Traders Wine Bar — Restaurant in London

We popped in here after having an amazing meal at Emilias pasta next door. It was a Saturday night and the place only had a handful of customers in it. We tried to sit down on one of the comfy couches but were ushered abruptly by a member of staff to a table with rigid seats and told that he needed to keep the couch clear in case he had a walk in of 6 people. This wasn't a good first impression, particularly as the place was dead and it was highly unlikely a massive party of people would walk in. The obvious way to deal with it in terms of good customer servicd would have been to welcome us into the seat but just ask we would mind moving should a big party come in. We were only in for one quick drink before our next booking elsewhere and killing time. The drinks were nice. We finished them and then I paid the bill. It was only this morning that I noticed they had automatically added an automatic service charge. No option of asking us if or how much we wanted to pay in terms of service. I thought this was pretty poor given the poor service we had whilst there and the bad impression left. All for merely bringing a drink over. We'd left tips in other restaurants and bars whilst there for the weekend but wouldn't have left one for this place as the service was so poor. I'd give this place a miss if you're...

I would not recommend this establishment. I visited for a romantic evening, although neither of us partakes in alcohol. Our plan was to enjoy a meal along with a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, the restaurant declined to serve us and insisted that we order wine. I inquired about a potential minimum charge, as we were prepared to meet such a requirement through our multiple orders. However, they asserted that a wine selection was mandatory, regardless of whether we intended to consume it. The demeanor of the waiter (he said he is the manager) was quite impolite, leading to my date feeling embarrassed, and we departed feeling taken aback. We are accustomed to frequenting upscale venues and five-star hotel bars, yet we have never encountered such treatment. Regrettably, I have no intention of revisiting that...

Visited early afternoon on a bank holiday Friday, pretty quiet and sat outside, which is a nice spot (pounding dance music inside was pretty unpleasent).

Good wine selection, but the service was dismal - staff didn't know first-day-basic details of the by the glass menu like which whites were dry, etc (only about 10 wines by the glass!). Had to wait for the manager to explain the wine list. Ordered 2 glasses and olives, olives didn't arrive. Wine was fine but maybe priced on the steeper side. Automatic gratuity added to the bill stung given the shoddy service, took the bill to £30 for 2 glasses of wine.

Given the pricing, I would have expected a much...