We had so much fun here!…read more The drinks were great, the only mistake we did was trying to play risk yet never having played it before lol! If you're a bigger party make sure to book a table or come early. Food looked great but we didn't try any.

I visited Draughts in a group of six people on a Friday evening- we were all aware of London's new…read moreboard game café through word of mouth and its highly publicized quirkiness in blogs and social media. The primary concern was that we could guarantee getting a table for a group, as lengthy waits and snaking queues are to be expected with this ilk of trendy London venue. Draughts only takes reservations during the week, so we ditched our original plan to meet up for a Sunday afternoon of retro games. Instead, we made the latest possible reservation on a Friday, which was at 19:00. We had a table waiting for us and we remarked that there wasn't an empty table for the duration of the evening, so I would avoid chancing it. The café actually can't sit that many large groups- maybe about 20 in total- and the nature of the activity on offer encourages people to arrive and stay until closing time. The café is open and there's a fair amount of space between tables, which is advantageous for groups who opt for games that require concentration. However, we did remark the strange tone in the room for a Friday night, as there were many groups who had committed themselves to role play/strategy games that were not as social as the games that we happily engaged in (yes, there were no fewer than three rounds of Hungry, Hungry Hippos and Moustache Smash respectively). Our revelry was met with stern expressions and disgust from one table of very serious looking hipsters. The café works like this: there is a wide selection of board games, ranging from tried classics to esoteric curiosities (Salmon Run or Cards Against Humanity- tough call). Games are displayed on shelves in the back of the café, categorised under sections such as 'family', 'strategy' and 'group-friendly'. The staff mingle around and will offer to help you find exactly what you're after- a board game crack dealer if there ever was one- and they bubble over with boundless enthusiasm over each game. You pay £5 as an entry fee (our fees were just applied to our table's tab) and there is a bar with some good local beers- Camden Brewery and Meantime are represented and Crate cider was a nice local touch. There are small dishes- mostly compact but appealing sandwiches for about £5 each or a meat or mezze sharing board that looked appetising. Be aware, though- between entry fees and about three drinks each, we managed to spend about £50 between two people! It was novel and we did have a great time- the nadir was the fact that the version of Mousetrap on offer was alien to our entire table and looked like a cheap knock-off of the version we played as children. We were very curious about the games that other groups were playing and I feel that a second group outing is warranted for more adventurous choices. It's maybe not as cheap for a night out- outside snacks are discouraged, for instance- but everyone should spend a soggy afternoon here. If they could improve the Friday night ambiance, it would be even better for a bit of silly fun after a long working week. It's just a shame about weekend reservations!

Purchased tickets to an event here. When i arrived I was patted down then told i can't go inside…read morebecause I am by myself. What a ridiculous reason to reject someone from a party. Horrible security staff , nor was I refunded for my purchased ticket

The entertainment was fun and a great idea for a hen party. We loved the two drag performers who…read morehosted our brunch and the bin bag contest/bingo. Sophia interacted with us loads and was great! The main issue was the food. We sent our order in WEEKS in advance and there were so many mistakes. We also never got half our desserts so they got the money for 15 dessert pizzas and we got about 4 boxed up. The brunch was listed as 12-4pm and we had plans immediately after. Our pizzas didn't come out until after 3pm and 4 of us still didn't get the right ones. Complete disaster and the staff trying to 'fix' the issue didn't rush to come up with a solution. It's not rocket science, just make the pizzas! One of the girls said 'we did make them but we gave them to another table'...ok so then fix your mistake. When they finally made them they STILL made 1 wrong! We also had one person in the group who doesn't drink and was told she'd have mocktails instead, which ended up just being really sugary juice that she couldn't drink. It's a shame because the drag acts were great.

Amazing. The food was delicious and the cocktails were as well. Ambiance was chill and they were…read moreable To get us in without a reservation.

Delicious, healthy food made with care and from quality ingredients. Lovely relaxed atmosphere…read more Service from the heart from a very warm server. Will definitely be back very soon.

I stopped in here a couple of times for dinner. The drink menu is impressive and I loved all the…read morecocktails I tried. I had a couple of the different spritzes. some of my dinner companions had drinks that were smoking and had some cool effects to them. We had the mac and cheese bites, the shrimp lollypops and chicken wings for apps and the table ordered a variety of dishes both times in. I had the curry dishes each night with the tofu. This is where things went south for me. The tofu tasted off, like it went bad in the sauce. I thought the first time was an off night but the second night with a different curry dish also with tofu, I am not sure if something was off in the sauce or what the tofu may have been marinated.. but I did not eat more than the first bite on my second night in. I stuck with the apps and yummy drinks. Definitely a fun spot for happy hour, good vibes, good tunes and good drinks.

