The Churchill Bar & Terrace — Restaurant in London

Myself and a few friends decided to visit this bar. We visited another upscale bar at Nobu Hotel and then decided to visit The Churchill Bar & Terrace. There were seven us of in total consisting of mostly black women. We attempted to open the door into the bar. However, the entrance was locked. A waitress opened the door for us. Victor, one of the servers at the bar told us that he could not seat us as there were too many of us. I noted that there were a few available tables and seats dotted around the venue. However, he insisted that he could not seat us. I suggested that we sat by the bar as there were a few empty seats by the bar. I even saw about 2 people already seated there. Victor stated that they do not allow standing by the bar. We asked for other bar recommendations. He suggested we visit the Hard Rock Cafe or a local pub. We then asked if he could recommend upscale bars in the area. He suggested travelling to Soho.

We left and walked for a bit before the group split up - some decided to go home, while three of us said we would return to The Churchill as it's a smaller group now. Do note that some of my friends believed that the experience was a racist encounter. However, I disagreed and said that it was because we were a large group. Hence why I decided to return to the bar.

When we returned, I noticed a black man seated by the steps with a waiter. I couldn't tell if he was drunk. The waiter said that they were not longer serving alcohol. We said that was fine.

When Victor opened the door, he popped his head out and was essentially blocking the entrance. He then stated that the bar closes in 30 minutes so they were not taking anymore orders. We stated that we just wanted a drink but he insisted that the bar was closed. We then said that's fine as we just wanted to sit down until it closed. Victor refused us entry and said that he would not let us sit in the premises. After a back and forth discussion, he then suggested that we sit in the hotel reception area but that he would not allow us into the bar.

I only saw white people in the bar. My friend then pointed to Victor and stated that people were ordering at the bar. He still refused us entry.

We then decided to complain at the hotel. We spoke to Tomas, the night duty manager and complained about our experience. He took my details and gave me his business card and said that he would call me the following day to address my complaints. I did state that I would wait to hear from him before leaving my review. However, the experience was so horrendous that I could not hold off submitting my review. I am going to look into this matter as this behaviour is unacceptable. I can't believe that we're still being discriminated against because of the colour of our skin.

A Reply to The Churchill Bar & Terrace's response by Fabio: There were many seats by the bar that could have accommodated for the seven of us. Even though there were people already seated there, we were still...

Drinks mediocre and nothing we haven't experienced before. We would have tried something else as we don't like to dismiss somewhere on our first choice of drinks but the service was appalling so we were out of there after our first cocktails. Bartender was dismissive and too busy trying to chat up the single girl sitting at the bar next to us rather than explain the drinks to us. First he asked my friend for our order while I'd actually left the bar for a minute. When she said she'd wait till I got back, she felt like he replied in a patronising manner (she's the most easy-going person I know so this was very unusual). Then I had a cocktail which had a pipette of Ancho Reyes attached to it. It was supposed to be 'injected' into the cocktail by the customer but the bartender just put the drink in front of me and walked off without explaining it. Had to call him over to explain it. Guess he hadn't liked me asking about the first glass he'd used, which cracked when he poured the drink. I enquired where it had cracked after seeing him empty the drink back into the shaker to repour into a new glass. Reasonable question, if you ask me. My friend and I go to a lot of high-end cocktail bars and were seriously peeved to be treated so shabbily. We usually have nothing but praise for our bartenders and love a good convo with them about the drinks but this place is now off the map as far as...

Me and my partner recently had the pleasure of visiting The Churchill Bar & Terrace. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm smiles and impeccable service. The drinks were simply amazing, each one crafted with the utmost care and precision, and bursting with flavour.

I also picked a cigar from their great selection. The atmosphere was simply perfect for unwinding and enjoying a smoke, with comfortable seating and a relaxed ambiance that made me feel right at home.

What also truly made our experience so memorable was the incredible service provided by Madeleine, our hostess for the evening. She went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed, and her knowledge of the menu and cigars was simply outstanding.

Overall, I cannot recommend this bar enough. The combination of amazing drinks, a fantastic cigar selection, and top-notch service from the lovely staff made for an experience that I will not soon forget. If you're looking for a place to relax and unwind, this is the spot for you - I guarantee you won't be...