Bar Social — Restaurant in London

I made a last minute booking just to have a quick drink with a friend, would've walked in however their website advertised a deal which seemed was only applicable if booked quoting a specific message (shown in photos). Booked for 10:15, will admit that we arrived 15-20 mins late. It was a Monday night, there was no security, we walked in and only 2 customers were inside, so we went to the bar which was clear and I attempted to explain to the barman that I made a booking and was going to show him my confirmation but he cut me off and was saying “yeah yeah that’s fine, cocktails are £6.95 tonight I’m doing a special deal”, I tried to explain again that I had booked using a quote which stated I will get £5 cocktails until 11pm (as I said, I only wanted to pop in for one drink). When I showed him the advertisement on the website, he became very rude and dismissive, started telling us “I’m doing a good deal tonight, you can’t get drinks cheaper anywhere else”, “if you came earlier I would’ve done it but it’s too late now” (I don’t believe he would’ve given us the deal that I booked, even if I did get there at 10:15), “it’s a quiet night tonight, normally I would close up at 10 o’clock” (even though their website states they close at 12:30am on Mondays and I’d expect that Monday nights are usually quiet), “I’ll give you drinks for £6.95 all night, it’s a good price” (would’ve been decent if I planned to spend the rest of the night there and have multiple drinks but that was not the plan) then he went on to say sternly when my friend asked why we can’t have the deal that was promoted on the site (which is what captured us in the first place) “look I’m not doing it. I’m not going to do the drinks for £5. I’m not doing it. £6.95 is the best deal you can get around here at this time. Have a seat, there are loads of cocktails to choose from” and then added “that deal shouldn’t even be on the site, I’m not sure why it is up there” (as if I’m to blame for that??? p.s. the deal is STILL on the website)… I don't know if the barman is the owner but there didn’t seem to be any other staff present and I was put off by his attitude and he made me feel quite uncomfortable, so we decided to leave. No one deserves to be spoken to in the way that the barman spoke to us, we were not rude/disrespectful at all, it was completely uncalled for. Getting snappy and loud towards potential customers for simply enquiring about why they aren’t able to receive something they booked, that was advertised to them via your website is out of order and poor customer service and bad manners. We ended up discovering a bar less than a minute walk away which had a much nicer atmosphere, friendly bar staff and was actually quite filled with customers. The bar lady gave us a lovely £6 rum punch deal and because of the comfy setting and kind service, we ordered another round. So gladly, the night wasn’t ruined because of our Bar Social experience. Would definitely recommend checking out ‘Four Thieves’ -nice drinks, happy staff and also arcade and games room.

**I wrote this review 23 hours ago. I am now editing it to add new information. The bar owner responded to my review 22 hours ago. I received an inappropriate text message today from the business mobile number of Bar Social. Because I made a booking with them and put my personal phone number for contact details, they have now unprofessionally used my phone number to send an unnecessary text message. Be careful. (More...

I was passing by this place and decided to step in for a drink. I approached the barman and asked politely if I could use the toilet before placing my order. At that point, the gentleman pictured suddenly came over and began speaking to me in a very aggressive manner, insisting that the toilet was only for guests. I explained that I was indeed a guest, that I was about to order a drink, but that I urgently needed to use the loo first.

Instead of accepting this, he raised his voice and accused me of attempting to pull down my trousers while standing at the bar. At the same time, he instructed the barman to call the police, claiming that I had been trying to undress in public. I was utterly shocked by these wild and baseless accusations, as well as the hostile way in which I was spoken to. I calmly reiterated that I had come into the bar to buy a drink and simply wished to use the facilities beforehand.

At that stage, I took out my phone and began recording, as the gentleman’s behaviour struck me as extremely erratic and unprovoked. It even occurred to me (though I may be mistaken) that his conduct might have been motivated by some form of prejudice. Supporting this view is the fact that the barman had not witnessed the alleged incident — meaning that the gentleman appeared to be attempting to make a false claim, expecting it to be accepted second-hand rather than on the basis of what was actually seen.

I then asked him directly why he was making such absurd accusations and requested that he confirm them. He refused to do so, and instead began making a phone call — claiming it was to the police — while announcing that I would not be served in any case.

I am genuinely astonished at the level of hostility displayed by this individual: the unprovoked aggression, the baseless accusations, and the threats of serious legal consequences. I must emphasise that I entered the premises politely, asked courteously about using the washroom, and had every intention of ordering a drink.

I would strongly suggest that management look into this incident and address such behaviour. If, however, this individual is in fact part of the management or ownership team, I would urge them to reflect on whether aggressive confrontation is truly the best way to treat...

This has two side of the same bar. One side closes at about 1230 and you all move over to the other side where they have a later license. My stars are for the side that closes early. They have a club downstair, unfortunately the drink and atmosphere change when you descend downstairs. Ordered the same drinks but got a different drink, different glass, strength and fruit, well actually no fruit. As for the keyboard warrior operating a laptop (called himself a DJ) was having a party for one. Put not one but two signs saying 'DJ doesn't take requests'. That instantly means your not a DJ, as a DJ can not only cope with but knows how to blend your request into their set list. They put their headphones 🎧 and sunglasses on (maybe needs to turn down his screen brightness if he needs sunnies), and just danced to their set. I slowly watched the venue empty as the set list alienated everyone there. If i go back i would go home when the upstairs closes, wouldn't go downstairs again. Plus i felt unsafe downstairs, looks like a firetrap if things went wrong. Wonder when the last fire inspection took place. Not sure if it would past again as it is.

• In response to owners reply *

I'm not sure what you dont understand about how reviews work? A review is meant to inform people of your experience. This review does just that. If you dont agree with my review, thats your opinion. Your response should have been more professional and less like a child...