Amazing food and service. Came here at 9pm after a long train ride and was accommodated with…read moreluggage and all! highly recommend

I've walked by Mabel's a number of times, so it was nice to finally get to go in! My colleague…read morebooked us into Mabel's for their Christmas Dinner and she had been handling the booking, until she left the company. After her last day, the sales and reservations team contacted me and were so helpful in explaining what had been done up to this point and asked if I needed any help or anything extra adding to the booking. They were very flexible with us and all the staff I dealt with were very friendly and helpful. They made things quite easy by using an online system and allowing us to pay online as well. Not everyone signed up for the Christmas Dinner so they allowed us to apply the rest of the money to drinks. When I arrived, the staff were very helpful in getting us seated, although the one thing we weren't expecting was to be carded at the door. Fortunately the students brought their IDs, but it is something I will note for future bookings. They set up the 'library' area at the back of the restaurant for us and it couldn't have been more perfect. There was another Christmas party next to us and a bar in the area that way we didn't have to run in and out of the room to get drinks. Before everyone arrived, the staff introduced themselves and we talked through some of the logistics and even though I had brought little name cards with everyone's orders... they also had name cards and Christmas Crackers :) . The table was beautifully set and the students were really impressed. When one of the students arrived, they told me that after they had placed their pre-order they became vegan... everything they ordered was meat-based. So I had a talk with the staff, not expecting them to be able to change much, but they were able to cater for them. Because the staff were quite busy in delivering food and removing dishes, we asked the students to go to the bar, give them our tab number, and order their drinks there. It worked quite well although it space for the staff to get through was limited. The food was delicious! We had a couple of spare dishes because some of the students didn't turn up, and I was worried about food waste, but the students enjoyed the food so much they ate the spare starters, mains, and desserts! Everything that came out looked so good. I had the slow-cooked beef with gravy and veg... it was so tender and delicious. I think the only dish that the students didn't enjoy as much was the Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce. Many of them aren't familiar Christmas Pudding, so I think it was a bit of a surprise for them. However, they were able to share the spare desserts. What was left of our tab we applied to the service charge. Overall, we had such a lovely time... the atmosphere, the detail, the staff, and the food were all excellent and I hope we can book our group in again!

Came to Mabel's for the happy hour but the choices were quite limited. The atmosphere is very…read moreunique and fun, and the staff is friendly. Food was pretty decent. I'm between 3-4 stars but wasn't blown away.

Found this gem on Yelp! & Google and it did not disappoint! We love checking out speak easy bars in…read moreLondon and this one was great. Look for the hidden door next to the restaurant and slither your way through a passage of stairs. The service at the front was very nice, everyone was very friendly. We showed up an hour early and they were kind enough to accommodate us. We tried a few of the cocktails from the menu and were very happy. Drinks were pretty well balanced and not too sweet or too strong. I did ask for an off menu drink that was gin based with citrus and not a basic classic cocktail hoping the bartender could drum up a surprise for me that I can't make at home and they brought me a gimlet. It was delicious though so no complaints. Overall great experience and I would recommend!

We visited the blind pig after our arrival in London on a Saturday evening. We had reservations and…read morewere seated right away. The bar itself is beautiful and elegant while being perfectly casual and comfortable. The drinks were fantastic, however it took more then 15 minutes to receive our drinks after ordering. We would try it out again!

Aesthetically, the Ivy is a beautiful restaurant from the bar to the seating to the bathroom. This…read morelocation also has the perfect view of the tower bridge. I didn't order any food but we did have drinks and they were very well made. They also accommodated my request for tequila vs vodka in the lychee martini. The bartenders were very professional and would come around the bar to take your order. They even took photos for us, when asked. I would recommend for a quick drink or a special occasion.

This restaurant is just off the bridge so its a nice spot to stop by for dinner. The decor is…read moregorgeous. I ordered the filet. It didnt have much flavor so if I went back then I might try something else. However, I still enjoyed the ambiance.

Let's start by being realistic about the dining out environment here in the UK and back in the…read moreStates. If you are expecting the dining world of old you are not being realistic about the constraints that the foodservice industry is facing. Take for example here at Aster, they have a great dining area that they can not utilize due to staffing constraints. What a shame for the owners and the staff that could be working in that space. If you are one of those who think the world is as it was you need a dose of reality. So here we are in London, with no reservation, and we have 1.5 hrs. before our play starts. Aster was busy and we asked to sit at the bar because we knew a place for two on Theater Nite would be a hard request. I wish I had the name of the gentleman that helped us with our being able to sit at the bar. No one else was there and the bar tender was very busy. We were over whelmed with hospitality as every encounter we had with the staff was pleasant. The bar tender (Vicenza) (please excuse the spelling if it is wrong) He was a great host! and the gentle man that seated us told us to "keep an eye on him" as a tongue in cheek comment. If we did not have a play to attend we could have sat there all night as the atmosphere and staff made for a great dining experience. What a gem of a place!!! The food was great and our drinks were as we ordered. We will be back with or without a play to attend. Thank you to all that made our evening very special to us and we hope that your staffing issues come to an end. At no time did we lack service and or attention.

Well its rather a strange place...met a friend for an early light supper (table booked for 5pm) on…read moreThursday...arrived quite early, so they showed me to a table in the cafe area and I ordered Earl Grey. Very pleasant. Quite a few people in the main area and in the cafe part When my friend arrived, they said we couldn't go to our table yet - not because it was occupied, but because it was too early and it wasn't allowed yet...it was 4:58??? So we sat down again and then immediately got up and were shown to the table,...there were plenty of people at other tables all eating...no, me neither??? Anyway, to start with they were trying to get us to choose our food but that finally stopped as we said not yet for about the 4th time, while we had a drink Then they suddenly upped the music...it was not full, so the music was just noisy...they turned it down a couple of notches We ordered the salmon and the endive & Stilton salad - they were excellent...maybe a little pricey but not exceptionally so All in all, the wine, food & coffee were good, the staff were very friendly and helpful...even the music was fine in the end Would definitely return