The Fumoir

The Fumoir is no ordinary cocktail bar. Tucked away in Claridge's art deco interior, those in the know have enjoyed a quiet drink here since 1929.

The Fumoir Bar, Mayfair: Cocktail Bar - Claridge's

Discreetly tucked away in Claridge’s art deco interior, The Fumoir is where those in the know have enjoyed a quiet drink since 1929.

Come by for pre-theatre drinks such as a signature Claridge’s Julep.

https://www.claridges.co.uk

Reviews and related sites

Claridge's hotel, London - review | CN Traveller

Claridges: An opulent hotel where every polished corner tells a story ...

Review analysis
food   staff   drinks   ambience   facilities   desserts  

The Ritz, The Savoy, Grosvenor House and London's other grand hotels may compete with it in opulence, but none can hold a scented candle to Claridge's when it comes to richness of history and magnificence of clientele.

When King Alfonso XIII of Spain arrived in London in spring 1931, on the run from a Republican uprising in Madrid, he was welcomed in the lobby of Claridge's by King Manuel II of Portugal, who'd arrived 10 years earlier.

Claridge's – or the building at least – started life 200 years ago when, in 1812, James Mivart founded a small boarding house called Mivart's Hotel at 49 Brook Street, Mayfair.

A new chapter opened in 1894 when the Savoy Hotel's owner Richard D'Oyly Carte bought Claridge's, gutted the old buildings and replaced them with modern hotel facilities, lifts and walk-in bathrooms.

This is the first time cameras have been allowed down the hallowed corridors, into the suites which can set back a modern Croesus £6,900 a night, and backstage in the kitchens where staff prepare the 1,000 lobsters and chill the 60,000 bottles of champagne required by Claridge's guests every year.

The Fumoir Bar London | Centurion Magazine

With its 1930s-inspired decor, low-hanging crystal lighting, comfortable leather seating and vintage photography displayed on the walls, The Fumoir, lined in claret velvet, is a gem at Claridge’s Hotel, and a more intimate proposition than the popular main bar.

Perfect as a meeting place for a pre-dinner aperitif or an evening nightcap, The Fumoir is also the place to rediscover long forgotten and era-defining cocktails, or to try a twist on an old classic.

With just enough space to fit in 12 guests, this bar becomes all the more exclusive and charming.

Why Claridge's Is the Best Hotel In the World - Inside London's Most ...

Review analysis
food   drinks   ambience   menu   staff  

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below The 197-room hotel, tucked away on Brook Street in London's Mayfair neighborhood, feels like an elegant, older woman; one that cracks a dirty joke with perfect comedic timing the moment you'd written her off as being too stodgy.

The legendary lobby exudes a rich history and underlying femininity—a portrait of Mrs. Claridge, who founded and opened the establishment in 1854, still watches over the comings and goings of guests, business meetings, celebrity sightings and many servings of afternoon tea, finger sandwiches and scones from her prime real estate on the wall of the foyer.As I walked through the revolving Art Deco doors, I spotted Joan Collins holding court in the lobby wearing a massive hat and her signature red lipstick.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below It's important to acknowledge that the competition to be the best hotel in London, let alone the world, is stiff.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Still, Claridge's is not for everyone.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Fera at Claridge's, Rogan's neo-English foraging concept with an open kitchen sits at the back of a grand deco dining room honors Britain's locally-grown ingredients, presenting them with whimsy in a way you'd least expect– like their riff on tartare: soup dumplings of veal served in a vibrant cold broth of oyster, apple and kohlrabi.

Claridges: An opulent hotel where every polished corner tells a story ...

Review analysis
food   staff   drinks   ambience   facilities   desserts  

The Ritz, The Savoy, Grosvenor House and London's other grand hotels may compete with it in opulence, but none can hold a scented candle to Claridge's when it comes to richness of history and magnificence of clientele.

When King Alfonso XIII of Spain arrived in London in spring 1931, on the run from a Republican uprising in Madrid, he was welcomed in the lobby of Claridge's by King Manuel II of Portugal, who'd arrived 10 years earlier.

Claridge's – or the building at least – started life 200 years ago when, in 1812, James Mivart founded a small boarding house called Mivart's Hotel at 49 Brook Street, Mayfair.

A new chapter opened in 1894 when the Savoy Hotel's owner Richard D'Oyly Carte bought Claridge's, gutted the old buildings and replaced them with modern hotel facilities, lifts and walk-in bathrooms.

This is the first time cameras have been allowed down the hallowed corridors, into the suites which can set back a modern Croesus £6,900 a night, and backstage in the kitchens where staff prepare the 1,000 lobsters and chill the 60,000 bottles of champagne required by Claridge's guests every year.

The Fumoir | London Evening Standard

Top 10 hotel cocktail bars: London

Review analysis
drinks  

Top 10 hotel cocktail bars: London 19th October, 2016 by Lauren Eads The Fumoir Bar at Claridges An iconic London bar, The tiny Fumoir bar has been serving cocktails for the duration of Claridge’s two-century-long history.

Formerly a cigar and cocktail bar, hence its name, The Fumoir dropped smoking from its repertoire following the UK’s 2007 ban on smoking in enclosed spaces, choosing instead of focus exclusively on its drinks offer.

The three-stool art deco bar operates a no reservation policy, with its offer including “era-defining cocktails”, often with a twist, forgotten classics are new innovations.

The bar’s rich aubergine decor, plush velvet seating and crystal lighting was designed by Thierry Despont.

Who to know: Denis Broci, bar manager at Claridges, including The Fumoir.

The Fumoir in London | World's Best Bars

The Fumoir bar at Claridge's is almost too glamorous to be true.

It's exactly what you'd wish a hotel bar of this kind to be, transportative, elegant, luxurious: a portal to a more refined age.

The Thirties-inspired interior is divine, all dark, aubergine walls flecked with mirror and gilt, soft leather seating, and stylish crystal lighting, with a marble horseshoe bar, vintage black-and-white photographs on the walls and original Lalique panels.

The drinks are delectable the bar stocks an excellent range of cognacs, armagnacs, rums, tequilas and ports as well as offering a selection of classic cocktails (served in Lalique glassware, of course).

More intimate than Claridge's main bar by some way, and slightly less well known (as the name suggests it was originally intended to be a smokers' haven before the arrival of the ban), this only adds to the sense of romance.

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