I love a good cocktail bar - and I love that this place is different than the rest. Their location is great for an after work drink as it's right behind the Heron Tower. Super easy to get to from all over town. The place is HUGE - lots of seating and it's nicely spread out so you don't feel like you're sitting with the party next to you. Great tall ceilings and fun decor (even an old B&W muted movie playing on the big wall!). On to their cocktails - the menu is HUGE - I mean a ridiculous amount of options. And they ALL sound delicious. They have a fun selection of large batch cocktails too, which is great for sharing. All of their cocktails are served at the table chemistry style. The server brings out a tray of all the ingredients, and they're in vials and beakers. They apply heat, liquid nitrogen or whatever else they can think of to make it a real science experiment at your table. It's amazing - seriously just go for this. Their food - pretty good. Nothing amazing, but it's good. I wouldn't go just for the food, but that's not what they're known for so go for the cocktails! read more

Amazing place. Great veggie nd vegan food. Nice cocktails and you can get you flasks home.

Drinks were fantastic, atmosphere is awesome, food was pretty good and so was the service! read more

The Alchemist - Cocktail Bars Near Me - London, XGL

I loved the atmosphere - beautiful, chic, decor, black & white movies on the background. Good, attentive service. Really enjoy *being* there. Cocktails are also good. I didn't enjoy *eating* there though. I wasn't impressed by the food / menu. It's a bit all over the place - it had Thai, burgers, seafood, sandwiches, salads... I was confused because not only it wasn't specialised in anything specific (which is, fine, also), but it would help if the menu would be broken down by the categories if the restaurant is serving 'a little bit of everything'. All three of us have ordered a steak sandwich with onion & gravy. And it was alright. The bottom part of the sandwich got soggy and there wasn't enough meat for the price. read more

On the days where you ask yourself ' where can I go for a romantic valentines day with 9 of my friends on a total whim? Here apparently!!!! (80% couples!?! We're romantic like that!) This place is lovely and incredibly reasonably priced for cocktails let alone the crazy wizardry that they produce here. I'll admit in some cases I've tasted better but the theatre of it all is so fun that you don't mind. My friends and I were all afraid of wasting a choice on the same drink as someone else so it was all very strategic mass tasting session. I would highly recommend this place as a starter venue or as a date night. The fun that goes into the drinks is contagious!! (not literally! Or detrimentally) It's not specifically set up for large groups though, so come down en masse with caution. Things get a special mention as they thoroughly impressed me are the white Cosmo and the black toilets! Totally worth a visit! read more

I was very excited about going to The alchemist due to its name and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere is amazing! the bartenders wear protective google to fit the theme and the entire decor suits the,name. We went for dinner and of course cocktails. we ordered streak and fries which was good and very decently priced. The best part was the cocktails. The types of cocktails are innovative and really fun. the bubble bath had an amazing presentation. I would definitely recommend this place if you like cocktails!!! read more

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One of my favorite bars in London. Each drink is an experience. I had never been interested in chemistry at all until I came here, each drink is actually a scientific work of art. Very cool vibes and atmosphere. A bit more on the expensive side, but since I am terrible at exchange rates I didn't notice at first. Great bar for a drink and unique experience. read more

The Alchemist - Cocktail Bars Near Me - London, XGL

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Ambiance here is nice and they have a large variety of cocktails/can make you whatever you'd like, but the quality does not match the package. First, it's expensive and there are no happy hours. Second, the quality does not match the expense. The ingredients aren't great, the pours are low, and the result is a mediocre weak drink. Third, they take themselves way too seriously. They spend 10 minutes creating and messing with your cocktail for nothing. The result is an overly fluffy, bizarre drink. Fourth, the bar tenders are not friendly, nor do they like questions. I tried to opt for a classic - just a margarita on the rocks, but the lime juice was beyond acidic, the drink had no flavor, and it was weak. The vibe is nice and there is a lot of seating in the bar area with comfortable couches. But there isn't much incentive to go to this place. read more

Service was horrible and the servers were rude to the point that I'm writing my first yelp review. read more

The Alchemist - Cocktail wasn't too bad. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Amazing and unique cocktails! Even the mocktails were delicious, recommend the bubblegum one which actually bubbles!

