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    Basement Sate

    4.2 (40 reviews)
    ModerateCocktail Bars, Desserts
    Open 6:00 pm - 1:30 am (Next day)

    Basement Sate Photos

    BASEMENT SATE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Classy
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Basement Sate

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    After Sate - minty, whiskey deliciousness
    Lucas W.

    Actually seemed a pretty casual underground dessert and cocktail spot. And the cocktails were really all dessert-focused. Prices were pretty reasonable in my opinion, though the menu wasn't all that large. There were only half a dozen unique cocktails. Though there was an extensive whiskey list and they had all the regular options - mixers, old fashioned, etc. My wife and I both got the After Sate - whiskey, cocoa and mint liqueurs. It was fantastic. Reminiscent of a girls scout cookie. You could tell it was a bit boozy despite the strong mint taste. I will be ordering that drink again if we return. And If we do, it would be for that specific drink. So tasty.

    Various cocktails
    Liz S.

    Basement Sate is an underground dessert and cocktail spot that maintains a cool, slightly masculine vibe despite the girls-night-out concept. Maybe it's the leather seating and no-nonsense decor, or the long whiskey list, but in any case this will work perfect for a date or with mixed company. We each had a cocktail (around 11 pounds each), arranged from light to full. Provence was an easy, somewhat neutral charmer with vodka, cucumber, and lavender; Made in Ecuador delivered a solid banana note. Electric Ballroom failed to tingle from the promised Sichuan pepper, but was still a satisfying glass of rye. Since we were full from a Dishoom feast, we decided to split two desserts among four. The smoked chocolate cigar (9 pounds) is rich and perfect for chocolate lovers, as well as perfect for photos. But the real winner was the coconut (8 pounds), a light and refreshing dessert with a good variety of textures. I would book ahead if you can; we did so less than a week out and had our pick of times. Though there were bar seats when we arrived, we were able to get a cozy corner for our group of 4 thanks to the reservation. The pace is relaxed but we were overall fine with the service.

    Coconut! No further details needed.
    Dawn M.

    Cocktails were delightful and dessert was delicious. The staff were amazing, from the doorman Idris (polite and professional) to the manager Billy (friendly and helpful). Didn't have a booking, but we were accommodated and served promptly. Quiet quaint little place, definitely worth a visit, but make sure you book to avoid having to wait.

    Hazelnut rocher
    Elisa T.

    I'm in love. Dessert AND cocktails? How can anyone not fall in love with this place. I love that there are no signs to this place. Just a random red door in the middle of busy soho. I love that even though I knew that this was the place I still had doubts I was in the right place. I love how perfectly made and delicious the cocktails are. Even my teetotal friend said her cranberry juice was high end. Whatever that means ha I loved the one dessert we tried. There were loads of different components to it including a chocolate shell, mouse, cake, biscuits and spoiler alert - popping candy Mostly I love that you can just walk right in without a reservation (although it was a Monday night).

    Sarah V.

    On the hunt for dessert, we stumbled on this place after getting the 'hour and a half wait' treatment from the stuffy bouncer at Yauatcha. The entrance is very well hidden but once inside we were pleasantly surprised. The wooden decour is very cosy but classy, and we were able to get a seat at the bar straight away. I chose the 'break and egg' dessert while the others all had 'kinder surprise', both were excellently presented and very tasty. A little pricey but you get what you pay for.

    Keepin it classy
    Kimberly H.

    Honestly, this place only gets two stars because the ambiance and environment of the place is genuine and nice. But when it comes to the pricey cocktails and desserts, spending more than an average 20 pounds for this stuff is not worth it. For two desserts and two cocktails, it turned out to be about 40 pounds ! That's a decent steak meal. Sure the place is in a hidden basement with dim lights, nice music and a romantic atmosphere, open your eyes to overpriced items there with fancy names. Literally paid 10 pounds for like 4 mediocre macarons. After this place, we ended up getting dessert again elsewhere that was delicious and only 8 pounds for two of us well!

    mini Vacherin - a lime meringue with basil cream topped with raspberry
    Naila M.

