Dukes London

The drinks taste superb, and seeing them prepared is something special. There’s real artistry in the way they’re made. Dukes London has a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere, a great place to unwind. The staff were so friendly and welcoming that we felt looked after from the moment we arrived. If you’re after brilliant drinks and warm service in a relaxed setting, it’s well worth a visit.

The martini was huge and suuuuper strong, more like sipping shots. At £27.5 plus a 15% service charge, one was plenty, which is what you’d hope for at that price. The service could’ve been friendlier. I chose a martini and got questioned about my choice, but didn’t get much help figuring out what might suit my taste. For that kind of money, I expected better treatment.

The Delaney Drawing Room was beautifully decorated, and the team were kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. We had a super couple of hours there, and all our drinks were delicious. A lovely start to our Easter weekend. Thank you for such a fantastic experience.

We won’t be back. The cocktail was good, but at £30 it was just gin in a glass, and that doesn’t justify the price or the hype. No seasonal menu effort seemed to have gone into it, either. I ordered what I thought was simply a “summer cocktail,” then found out it wasn’t available because it was winter. That could’ve been made much clearer. I felt embarrassed, apologised, and asked for a recommendation. My husband tried chatting about YouTube videos he’d seen featuring their cocktails, but the waiter didn’t acknowledge him. Interesting hospitality. We had an awkward wait of over an hour to be seated, since reservations aren’t allowed. I get that it might be meant to build hype, but if you’ve travelled into London for the day, it can throw all your plans off. You’re left hoping for a table without knowing when, or whether, they’ll call you, and can’t book somewhere else. Instead of adding to the experience, it spoiled the day. Once we were seated, our corner felt cold and uncomfortable, in temperature and atmosphere. Other tables were chatting and seemed to be having a nice time, but we felt disconnected from any sort of bar atmosphere. There wasn’t even background jazz or ambient music. We couldn’t see the bar, and our table had a wonky lamp. It felt awkward rather than atmospheric. The service didn’t help. The waiter barely made eye contact, gestured at us instead of asking what we wanted, and didn’t seem interested in explaining or engaging while making the cocktail. There was no theatre, hospitality, or pride in the work, just indifference. I know our not returning makes 0 difference to this place, but I thought I’d shed some light on the experience.