The Last Tuesday Society & Absinthe Parlour — Restaurant in London

I had a really bad experience at this bar. I wouldn't recommend it for parties larger than three people. But still, given how poorly we were treated, not even then.

The staff had zero flexibility to welcome us and were extremely rude. To the point that I felt completely humiliated in front of my friends on my birthday. I understand that I made a mistake with my booking, I thought that we could maybe spend more time in the museum. But nothing explains the rude and humiliating treatment, it really put a strain on my celebration.

I really don't get what prompted that treatment, maybe it was misogyny, we were also all foreigners and sometimes I don't understand how things work in this country and not everyone is kind in helping you. We were also a group of queer people, so unfortunately that might also have been the reason. Whatever it was, I would have appreciated more kindness. I know that maybe we were breaking protocol by having 10 people instead of 8, but instead of being rude, you can always try to be proactive and help your customers fix a situation.

I made a booking for eight people and booked several tickets to the museum, ten of my friends showed up and I thought that we could alternate, some of them could be down in the museum while others stayed at the bar. Before we had the time to say hi or take our coats off, one member of the staff was really rude to us, threatened to kick us out even though there was an empty table right next to us and we weren't bothering anyone. He yelled that they had given me the option of booking for 15 people and paying 500 pounds instead. I felt so bad, I was really looking forward to tonight, but as a person with anxiety, I could barely function after that.

I don't understand, if you know it's someone's special day, why would you treat them this badly? He knew that it was my birthday and didn't even attempt to be pleasant.

He was so rude to the point that the table next to us approached me to ask if I was ok.

A friend told me that the staff at the bar downstairs was equally unpleasant and rude even though they were just getting a drink. The lady who served us the absinthe was nice though, it made things better.

Leading up to the event, they were also very cold on emails I sent asking about the seating, they would also take days to reply, which made it really hard for me to pick another venue because I wasn't sure what was going on.

It made me wonder if they were happy to work in this place or even if anything in this bar is genuine at all. I think that if you are proud and happy of the place where you work, you probably don't behave like that. If you work in a healthy and supportive workplace, you have the incentive to reflect and realize that ten paying customers who are not causing trouble, are worth more to you...

Absinthe is my favourite alcoholic drink so obviously I had to take in this place. Note: it's not a traditional absinthe bar as such, in that it does not have a selection of various absinthe. All the absinthe choices are the same brand, distilled nearby and the only UK-made absinthe, called Devil's Botany.

The Absinthe Parlour shares the building and space with the Last Tuesday Society and Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities so it has a dark ambience with occultish flair. Perfect thematic vibes for absinthe.

If I had more time, I would have loved to sit and try the absinthe fountain in order to truly assess the absinthe properly. Instead, I opted for an absinthe cocktail. They have a huge menu of absinthe-based drinks which is heaven. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little skeptical. I've had so-called absinthe cocktails and almost 100% of them have been too light on the absinthe and disappointing. Not the case here. I went with the absinthe negroni riff and was pleasantly surprised. There's no hiding the strong presence of absinthe. It showcases it, but not in an imbalanced way where it overpowers the rest of the ingredients. Superbly done. When I tasted that, I immediately wished I wasn't on a schedule and could have enjoyed other options too.

To say this cocktail bar fills a niche is an understatement. It is fully and wholly about that singular niche. You come here for absinthe. You have to love absinthe, or be genuinely open-minded and curious about it to appreciate what this bar is doing.

The atmosphere is pretty chill. The art and displays are interesting, the fish tank is wonderful to stare at while casually enjoying a drink. It's a small space so if there's a loud group, it may be a bit annoying, but luckily there was only one other person in the bar with me. It was relaxed and quiet. Loved it for drinking alone and just thinking about life and things.

Service was fine. Not overly friendly, but helpful enough and attentive enough. They sort of just let you do your thing without getting in your face, and I like that.

I will definitely...

I have been told, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fungus," but in the case of the Last Tuesday Society & Absinth Parlour, the absinthe could make my heart grow fonder, but not about absinthe.

As a person who dislikes the taste of licorice, and was stupidly unaware of the fact that the over-riding taste of absinthe would be licorice, the flavor of the drink was sadly lost on me. I cannot explain the depth of flavor or the delicate herbal nuances of the drink, though I am certainly aware that they probably exist. If the excellent interior and weirdly fun decorations of the parlour are anthing to go by, then the drink must be cool as it is quirky.

However, I did enjoy the total spectacle of the absinthe drinking experience. The gorgeous glass and metal brouilleur (fountain), delicate lattice spoon with the sugar cube perched on it, and lovely absinthe cup. (It was like something out of a Romantic Parisian novel. I was expecting in a tall, dark-haired, poet to make an entance in a snowy white shirt and tight pants and sweep me off my feet, sadly they don't come standard with the absinthe.)

The interior of the parlour is indeed quirky. It is off-beat has fun collections of strange objects and stuffed animals (not cute fabric stuffies, I mean taxidermy). The interior is intimate, dark, and comfortable and is in sharp contrast to its exterior surroundings which is a busy bog-standard London street. It was a fun and unique place to visit in London and certainly not the typical tourtist experience, but one which was...