Amaro Bar
Elon Soddu ran the bars at the Savoy before opening this room on Kensington High Street in 2021, and by 2024 it was eighth in the UK Top 50 Cocktail Bars (Top 50 Cocktail Bars, Hot Dinners).
Why go
The list is built around amaro, the bittersweet Italian bottling that most London bars use as a modifier and this one treats as the spine. Technique shows up where it counts: the Pineapple Sidecar uses fermented pineapple, which trades raw fruit sugar for acid and funk and gives the cognac something to push against (50 Best Discovery). There is also a vintage-spirit shelf reaching back to the 1960s, opened for specific cocktails rather than kept as decoration. The room seats a small crowd, holds tables back for walk-ins, and takes cards only (Amaro Bar).
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Pineapple Sidecar for the fermentation, then an Apricot Daiquiri, then ask what is open off the vintage shelf (50 Best Discovery).
- Avoid: the door rules. Football shirts and fancy dress are refused, and cash is not accepted.
What locals & experts say
- UK Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2024: 8th place and the highest climber on the list.3
- 50 Best Discovery:
The feel at Amaro is that of a friendly, neighbourhood bar, while the service and the drinks are more akin to a five-star hotel bar.
4 - Top 50 Cocktail Bars (guide entry):
Five-star professionals add a contemporary twist to classic mixology through fine drinks and light dishes in an intimate setting.
2
Good to know
- Timing: Tuesday to Saturday 6pm to 12.30am, Sunday 5pm to midnight, Monday 6pm to 11.30pm (Amaro Bar).
- Booking: reserve through the venue's booking system, though some tables are kept for walk-ins. Over-18s only, cards only.
- Dietary: nothing published. Small plates are served but no allergen, gluten or vegan information is stated.
- Getting there: 15 Kensington High Street, two minutes from High Street Kensington tube.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: One of the best new cocktail bars 2023
Verdict
should-visit — Eighth in the UK Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2024 and the list's biggest climber, run by Elon Soddu after heading the bars at the Savoy, in a small room on Kensington High Street. The drinks show actual technique, fermented pineapple in a Sidecar and vintage bottles from the 1960s opened for specific cocktails, which is a different proposition from a hotel bar doing classics correctly. Worth crossing town for if you drink seriously; it is a bar, so the ceiling on the top rung is fair.