Would have given this place a 5 for the amazing and creative drinks. However, this place was poorly managed on the night we were there. The downstairs, with ample seating, had zero waitstaff. The wait for a drink was 30 minutes. Completely understaffed. If I were the owner of this place I would be livid with how indifferent the support staff was to this. Completely uninterested in creating a solution. The bartenders were fantastic, just amazingly short-handed. Our experience was more stressful than it was enjoyable. Too many other good places to try, so I won't be returning here. read more

The interior is fantastic, bit post industry, service is really friendly . It's a quite Monday night, but enjoy! read more

The Alchemist - Cocktail Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Excellent food and fun drinks! Visiting from the USA and this was one of my favorite places to eat. Highly recommended. Atmosphere was swanky as well. read more

The Alchemist is basically one big show that I enjoyed watching for nearly two hours. Everything on the menu looks fantastic and is cheap too, by London standards, with drinks coming in at £7-8 a piece. I had the flavor changing cocktail as well as the passion fruit cocktail with meringue that is torched on top. Both tasted good and were a ton of fun to watch make. There were all kinds of beakers, dry ice, Bunsen burners... You name it. I wanted to try it all. My only critique is that given the level of theatrics, there are a lot of premade syrups, and not a lot of fresh juices/zest. This is a different kind of cocktail bar but just thought it should be noted the cocktails don't taste like some you'd get at your neighborhood speakeasy :) read more

The cocktails are very entertaining and the selection is great. Love how the menu is sort of modeled after the periodic table. If you love wonderful interior designs with a comfortable roomy atmosphere, this is for you. Taking a star off because the drinks are not that strong, despite how delicious and entertaining they are. read more

It was very busy when we went so recommend booking. However we eventually got a table and ordered drinks we didn't eat here. The atmosphere was chic and the actual bar area was a great open space with high ceilings i ended up getting a cocktail to share at 20pounds. But i cant complain. They heated the liquid in a bunsen burner! Hadn't seen one since school days! .then to top it off they used something to make it bubble and smoke like dry ice! Very fun. I think it was the mad haters cocktail! Something a little bit special/different about this bar. With intricate detail in the drinks and the taste was worth paying for! read more

Impressive cocktails; sparkly, smokey dry ice, the works! Buzzy atmosphere, very busy on a Friday night as it's close to Liverpool Street. Very cool decor. However in my opinion the food is very average. A strange selection from burgers to thai curry, fajitas to ramen broth. Although the filo pastry halloumi starter and filo prawns starter were both tasty. The drinks are far more spectacular. Had a bad experience here a month or so ago with a very, very slow lunch - followed by my friend having to make a complaint about undercooked chicken which was dealt with badly at the time. However after an email complaint we were offered a free dinner for the four of us, which was very generous. i will probably try out other places in the area before revisiting, but would go here for drinks again. read more

Really fun, creative drinks at a great price! We came here on a Saturday evening and were happy to find that it wasn't completely slammed. The bartenders mixed us up some amazing concoctions, and it was such a fun evening. I recommend the bubble bath and zombie, as well as the smokey old fashioned. I'd skip the colour changing drink next time- it was just too sweet for me. Alchemist, I'll be back to try more inventive and exciting beverages! read more

