Scarfes Bar

£43 / Cocktail bars

Rosewood London, 252 High Holborn, London

Awards

Excellent Whiskey 2024

Opening hours

4PM-12AM

Sunday 4PM-12AM
Monday 4PM-12AM
Tuesday 4PM-12AM
Wednesday 4PM-12AM
Thursday 4PM-12AM
Friday 4PM-12AM
Saturday 4PM-12AM

Jazz Elegance Meets Cocktail Mastery

Having recently dropped by Scarfes Bar in the elegant confines of Camden's Rosewood Hotel, I must assert it unequivocally stunned me with both its character and charisma. The place is saturated with an ambiance that feels like stepping into a sophisticated gentleman's club yet is somehow infused with a spirited hint of renegade art. Gerald Scarfe’s caricatures add a dramatic and thought-provoking backdrop to what is already a thoughtfully designed space. This animated visual folklore paired with softly burning drippy candles sets the perfect tone for an evening that dances right between comfort and decadence.

The live jazz—never too invasive, always enriching—proved to be the ideal soundtrack to sip their intricate cocktail creations. Filled with ingenious homemade ingredients from their illustrious "in-house laboratory," these beverages are conversation starters themselves, each bearing a mysterious facet or delightful twist. The staff moves with precision worthy of choreographed theatre, blending knowledge with friendliness. A glint of pretension lingers in the air—a regular companion to London's finest—but it's made bearable by the undeniable skill and creativity lavished into every detail. Yes, the cocktails might cost as much as a small Picasso print, and the rooms are like scenes out of a living novella, but isn’t that what one seeks in London’s symphony of bars? For those happy enough to pay for the show, Scarfes offers a corner of joy like no other. — Milo Tastemaker