Bar Crispin

The heated terrace runs in January, in an alley ten metres behind a Build-A-Bear shop, and that is what people come for (The Infatuation).

Why go

A pocket-sized all-day wine bar on Kingly Street, behind Carnaby. The list is built on low-intervention producers, many of them organic or biodynamic, sourced across Europe from the Greek islands to northern Spain, and it runs from accessible up to the unusual (Bar Crispin). Heidi Lauth Beasley notes the servers "sort you out with expert advice that always feels genuinely helpful rather than a sales pitch" (The Infatuation).

The room is small by design. Six high tables inside, seating two, four at a push, plus stools and some banquette. The terrace is heated hard enough that people sit out there through winter.

The food is snack-led and is the smaller half of the proposition. Monkfish crudo, crab rarebit, lamb skewers, and fries the venue claims are the best in town (Bar Crispin). It belongs to HAM Restaurants, which also runs Crispin in Spitalfields, Bistro Freddie and Canal, and which made Lewis de Haas group executive chef in August 2025 (Restaurant).

Order this / avoid

• Order: the Neal's Yard cheese plate with Bermondsey honeycomb, which Beasley calls a mistake to skip (ref). Native oysters on the terrace. Comte gougeres with pickled walnut ketchup. Crab rarebit if you are staying for a second bottle.
• Avoid: planning a proper dinner around it. Sunday evenings, when it shuts at six. And do not arrive with four people expecting a table.

What locals & experts say

• Heidi Lauth Beasley, The Infatuation, January 2022, scoring it 7.7, on the one thing to order: "It is a mistake to go to Bar Crispin and not get the cheese platter. A glorious trinity of stinky, creamy, and classic, it's a total no-brainer for catch-ups and cold cosy winter nights. FYI, it's served with fresh Bermondsey honeycomb." ref
• The same critic, on the limit, which is why the score is what it is: "The seasonal food won't leave you breathlessly reminiscing about some revolutionary burrata for the next week, but you can expect a comforting small plates experience that will have one glass turning into a bottle." She also places it exactly: "The little sister of a larger seasonal restaurant in Spitalfields." ref
• The venue, on its own buying: "a fun, eclectic wine list that focuses on low-intervention producers. Many bottles come from those who trade in organic and bio-dynamic practices across Europe, from the Greek islands to northern Spain." ref
• No chef has picked it. The industry-vote file holds no pick for Bar Crispin. It does hold a voter who works for the same group, which is not the same thing and is not counted.

Good to know

• Where: 19 Kingly Street W1B 5PY, in the alley behind Carnaby.
• Timing: Monday to Friday noon to 11pm, Saturday 1pm to 11pm, Sunday 1pm to 6pm.
• Booking: book for up to six; larger groups go through the group-booking route.
• The room: six high tables for two, plus stools and banquette. The terrace is heated and is the draw.
• Sites: HAM Restaurants runs Crispin at White's Row, Spitalfields E1 7NF, which has its own row, plus Bistro Freddie and Canal. There is a fourth address, Crispin At Studio Voltaire in Clapham.
• Hygiene: FSA rating 5, inspected 30 October 2025, Westminster, with all three components at zero. The siblings hold their own records: Crispin Spitalfields 5, Crispin At Studio Voltaire 4. FHRSID 1396532. ref

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: none. His raw saved-places export carries an empty Note against this row. Worth flagging for the next agent: the separate "Crispin" row in the same export reads "Local rec", so he marked the Spitalfields restaurant and not this bar, and that provenance stays on that row.

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

could-visit — Go if you are near Carnaby and want a glass outside, and set expectations at the door. Bar Crispin is a pocket-sized wine bar on Kingly Street with a heated terrace that works in January, which is genuinely rare in London and is most of the reason people come. The list is built on low-intervention, organic and biodynamic growers across Europe, from the Greek islands to northern Spain, and the staff talk about it helpfully rather than upselling. Inside there are six high tables seating two, four at a push. Heidi Lauth Beasley scored it 7.7 for The Infatuation and was direct about the limit: the food is comforting small plates rather than anything that stays with you, and the one order she calls a mistake to skip is the Neal's Yard cheese plate with Bermondsey honeycomb. Take the oysters too, and the comte gougeres with pickled walnut ketchup. It belongs to HAM Restaurants, which also runs Crispin in Spitalfields, Bistro Freddie and Canal, and promoted Lewis de Haas to group executive chef in 2025. A group room with a very good terrace and a well-bought list is worth an hour, and it is not the reason to cross town.