So whilst taking my friend from HK out to show him a good time we stumbled upon The Alchemist. Huge mistake. Let me first point out it was a wet and windy tuesday night, so the place was pretty empty and in the bar the staff easily seemed to outnumber the customers. We walked into the bar area (beautifully decorated) and sat down at a booth...which hadnt been cleaned since the last group. Now I'v worked as a hostess in a cocktail bar in earls court so i know how it can be at busy times...but guys...it was dead. After choosing the drinks we sat there for a bit unsure if there was table service or not...in the end i PURPOSEFULLY picked a moment where no drinks were being made to go up and order. And stood for 10 minutes being ignored. Let me be clear....as i feel the other reviews havnt pointed this out. The bartender (ginger hipster with both a beard and a top knot...very orginal) just completely ignored me.. he wad not making drinks...he was not getting a payment...he was chatting to 2 girls sitting at the bar. I was not aknowledged... he saw me... but nothing, cant even explain it. The way it makes you feel is rubbish...totally aware that my friend was on looking from the table like 'whats going on'. Half way through this the GENERAL MANAGER dashes into the bar and hands/says something to the bartender and as he goes to exit the venue..points out that a table needed either clearing or serving...and the ginger bartended actually just leaves the bar to go and see to the table....bearing in mind im still standing there like an utter fool. I have to actively and ubruptly flag down another bartender to inform him iv not been served and after placing my order the drink itself didnt take long. So after finishing our first round and soaked in the atmosphere....which they did get right i must say, we were ready for another. This time my friend ordered. After seeing how i was ignored he avoided the ginger guy and went directly up to a smaller brunette guy and made sure he asked 'can i have some service please' so his ordering was fast in comparison.... but wait for it... So my friend sat back with me safe in the knowledge that he had ordered. We then noticed that my drink (which was obvious as it was a bright blue screwball and the only drink being made at the time) was just sitting...half finished at the bar and this bartender was now just having a conversation. 5min....10min...after 15 min my poliet, soft spoken, passive chinese friend went over simply just to 'check' what was happening. I couldnt hear the conversation. But what i did SEE was that as my friend made his way back to me the catty bartender pulled a rolling eyes face, blew a kiss and mouthed bye...behind my friends back which made the other bartender around him laugh. OH I had had enough!! When my friend got to me he said that he had been informed that they had ran out of some key ingredients and were unable to make my drink...hence why it had stood there untouched for 15min until we had to enquire! At this I went over myself. When i got to the bar I played it cool and smiled and said to the bartender "whats the issue?" He said "cant make ur drink sorry" ..I went "oh thats a shame.....sorry whats your name". He instantly went..'why are u giving us a bad review?' ...like this was obviously not the first time. Heres the thing ladies and gentelmen... you wouldnt even be reading this review normally from me. Im an upbeat person who cant bear to hold a grude or stay mad...and its now the next day. The only reason you are seeing this review...and i hope management see this too...is because "Dean" (obviously not this guys name) said to me with a smirk "its totally fine if u wanna write a bad review...I know how to remove them anyway...so it really doesnt matter". I actually believed I was on a hidden camera show at that point. Like no smart person does that...even if he thought i was wrong or crazy...you just apologise! Even if u dont mean it...you do it to protect the business from bad reviews! So to management this guy clearly doesnt care as his attitude has antaganised me enough to want to go to, google, trip advisor, twitter & insta. Basically. If u want to go out...be ignored...be laughed at and be distrespected...go here. read more

Great food and great atmosphere. Servers were distracted however and we were constantly in a strange rotation

Best cocktails I've had in my entire life. The off-menu rose Apple gin martini was a revelation and their smoky old fashioned has ruined all others for me. The staff is lovely and the food is delicious too. read more

Came here for friends birthday drinks. I was very impressed with the selection & show of cocktails. Lovely place and very friendly staff.

This restaurant was extremely fun and elegant. The ambiance was chic and the food was a huge hit. We had the baby calamari and chicken potstickers and I must say both were delicious but the sauce for the potstickers was phenomenal. For dinner, I had the filet and my partner had the chicken in the basket. The filet was well prepared and very tasty. Overall, with the Moscow mules to drink, the experience was great! read more

If this place was in Sydney, everyone would be talking about it, but because it is in a city flooded with unique places to dine it took me a while to discover it... but boy am I glad I did! We booked for a casual dinner with friends mainly because it was reasonably priced, close to Liverpool Street station (a convenient location for the coming from work), and had a table available at 24 hours notice! Immediately as we entered, we were taken by the ambience. The full bar was overflowing with workers enjoying after work cocktails, but not in a gross "sticky bar" way more in a "real london", classy way. It was a little noisy but as we followed the waitress to our table, I realised that this was my type of restaurant - the dim lighting, beautiful decor and intricate styling, there was even a beautiful old B&W movie playing silently on one wall! The booth we were given was a tight fit which was only annoying because there was no provision for taking of bags or coats, so we had to sit on our coats and shove our bags between our feet. Just a minor thing, but worth mentioning. While we waited for our friends, my hubby and I ordered cocktails. Given my leaning towards gin and indecision, the waiter kindly recommended the Rosebud - a delicious gin cocktail served in a tall, thin glass. It tasted a little like an icey Tom Collins, with a kick of rosewater. My only complaint was that there wasn't much to it, but then again for £6.95, it wasn't the most expensive cocktail I've had in London. My hubby ordered his standard, an old fashioned, but the waiter recommended that he try their "Smokey" Old Fashioned and it was a good recommendation. It arrived as three components - a whisky glass with an ice sphere and the maple syrup and bitters already in it, the Woodford reserve whisky in a little science beaker... then the waiter used some sort of smoke pipe to fill the glass with smoke... as you pour the whisky over the ice it smokes even more! When our friends arrived, they ordered a bottle of wine and we decided to order some nibbles while we waited for mine. We ordered the hummus, vegies and pitta (which was as expected), some salt & pepper fries (bit of a weird choice, but delicious) and the duck spring rolls (which were a big hit)! For mains, I had MAJOR food envy as I definitely made the worst choice, but it's tough when you're looking at such an exhaustive menu and have no idea which style cuisine the restaurant does well. Our friends ordered chicken and steak fajitas respectively, which arrived as platters like a mini buffet - all the ingredients looked amazing and they were huge portions! My hubby ordered a burger and was satisfied but not elated. My failure of an order was the scampi... the words "deep-fried" and "breaded" should have warned me off, but this was a really heavy, unsatisfying meal. It was presented in a bento box to make it look fancy, but really it was very fried and soggy at the same time. I blame myself really. I was feeling boring and didn't want to order anything very adventurous. Next time I would definitely lean towards something more exotic on the menu. I should say that this place also seems to be quite good for groups, as there was a large party enjoying a group dinner behind us in the centre of the dining room. All in all, a fantastic find. I'll be back and will definitely try to be more adventurous with my ordering... maybe we'll even try out breakfast next time! read more