    This brand new dessert and cocktail bar is a great concept, and one that seems to be very popular in London at the moment. Upon descending into basement, you can still smell the novelty of the paint. Large space, which appeared even larger because it was so empty on Thursday night. Not much personality to the venue, stark walls, brown leather couches and poufs. There are private partitioned tables at the back as well. We were presented with an amuse-bouche: tuna and olive tapenade rolled with some kind of soft dough - there's no other way to describe it except fishy cookie dough. It was not pleasant. The cocktails were fresh and simply presented but all 3 were very unique: Beet Me Up (vodka, beetroot, ginger, moscato) was excellent, very zingy and fresh. Eagle in the Tub (gin, white port, fernet branca, ginger ale) a twist on a classic 'old man's drink' was easy drinking. Arboriculturalist (calvados, cinnamon & pear syrup, sherry) was deliciously like a dessert. I wish I could get as excited about the desserts as the drinks. The Mille Feuille was more savoury than dessert and the truffled cheese with rosemary was almost sickly against the honeyed nuts. The Mini Vacherin was a perfect lime meringue with fresh raspberries on top but the basil cream was just a touch too strong with the fruity filling. The Raviole - cocoa ravioli, raspberry ginger cream in fresh pasta-like flutes, cassis chocolate truffle with gin and citrus gel - were very interesting but the limp texture made it all a bit mushy. The highlight, and probably more mainstream dessert, was the chocolate and biscuit stack with layers of a chocolate mousse/ganache in between. Beautiful presentation. Great service, the waitress was lovely and patient with us going through the menu. Overall a great concept, but not a place I'd make a special detour for dessert.

    The unassuming entrance to Basement Sate...
    Cecilia L.

    Quick glance: + hidden gem, quite literally + chill out on a weeknight + pumping atmosphere on weekends + great cocktails + large selection of whiskey + desserts! Full review: On a clear Thursday evening, a colleague pointed a group of us towards the stairs leading to Basement Sate as he walked off to the neraest Tube station. There is no sign to indicate the bar's existence, and on the orange door is a small, plastic sign that reads "This is not a brothel. There are no prostitutes at this address." We were deliberating whether or not this is a genuine bar when thankfully one of the bar staff must have seen us looking dazed and confused (presumably from CCTV monitoring the ground level entrance, or he had telepathic power) and invited us down. On this particular Thursday evening it was quiet, with only a couple of other parties relaxing cozily in leather armchairs and sofas. It was the perfect place for the group of us to chat and banter after dinner, over a great selection of cocktails, whiskey and beers and soft music in the background. I came back a couple of weeks later with a friend on a Friday night and it was completely transformed. The bouncer at the door warned us is was packed, and as we entered the room, revellers were everywhere enjoying their drinks and conversations alongside booming beats. What a contrast but absolutely fantastic if you know what you're after on which night of the week. I have been told by my friend that Basement Sate also offers desserts if you feel peckish for something sweet and substantial. And even if you don't have a sweet tooth, there's plenty of choice when it comes to whiskey and other drinks.

    Eagle in the Tub & Beet Me Up
    Carlton M.

    If I lived In London, I would be a regular. Great atmosphere, wonderful lounge. The Beet Me Up cocktail is delicious & tastes like fresh fruit juice. I want another and another. We couldn't resist the Eagle in the Tub because that is an amazing name. It was great too. The complimentary dessert was flavourful & interesting. though I don't prefer the taste, the thought was lovely. Aesop products i the restrooms & dyson hand dryers.

    Seating.

    Very hipster spot for fun drinks and desserts. I ordered a dessert and cocktail pairing - The Egg with a Hint of Coconut. The detail to the dessert is amazing! Definitely worth a visit.

    Break an egg

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    11 years ago

    Billy hooked me up a treat. What a top man and a top place..although I feel a bit guilty about reviewing..it's a secret ;)

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    Basement Sate Reviews in Other Languages

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    Fifty Five Bar

    Fifty Five Bar

    4.0(70 reviews)
    1.9 miCamden Town
    ££

    Ahhhh!!! This place is really cool!!! And they have a book of yummy drinks that are two for one on…read moreSunday and they taste really good and they're amazing!!!! Can you tell I don't get out much? At least for drinks. Anyway. We came here with some friends and took advantage of their 2 for 1 offer (meaning you get two drinks for 10 pounds). It impressed me that they served really good drinks for such a good price. I personally loved The Last Word (super strong but great flavour) and the Elderflower Margarita (YUM!). They both packed a punch but weren't so overpowered with liquor that they didn't taste nice. The bar staff was fun as well. The one that wasn't popular was the honey one. I can't remember the name but none of us liked it. It's a cool bar!

