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Cork & Bottle Wine Bar

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £50 - £79
Cuisines
Wine Bars
Ambience
Traditional
Special Features
Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Dates
Food Hygiene Rating

About

The legendary Cork & Bottle wine bar in London’s Leicester Square was founded by the equally legendary Don Hewitson back in 1971.

Don’s reputation allowed some of the best growers to invite him in and give him access to some of the world’s most treasured wines – the type of wines that usually only find their way to a few lucky locals.

Cork & Bottle is now run by Will Clayton with just the same philosophies, all under Don’s auspicious eye. An iconic venue for wine lovers around the world, whether you’ve come to our website to indulge yourself, book a table, choose a present for a loved one or select a corporate gift, we’re delighted that you share our passion for great wine.

Salut!
Don & Will

Location

44-46 Cranbourn Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 7AN

020 7734 7807 020 7734 7807

Website

Opening Times

All day
Mon Closed
Tue 12:00-23:30
Wed 12:00-23:30
Thu 12:00-23:30
Fri 12:00-23:30
Sat 12:00-23:30
Sun Closed

Reviews

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4 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

08 June 2024  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
A genuine wine bar

Absolutely love this place. One of London's real hidden gems. You leave Leicester Square's hustle and bustle down winding stairs into an atmospheric, French/European style bistro with over 300 wines to serve you and the best cheese display I  have ever seen in a restaurant. Service is great, food is no nonsense and for a London wine bar it won't break the bank. If you haven't been yet you simply must. 

Anon

08 June 2024  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Can't wait to go to London again I know where I will be heading for a glass of something bubbly

What a little gem of a place almost hidden underneath leciester square!

A quaint and cosy setting with a buzzing atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff who are very helpful

Great wines, fantastic cheese selection and the wasabi prawns were amazeballs!

Sue F

06 September 2013  
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Good as ever, dear old Cork & Bottle
I used to have lunch on a regular basis at this proper grown up wine bar. It has had a slight facelift since my last visit. No more dripping wet walls in the ladies! Another plus is table service, no need to join the scrum at the bar for ‘just another one for the road’ I was pleased to see the Hemingway burger remains on the menu, it was tasty & came with fat chips. The wine list is on the pricey side but the house wine is drinkable & comes in at just shy of £20 a bottle. if you are in the Leicester Square area and need to find a non tourist spot then this is the place for you.

John S

14 May 2011  
Food & Drink 2.5
Service 4
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 2
Something of an oasis in the culinary wasteland that surrounds Leicester Square, the Cork & Bottle is a place I've frequented off and on for almost two decades, drawn back by great wines at reasonable prices, reliable gastropub-standard food and a lively atmosphere. Standards may have slipped a little since the 90s, but for me it's continued to offer good value. When I had dinner there last week for the first time in about a year the decline was more marked. The food was bland. My spicy sausages tasted of spice and little else. My wife's chicken in parma ham might just about have passed muster, but only if we'd bought it prepackaged from a supermarket, and £13 for each dish represented a hefty mark-up from 2010. The wine was far better — a supple and punchy 2005 Gigondas — but again, at £34, it seemed overpriced compared with the price-to-quality metric we'd got used to on previous visits. We'll probably give it another go for loyalty's sake and because the staff are as friendly as ever, but unless it's upped its game by then we'll be ticking the winebar-with-food box elsewhere .
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