Hoxley & Porter

Très belle carte de cocktails, très originaux, super service, on nous a apporté plein de petites choses à grignoter alors qu’on était là pour boire des coups!
La déco très cosy est très réussie, on s’y sent bien!

I really enjoyed my evening here. I arrived around 9 PM on a Saturday night and there were already a lot of people there. Thankfully, although there weren’t any seats available, there was some room at the bar. I had a lethal cocktail and it was good but a lot stronger than I thought. The bar got more crowded during the two hours I spent there and was glad I hadn’t arrived any later, as getting a spot by the bar was getting increasingly more competitive. The bartenders are nice and although sometimes take some time to track them down, they do put all of their efforts in making the cocktails. The prices are not cheap, but you do get quality and that’s important. I ordered the first cocktail on the menu: something called Jungle Fruit. It looked gorgeous — like a cocktail you’d have on the beach! After that, I switched to wine because of the strong alcoholic content (especially since I have an early morning tomorrow!). I had a really fun time here and would definitely come back.

Loved this place! We came for a hen party and the food was incredible (and very generous, you don’t need chips with the pie — its enormous!!). The venue itself is such a nice deco design and we spent many hours trying out the cocktail list. Will definitely return.

Check this place out!
So this a very random restaurant & bar on Upper St. It is run by people who I think really know how to have a session… Hence the randomness. It’s 4 stars because; the bar staff make excellent cocktails and the food is pretty damn good too with decent portion sizes.

I would say that everything was lovely except the food. The décor, service, menu choice, ambience, etc was all wonderful. But the food was a huge let-​down and we ended up complaining (which we wouldn’t normally do!) as it was such a disappointment.
I would highly recommend for cocktails or a pre/​post dinner drink, but you should avoid the food, sadly!

I usually hold off on reviewing a bar/​restaurant until I’ve been there twice, to confirm if the place is consistently good. My experiences here brilliantly support this approach, as on the first visit I would have smacked a 4 star rating on it without question. Sadly on my second visit, it would have struggled for 2 stars. Here’s why:
Visit 1: I will say the exterior and the décor inside is really lovely, lots of wood, faux cut glass, and amber lighting; the design harkens back to the 1930s and slides you in a cocktail mood.
A pleasant security man greeted us upon entering, and as there were no tables available, we happily plonked down on stools at the bar. We spent an hour or two downing some delicious, interesting, and reasonably priced drinks from the menu. The bartender was excellent and really knew her (emphasis on *her*) stuff. We enjoyed talking about drinks, liqueurs, method, and all sorts of subtopics of mixology. It was a lovely evening.
Visit 2: Eagerly returned. I noticed the staff were different, which isn’t anything peculiar for a bar. However it was as if I’d entered a parallel universe with everything all wrong. The woman seating us seemed generally confused and unable to make a decision on anything. Took ages to place a drinks order. This time I was in the mood for a simple, plain Gin Martini. Very dry. Now, these aren’t on the menu (as the drinks menu lists a number of complicated mixes), but any decent bartender should be able to assemble this cocktail.
Hands down, this was THE WORST martini I ever had in my life.
It was sweet, way too much vermouth despite the fact I’d clearly specified dry, and even confirmed it with the waitress to make she got it. So either the waitress forgot to tell the bartender, or the bartender had no idea what a ‘dry’ martini was. To top it off, the olives in the martini had stones in them. *Yes*, stones. WTF?
Disappointed, I could not bear to imbibe this hideous concoction and left half of it in the glass (sinful!). Took another age to get the bill and escape this annoying experience. Based on this visit, I wouldn’t be running back there.

I came here randomly for brunch a few weeks ago when the research I had «done» to find a good place for a Sunday afternoon turned out to have been sh1te! Ie Friend wanted food, I took her to… I cant even describe what that place was!
Anyway, Hoxley & Porter, or H&P as I like to call it (Ive only called it that once mind you), was pretty much empty when we arrived but got a little busier later.
The barman (Todd?) knew his stuff, and could see that I was hungover and made me up a little pick-​me-​up which got me feeling better instantly. The food was great (erm.I cant actually remember what I had…) and the service attentive and knowledgable.
I wouldnt necessarily rush back, but I would happily take another friend there if I was in that area for a smart, quiet meal.