    I was gonna give this place 3 stars, but on reflection of the whole experience it's a definite 2,…read more2.5 at an absolute push. And I don't give out 2 stars lightly. This was one of the few places the bf and I had booked to go to during a brief 3-day trip to London, due to the 2 for £10 cocktails and general good reviews it had. I kinda wish we hadn't! Upon arrival the place was practically empty (but it was like bang on 6pm on a Monday, so a lot of people hadn't arrived for happy hour yet) and staff showed us where our reserved booth was. All good to start off with, the place looks pretty cool inside and the tunes were good too. Here's where it starts to go downhill. I skipped up to the bar having decided with the bf which cocktails to get (at this point we didn't realise 2 for £10 meant two of the SAME cocktail, because they never mention it) and ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri for the bf, plus a Chocolate Martini for myself. Nope, couldn't get the one I wanted as they were out of chocolate liqueur, so it was back to my seat to try and decide on another. I was gutted but excited about my next choice, the Show Me The Honey. NOPE. They were out of honey vodka so I couldn't have that one either! I get that obviously it's a busy bar at weekends, but I thought that was an extremely poor show - the staff weren't hugely apologetic about it either which didn't exactly help. Finally deciding on a Russian Spring Punch (yay, they had all the ingredients for that one!) I ordered the drinks. The bartender said "you know it's 2 for £10 yeah?" but again didn't mention the fact that it's two of the same cocktail for £10. Once he started making up the drinks I of course caught on to what was happening, whereupon he looked at me like I was an idiot for not knowing something they never openly tell you. Great. I begrudgingly paid for our drinks (I wouldn't really have minded except the bf wasn't sure if he'd want more than one cocktail and we now possessed four, plus I was really wanting to try a couple of cocktails instead of two of the same one) and went back to the booth, more than a bit deflated by this point. The cocktails were...fine. The champagne in my cocktail wasn't the nicest but it did the job of course. The atmosphere in the bar was...also fine. But that was it. Fine. It stayed pretty quiet the whole time we were there and I guess just wasn't the whole cocktail bar experience I was expecting. We then made our way to Cahoots where we had an absolute belter of a time and it totally saved our night, goes to show that sometimes you really do get what you pay for!

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    Fifty Five Bar
    Fifty Five Bar
    Fifty Five Bar

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    Spiritual Caipirinha Bar

    Spiritual Caipirinha Bar

    4.5(14 reviews)
    2.1 miCamden Town
    ££

    In this bar ... No rules ! Write on the wall, speak to everyone, hear to random music or live…read moremusic, drink Mojitos you never drink before ! Their mojitos are made with brown sugar (really good) and are cheap ! I haven't tries the Caipirina but I've been told that this is their specialty so must be really good as their mojitos are ... Wow ! Tiny bar with often loooooots of people, there's a 2nd floor with a little room that is often less busy. Bartenders are really nice and cool ! Go there and experiment the spiritual experience !

    Brazilians are known for their love of life, passion, joy of movement, music and dance as well as…read moretheir wonderful lime laden cocktails. I'm not sure how close this bar is to Brazilian nightlife, but to me this bar feels typically Brazilian in cadence. I just love the atmosphere, the enthusiasm, the music, you feel transported to another place and I just don't understand how very few people, even those living in Camden, don't know about this bar! I was introduced by a lovely Yelp friend and try and get back whenever I'm in Camden as I really love this place. To me this is one of Camden's real hidden gems. So why do I love it? Let me count the ways: Live music: I'm not sure if there is someone on every night, but I'm always shocked by them hosting some fantastic, extremely talented musicians. Intimate setting: As a tiny little venue you huddle around small tables, it feels cozy, personable and warm. Art work: Walls, ceilings and tables are plastered with art, pictures, paintings collages drape all surfaces. It's like some hipster arty underground cavern... like so many bars in Shoreditch are trying to achieve, but this place isn't trying, it has charm and personality without having to try. Caipirinhas and mojitos: Using traditional Brazilian ingredients the cocktails here are just superb... and after a few you can't help but sink back into your seat and enjoy the ambiance. I'd also recommend the Cuba Libra, I'm usually not a fan, but would make an exception here. As a cocktail bar you need to expect to pay cocktail prices, but the live music, amazing atmosphere and art are free.

