. Gorgeous bathrooms as well (I believe the bar is attached to a hotel). But outside, there’s a path along which there are many private rooms that appear to be for bottle service. The bartender told us they are typically for those spending 30+ pounds but it was pretty dead late night on Thursday, so we snagged a «cage.» I felt like I was sitting in Pier 1 — surrounded by animal print, hardwood, and cast iron. Really cool place to check out if you’re in the area, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it over the weekend as it sounds like things can get rather pricey and crowded.

Only dropped in for a quick look when I saw some mysterious stairs leading down off New Bridge Street. This is a beautiful hidden bar and has 9 little vaults with names including the the thinker, the aristocrat and the playwright etc… Apparently the cellars, over their history, have been both a prison and a bank vault. Can’t way to go back and try some of their cocktails…