Long Bar Hotel Bar

Covent Garden / Soho, London –

Paraded like a show pony down the length of the connecting passage between the lobby and the restaurant, The Long Bar is just that – an eighty-foot expanse of glowing white onyx almost as polished as the clientele.

Arranged like a long communal dinner table, the bar features white upholstered stools, each stenciled on the back with a single smoldering eye, and only two narrow chutes for pointy-shoed socialites to squeeze through.

In fact, rather than moving freely, those trying to get from one end of the bar to the other resort to side-stepping like scuttling beach crabs through the jungle of gray dinner suits, while more determined winers and diners keep one hand firmly fixed to the sleek bar, as if staking their claim to the limited standing room, much of which is taken up by corporate professionals and the statuesque glamazons by their sides.

Patrons in need of breathing room can step beyond the frosty veil in the back to the grand outdoor seating area and courtyard, which offers views onto a water garden boarded by pebbles and lush potted plants.

Sleek and chic, The Long Bar is a great destination for lazy afternoons on the lawn, an Asian feast at the attached restaurant, or a high-voltage night with the cocktail set.