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    Spiritual Caipirinha Bar
    Spiritual Caipirinha Bar
    Spiritual Caipirinha Bar

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    Knowhere Special - Otto the bar pup

    Knowhere Special

    4.1(11 reviews)
    2.6 miKentish Town
    ££

    I have a couple of friends living in Kentish Town who happily researched and booked this charming…read morelittle basement bar which is a must-visit in the area. Apparently the owners want it to feel like someone's living room and it definitely has a relaxed and locals-come-here vibe, although our seating area was in what was once a VIctorian police cell, which was probably less cosy back in the day. The interesting concept here is to serve small bites of food tailored to each house cocktail which a beautifully presented and explained, as are the cocktails themselves. We sampled almost all of the house cocktail menu and generally everyone was very impressed. I think several people really liked the park bench, with its strong apple flavour, although I personally found it a bit one-note. In fact, I wouldn't say any of the cocktails here got it quite right for my palate, some of the balancing of flavours didn't quite work for me and none of them particularly blew me away. They were pretty good, but there weren't any I found incredibly delicious and "incredibly delicious" is really what I am looking for in a cocktail. I had the Get Me a Bourbon, I'm Hungry and Lost in Alaska. The first was a short drink which wasn't massively memorable, contra my favourite ever bourbon cocktail, the fantastic bourborini once on the specials at Pitt Cue Co. Lost in Alaska I thought was nice although others said they thought it tasted medicinal! Service was great - helpful, patient and attentive. It's expensive, especially now I live in Manchester and can get better cocktails at the Fitzgerald for £4 less, but I would still recommend Knowhere Special, especially if you're nearby having dinner. They have such an inventive and passionate approach, it's very impressive already and I'm sure will just get better with time.

    Reservations are needed on weekends…read more One of the most unique experiences we had while traveling in the UK, Knowhere Special is a specialty cocktail bar that focuses on private, small tables and outrageous, off-the-wall, hand-crafted cocktails. The interior is small, cramped, and homely like walking into a hippie's apartment. Our table was in its own private alcove with a low vaulted ceiling. We had one server who was outstanding - knowledgeable, excited, and outgoing. The house cocktail flavors were all over the place. Some were good and others were great. They are all super weird for sure, so you'll get a kick just reading off the descriptions. They are pricier, but not outrageous. Many also come with little snacks to pair with the cocktail. If you don't want something crazy, you can order regular cocktails as well. Neat experience and certainly recommended to try out for novelty's sake. One of the best experiences we had in London!

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    Knowhere Special - Duck A L'Orange

    Duck A L'Orange

    Knowhere Special - At the bottom of your garden

    At the bottom of your garden

    Knowhere Special

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    The Gallery - Fried chicken

    The Gallery

    4.3(27 reviews)
    3.3 miWest Hampstead
    ££

    Cute place in Hampstead! We had just gotten off of a 10 hour flight and was recommended this place…read moreby our friend. Got seated quickly and ordered. I got the fried chicken with buffalo sauce on the side. It was good! A bit small for the price but filling. Our waiter was nice. Cute spot.

    Was walking around with friends one of the days and spotted this place and had decided to come back…read moreto it another time. And come back we did for Sunday brunch. After being poorly for over 5 days, I had to skip the bottomless Sunday brunch which allows you to drink as much for just £18 (select drinks). The breakfast is supremely unhealthy, I mean I absolutely loved it but this will not be a regular place. I am more of a poached egg on granary roast sort of girl, which most of the times is a luxury. There options are plenty many however they do only waffles (both sweet and savoury) and no toast. I swapped the scrambled egg with poached egg and added an avocado as an extra. My breakfast was therefore, savoury waffles with smoked salmon, cream cheese, poached eggs and crispy capers with extra avocados. I complete devoured my brunch after being hungry for just over 3 hours. The food was great, something different from standard Sunday brunch. However, due to the healthiness quotient, I will not frequent this place and only treat myself maybe once in good few months. The staff were friendly and quick. The general vibe of the place was great. Would highly recommend for anyone to go at least once.

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    The Gallery
    The Gallery - Poached egg, cream cheese, smoked salmon on savoury waffle

    Poached egg, cream cheese, smoked salmon on savoury waffle

    The Gallery - Poached  egg, chorizo, pardón peppers on savoury waffle

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    Poached egg, chorizo, pardón peppers on savoury waffle

    Basement Sate - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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