Cahoots Underground — Restaurant in London

If there was ever a bar I wish I could have shared with my grandfather over a pint of bitter (for him) and a cocktail for me, this is it.

I keep insisting on going to these sort of cheesy thematic bars in London and expecting brilliance and style, yet also always expecting the worst. Thankfully, Cahoots may be branded and themed to heck, and clearly a sort of kitschy tourist trap, but was actually a legit good time. And, in some weird way, made me a little teary-eyed, especially the old photos in the toilets. I'm not sure Gen Z kids coming here for TikTok reels would truly get it, but the theme and decor really strikes a chord if you have any grasp of London's history during WWII.

There are two sections to this place: an above ground pub and the underground cocktail bar. Both have their distinct charms. The underground is the place to be. Set up like a speakeasy in a fake Underground bomb shelter, it's plastered with WWII era memorabilia. As fun as it is as a bar, part of me took it very seriously and recalled how at one point these weren't just cool throwback posters to paste on a bar wall but legitimate warnings about bombings and war that real people experienced, some of whom may be still alive today. It was a very interesting contrast and made me think. I do wish my WWII RAF veteran granddad would have seen it with me.

The cocktails are a bit hit and miss for my tastes. They seem quite sweet for the most part, but I will say, I had the best white negroni here: the White Pines Negroni. I wasn't sure since it has so many liqueurs, but it was incredibly balanced with the herbal components. Very polished. The Latern Sazerac was a bit too much on the sweet side for me but since I love Sazeracs I thought I'd like it. It wasn't bad, it was just not very much like the Sazerac I enjoy personally. The presentation was fun, but didn't make it taste any better.

Service was okay. A little absent but not unfriendly. The menu is a nightmare to read. The font is tiny and the print job is cheap so it's blurry. (No, I don't need glasses.) Again, it's really cool looking, but not practical. There is no wifi or mobile signal.

Big shout out to the awesome doorman too for not allowing a crowd of annoyingly drunk 20-year-old Americans in. Bless you. This place is for fancy cocktails and having a good time, not for screaming drunks and doing shots. It's a little more mature than that scene and I'm glad they...

We decided to visit Choots Control Room while we were in London for 2 days and had never been before. We had 2 nights away and decided to book a table for 2 hours with live music as the previous reviews looked inviting and we weren't disappointed.

Finding the entrance was a little tricky as it was down an alley with Cahoots entrance on 2 sides and a queue. But after asking the door persons we were quickly shown the right entrance and told to go downstairs.

On going in and downstairs towards the toilets we were met with a door which had no admittance on it albeit music was playing behind and being reserved turned round and back upstairs but intact found out a few moments later it was the entrance doh! So lookout for this and don't make the same mistake as us.

On entrance we were greeter by a receptionist who showed us to our 2 seater table. Looking around the lighting was dim lit and cosy and there were booths and larger seating area but it was all booked prior to arrival so you couldn't just turn up. We had the table for 2 hours (10pm-12am) so settled in. The waitress staff were very pleasant and helpful in the choice of alcohol as they passed us a newspaper which turned out to be the menu. We opted for a bottle of white wine to share which came in a bucket of ice so nice and chilled.

As I had booked the reservation for our anniversary we were given a complimentary glass of something that tasted like lime and wine - different and unusual

The live band playing were taking recommendations and regularly turned a traditional request into a jazzy, swing, upbeat tune which got my foot tapping all the time. Lead singer was playing a guitar, with a drum/snare and trumpet but it all kinda worked as I felt a little giddy for some reason as the music and ambiance were relaxing as well as the glasses of wine.

We didn't want to leave and luckily after 2 hours the reservation after us had cancelled so we're able to stay on until the band had finished their set around 1am.

Great night was had and we've already booked to go back in December

Brilliant night everyone and well done for making our anniversary so...

We went to the underground cahoots bar. When first arriving to the bar we were seated in the ‘tube’ which was really cool. We had gotten a drink which is on the expensive side (as expected, as you’re paying for the experience) which was £16 each. We only popped in for 1 drink, so had then asked for the bill. It took the waitress 15 mins to bring the bill over, and I had asked for the service charge to be removed as it was £8, and I’m not made of money, and I didn’t feel that staff had interacted much with us. (If I tip I prefer to tip staff personally seperate to the bill). Not that it matters whether or not you pay the service charge as in the UK it is !optional! The waitress then proceeded to give us attitude for asking, saying “why do you want the service charge removed, is there a problem with MY service”. In which I said no issue, I would just like it removed. She said she couldn’t remove it and would need to speak to the manager. She then walked away, and ended up flirting with a customer on the table across from us, did a shot with him whilst on shift, and gave him her number, whilst we were sitting waiting to pay and leave. She then proceeded to ignore us for 20 minutes, and in the end we agreed to go up and pay at the bar, as soon as we did she had walked over giving us attitude about removing it, in which I said ‘is it optional’ and she said “yeah” so I said well please remove it then, and I can pay. More effort than it’s worth, but I certainly did not want to pay it after the grief she gave us. The manager said to us it’s absolutely no problem, didn’t understand what the big issue was anyway, and we left. I’m rather disappointed as I felt that at first eventhough it was expensive I would return, however none of us will return again. I hope in future they can learn that we are not all from london, and there is a cost of living crisis. So I should be able to enjoy 1 drink without being slapped with a high service charge, and load of attitude. Sadly one member of staff ruined the experience. Can’t say a bad word about the...