Champagne Charlies

Very nice well-established bar-restaurant hidden between Charing Cross and Embankment tube stations. You could walk past this a few times without spotting it

The whole venue is underground, possibly below the Thames water line! It's decorated as some kind of "secret cellar", with a few private rooms, different levels and passageways. They have a separate dining area and pub area, each with its own menu, but they seem to accommodate a degree of flexibility in allowing diners of different intentions to sit in the "wrong" areas. I consider this to be a good thing, since there's nothing worse than rules for the sake of rules.

But this is countered by the somewhat slow service. I see, from previous reviews, that service has a good reputation here, but I simply found it to be slow. Our mains took almost 30 minutes to emerge.

The food itself was quite good. However, I felt my portion was on the small side and that it was not made clear I should order some side dishes with it. My friend's meal was quite burnt, which was a shame. But with these niggles aside, it was generally of a high standard.

It's quite expensive for what is really a pub. Given that it's in a basement, perhaps there are higher overheads for maintenance. It's not a deal-breaker, but I could have found something similar, nearby, for less. I still recommend it. But I was looking for more of a wow-factor.
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Alan Ingham - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, November 04, 2011

Went here 19.8.11 the place is tucked away which was fine.i phoned to adjust our reservation time and this was ok.Really nice inside had scallops and pate starters which were great and also mains of duck, sea bass and fillet steak.they also did a japenese lager on draught was was special.Overall i was in london for 6 days and this was by far the best meal i had and would return again without hesitation.Also able to use the tastecard to get 50% off food.
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- View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, August 24, 2011

It is a great venue for big parties. The service is good as well given how busy the place can be.
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King - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, February 26, 2009