The Chapel Bar — Restaurant in London

TL;DR- complete lack of respect for a reservation time led to a ruined evening without dinner.

I made a reservation for Arenella at The Chapel Bar via OpenTable on March 11 for April 12 at 7:30 for 4. As this would be the first day of reopening, my friends and I were excited to go and have a bit of normalcy again. I confirmed the reservation via Opentable the day before. We arrived at 7:25 and within minutes there was concern. Several other parties were waiting as well and it didn’t look like and staff was engaging them, checking reservations, seating them, etc. Everyone was just waiting. After a few minutes I asked the bartender if that was the queue to be seated and he said he would check on our table when he could. Cue a following FORTY more minutes of hardly any acknowledgement or communication from any staff while the other parties are seated and we’re left waiting. Now I know businesses have been closed and I can understand some readjustment to reopening and getting back in the swing of thing. However, after 45 minutes of waiting we’d had enough. There was no end in sight- we were told someone had accidentally booked an inside table and due to accommodating them things were cramped. They should have prioritized those who had booked the tables they actually had. We were just expected to wait it out with no discussion of how long it would be and a total lack of empathy for the situation. There’s a reason I made this reservation so far in advance as I expected things to book up for the 12th. We finally told them we were leaving and then, predictably, were unable to get a table anywhere else. Now being 8:45 and having wasted over an hour waiting/trying to find somewhere else, the trip in, and the cost of a babysitter to have this night out, we returned home having not eaten or drank a thing and in pretty foul moods. This was a night my friends and I had been looking forward to for a month and was absolutely...

I had my 25th birthday party at The Chapel Bar, and it was the best possible birthday I could have imagined! I had booked out the 1st floor and terrace area which was very beautiful and perfect for me and my guests - a great balance between standing and seating space, with very pretty lights and plenty of room. They had a TV screen inside which allowed for me to have plenty of pictures up, which acted as a great buffer between guests who didn't know one another. My guests could not stop talking about how much of a fun time they had!

They provided a fantastic sound system which could connect via bluetooth to our phones for our own music, and had given us the option of DJ decks and our own personal DJ. At midnight (when it turned to my birthday), staff allowed for ice fountain sparklers in a bucket of champagne, and ensured that everyone was inside for the celebratory moment! Their hospitality and ability to host a great event is unmatched. Ollie (the bar manager) was especially super helpful and did his utmost to meet every one of my requests!

As for the booking process, Luke was incredibly helpful and informative about everything - and replied very promptly consistently. He made it very easy to organise with minimal stress/hassle - incredibly reliable.

Usually there's always something that goes wrong or something that is unpleasant, but that certainly wasn't the case with The Chapel Bar. The team met (and exceeded) expectations from the point of first contact to the end of the party. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to have a fantastic...

I had a birthday party at chapel bar where I hired the terrace area. When booking the bar everyone seemed so nice and helpful. Every email o sent was responded to in a timely manner and various options were suggested. I was very cautious when they suggested I pay a £400 deposit that does not count towards the final spend due to prior experiences, but since Luke and the others that assisted me seemed so nice, I complied. On the day I was sadly disappointed that there was rude bartenders that caused me to ruin my night. Furthermore, I was not refunded the full amount as they assumed alcohol had been brought into the premises, even though it was empty when we arrived because we were at a prior event. I accepted part of the charge as the door had been broken during my event. After you have your event, they do not respond to messages or complaints as they have already gotten your money. Wouldn’t recommend for parties. Maybe a small gathering of up to 10 people. And especially not if you plan on going on till late as they have bartenders that “live 2 hours away and would like to get home”

Thank you for responding to my review, only wish you would respond as fast to...