Gordon's Wine Bar

  1. Oh dear. Avoid at all costs.
  2. Below expectations.
  3. OK. Met expectations.
  4. I really enjoyed this.
  5. Amazing. Would unreservedly recommend.
  6. rating

14-18 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4DA

Gordons wine bar is thought to be the oldest wine bar in London (which probably makes it one of the oldest in the world!) and has been established in its present form since 1890. The bar is loved by old and young alike due to the totally unique atmosphere in which time seems to have stood still.
0845 2247604
Nearest Transport
Charing Cross (Underground)
Opening Times
Mon - Fri:00:00 -
24hrs a day, 7 days a week.

Reviews for Gordon's Wine Bar

good 10/10

Great little wine bar, very old and rustic, with low, vaulted ceilings and candles everywhere! Extensive selection of wines, and good food, with lots of good cheeses and fresh bread!

This is just so beautiful. Love the candlelit cellars, as another review said - great for a date.

This is undoubtedly my favourite wine bar in London.
Good central location. I love the outside area.
The inside area has lots of atmosphere.
Low ceilings and the semi-darkness make it a nice romantic place for a date.

.

ceedoubleu at 20/01/09
Sometimes, when my work allows me, I like to sneak into Gordon's in the mid to late afternoon. It's quite wonderful, but rubbish for my output. Thankfully, I do this rarely!

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The red wine in this place is served at the most perfect temperature. yes, you have to fight and flirt for a table but its more than worth the wait.

I love the older guy at the cheese counter - he always changes my choice of cheese so that i try something new - and that he recommends. I appreciate that expert advice.

Gordons makes you feel that you might go home with a highwayman!- dusty champagne bottles dripping with red candle wax light up this fantastic and unique London cellar bar.

LOVE IT!

Toodling down the stairs into the old brick, ample roofed drinking den gives the senses a much needed blast of Instant History. The cask-lined bar, the sturdy, slim, battered tables, the uneven floor leading to the candlelit arches, the whole place oozes roughly-hewn elegance. Most nights the suited patrons fill the outside courtyard, even when the weather is damn chilly. You'd expect some action on the first floor - but there isn't. Just the toilets and the most tobacco & sun yellowed corridors in the Western World. Some historic puffers must have toked & smoked here to build up the dense amber hue. Somehow it always feels as unfinished as a work in progress, especially compared to the downstairs drink and clink hive. Aa for the drinks the Port is excellent and fortifying. The wine not too bad and the sherry top-notch. It gets busier here every year. A great place for a Saturday afternoon drink or early evening tipple. Getting a free table is harder than buying a high paying scratch card but gives just as much joy.

Definitely one of London's worst kept secrets, Gordon's is a gorgeous wine bar tucked away in a cellar in Embankment. It has a great wine selection, a very decent cheese selection, and other bites that will work well with a fine bottle. Service is very friendly, it's a difficult place to leave! Especially if you've managed to get one of those lovely tables by candlelight.

The only downside is that it get's so busy! It can be impossible to get in the door on a busy night, however, there's ample space outside to indulge in your tipple.

Ah, Gordon's, it's a London institution, and, dare I say it, you're not a proper Londoner if you haven't been there.

miggy at 12/01/09
I definitely agree. I've been going occasionally for the last few years and it just keeps getting busier each time - not such a secret gem anymore :( but it's a wonderful little place and like you say, if you are lucky enough to get a candle lit table, it can be a magical evening.
x
Niamheen at 12/01/09
Ah yes! The best secret are always found out :-) Still a great spot though and you'd be amazed how many people don't know it's there!

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Every time I'm in London I make sure to head here on the night before I leave. It's absolutely perfect for de-stressing (well, after you've found a table, anyway!) and will leave you relaxed and hopefully a bit tipsy at the end of the evening. The biggest boon of this place is its fantastic wine selection - excellent value bottles and equally good vintages if you're willing to spend. They also serve sherry which is a refreshing change, too. The atmosphere is undoubtedly the second greatest attraction - it's got a candlelit, almost Victorian style essence to it, and if it weren't always very busy it would be pretty easy to stay all night in peace. Other wine bars tend to focus on young people, with music, noisy crowds, etc. but Gordon's seems to attract an older bunch which is good in my book! The bottom line: go here if you're after a relaxed evening - not a noisy night out.

Always packed, i find i spend half the evening waiting to ponce on a table as soon as it is vacated, but this is made up for the atmosphere once you have the table, and the amazing wine. The stoney arches and the dim candle light makes this busy little bar feel like a diffeant world, well worth a visit

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