The Carlos Place Bar, and the Patience It Requires

Why a table here takes some effort

Plenty of London bars are excellent. Very few are famous far beyond London, and the bar on Carlos Place is one of them. After two consecutive years at the head of the World's 50 Best Bars ranking, in 2020 and 2021, it became a name that visitors from New York, Singapore and Milan put on their list before they land, alongside the Mayfair regulars who were there first.

The room itself is not large. That is part of its appeal: the tables are spaced for conversation, the lighting is low and flattering, and nobody is standing three deep at the counter shouting an order. It also means that demand comfortably exceeds the seats on most evenings, and a table rarely falls into your lap by accident.

None of this makes it impossible. It simply rewards a little planning, which is also true of every other part of a well run evening in Mayfair.

Making a reservation

The bar is part of the red brick hotel on Carlos Place, and reservations go through the hotel's own channels. Policies on how far ahead tables are released, and how many seats are kept back for guests who arrive without a booking, change from time to time, so check the hotel's site for the current arrangement rather than relying on anything a friend was told last year.

Three habits improve the odds. Book as soon as the date is certain, since the prime evening slots go first. Ask for a table for two rather than four, because a pair is always easier to seat. And choose an earlier start if you can, because a table at six or half past is far easier to secure than one at nine.

If you are staying in the hotel itself, mention it. Hotel guests are not guaranteed a seat, but the concierge knows the bar's rhythm better than any booking page and can often tell you honestly which evening is realistic.

Arriving without one

Walking in is possible, and on a quiet Monday or Tuesday it often works. Arrive early in the evening, ask politely, and accept the answer. A short wait may be offered; if it is not, the hotel's other bar, the Coburg, is a few steps away and makes a gentler alternative for a first drink.

Friday and Saturday are a different matter. Treat them as reservation only in practice, even when they are not in policy, and have a second plan ready before you set out. Nothing sours the start of an evening faster than two people standing in a hotel corridor deciding where to go instead.

The trolley, and what to order

The house martini is the reason for the trolley. A bartender wheels it to the table, asks your preference of spirit, offers a choice of house bitters and aromatics, and builds the drink in front of you with some ceremony. It is theatre, but good theatre, and it gives the first ten minutes of a meeting something easy to watch and talk about.

It is also a strong drink. One martini before dinner is a pleasure; two on an empty stomach changes the evening. Order something to eat alongside, or follow the martini with one of the lighter drinks on the list. If either of you prefers not to drink alcohol, ask the bartender for something made without it. A bar at this level treats that request with exactly the same care as any other.

Tiffany, who has never knowingly declined a glass of champagne, tends to steer a first round towards the list rather than the trolley, then save the martini for the second. It is a sensible order of play for anyone planning dinner afterwards.

How long to stay, and what follows

Forty five minutes to an hour is the natural length of a bar stop here: long enough for one drink each, a second if the conversation insists, and no sense of being moved along. Staying longer is fine, but decide beforehand whether the bar is the evening's opening line or the whole evening.

As an opening line, it pairs naturally with dinner on Mount Street a few minutes away, or with a later stop from our nightcap shortlist. That shape, a famous bar, a table and a last drink somewhere quieter, is the backbone of most Mayfair night out bookings, and three hours at £700 covers it comfortably.

Dress and manner

Smart is the word. A jacket is not always demanded but never looks out of place, and sportswear and trainers are the easiest way to be turned away politely. The companion will dress to the room once you tell her where the evening begins.

The room rewards quiet. Keep phones on the table face down or in a pocket, and resist the urge to photograph the trolley at length; other guests are there for the same privacy you are. A guest who treats the bar as a room rather than a backdrop is always welcomed back.

Booking an evening around the table

Secure the table first, then write to the house with the table time, the length you want and your hotel. You will receive the companion's name and a figure drawn from the published rates: one hour from £250, two hours for £500, or £900 for a dinner date of four hours. Guests who like a companion with a head for a cocktail list often begin with the brunettes in the portfolio, Molly among them, whose evenings are built for the later hours.

If the table falls through, tell us. The evening can be moved to another bar, or to another night, without any fuss, provided the change arrives in good time.