Harden's survey result
Summary
Quirkiness in spades is the particular appeal of this Dickensian watering hole – London’s oldest wine bar, whose best tables are in a superbly ancient candle-lit cellar which originally housed wine shipped to its front door by barges on the Thames. But in summer its outside comes into its own, boasting as it does a huge terrace adjoining leafy Victoria Embankment Gardens. “It has a very good wine list” – while the cold food is somewhat incidental: “a simple menu of quality ingredients” majoring in cold cuts and cheeses. Fun fact: it’s owned by entrepreneur Simon Gordon (the place was already called ‘Gordon’s’ when he bought it), who owns the increasingly ubiquitous Facewatch anti-shoplifting software, which was originally developed to stop thefts at the bar.
Summary
“Love it… I always feel like a spy when I drink there…” – London’s oldest wine bar (est. 1890), near Embankment tube, is worth a visit for its “great interior” alone, with ancient brick-lined vaults, but it also boasts one of the capital’s biggest outside terraces. You no longer queue for the cold cuts, cheese and pies – they bring them to you with waiter service. The “excellent selection of wines” is by far the greater attraction.
Summary
“Still a great place for a glass of wine, any time of day” – this ancient wine bar near Embankment tube (London’s oldest, dating from 1890) has a superb interior, including a cavern where it’s hard to stand vertically, and a huge outdoor terrace. Its buffet-style food offering of cold cuts, cheese, salad and dishes of the day is primitive but at least relatively cheap, and in summer there’s also a BBQ on the terrace. Just about every London office worker has visited it at some point… in many cases, though, recollections are hazy…
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Have you eaten at Gordon’s Wine Bar?
47 Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NE
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £29.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
47 Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NE
Opening hours
| Monday | 11 am‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 11 am‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 11 am‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 11 am‑11 pm |
| Friday | 11 am‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 11 am‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑10 pm |
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