So I showed up as a party of three at about 9:15 and asked a waiter if we can be seated for dinner. He said that the kitchen is now closed for the night. I go to the bar and order drinks and asked the bartender about ordering food. The bar tender states the kitchen is open and I order some snacks. A group comes in after mine and orders full meals, cheese burgers and what not. So I'm thinking is time or does the bar not want my business. I won't be back and the drinks are light in alcohol. read more

I would have to say that The Alchemist is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. It has the most unique drinks with fun effects as well as the tastiest food at a reasonable price. Come to California! read more

Great drinks the bartenders can really make a drink. The menu is huge and and drinks are well prepared, the performance is posh and the prices are on point for a nice crafted cocktail. read more

It was really tempting to give this place 5 stars but the food was just about average, hence the 4 stars. The cocktails are good fun and I recommend going here for drinks only rather than a meal. Go through the list and just enjoy! They really play the Alchemist theme well and it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would recommend this place to anyone, it is a must visit read more

Nice decor / 1920s with a B&W movie shown on the big screen upstairs. Great inventive cocktails (and mocktails) at reasonable prices however some of these cocktails can take some time to prepare and can particularly long time if the person served before you has order multiple drinks. Therefore as mentioned by other reviewers, the wait to be served can be anything from 5 mins to half an hour depending on how lucky you are! All in all, was a decent choice to celebrate a friend's birthday bash. read more

Dropped by this bar for London Cocktail Week and it is a stunner. The front of the bar is decorated in beautiful Christmas lights and inside there are high vaulted ceilings and various tables surrounding a bar in the middle stocked with interesting scientific apparatuses. The London Cocktail Week drink was a raspberry liqueur with grapefruit vodka, vermouth and citrus bitters. But the most amazing part is that first it was heated over an open flame, and then poured over dry ice and served to us in a beaker, that then you poured into a glass with ice. The drink itself was also very nice, tasting more of grapefruit than anything else, and it went down easy. We were standing at the bar and we saw all sorts of interesting things being put in drinks, like Cheerios and pop rocks. It is very much an after-work crowd, with many suits from the City and plenty of girls showing up for the great drinks. Would definitely come here again! read more

Slow, bad mannered, miserable service. No thought into who had been waiting for longest, presentation was cool but really let down by boring, rude staff read more

The Alchemist is an interesting bar and Restaurant. They specialize in Mixology drinks etc. I have been previously and enjoyed it so I decided to take my family. We are visiting London from Overseas and we have limited days available to eat out in London. Choosing this place was something I thought they would enjoy. Imagine my surprise when I order a whiskey with a giant Ice ball (something I had the last time) only to be told that they are running short on Ice Balls and won't serve it to me. Surely if you are a bar specializing in these types of drinks, you make sure you always have enough ice balls. Problem One. We then ordered food and it was great. We ordered a lot so we could try various dishes. When we were done, we asked for the rest to go. We paid and then waited and waited. After 10 minutes I just gave up and left the restaurant. What should have been an awesome time out was marred by bad service and a bad attitude. read more