Good bar with great happy hour specials. The drinks here are proper cocktails which can be hard to find in London at times. They take time to make sure your drink is hand crafted and not mass produced. I would highly recommend coming for happy hour to miss the crowds described in other reviews. If you arrive early you can get a bartender to yourself and enjoy some really good drink specials (special prices and actually special cocktails which is nice). We met friends here after work on a weekday and had a great time. The food is ok as well. We had wings and a pizza and while I don't remember either as being amazing, I wasn't really expecting fine dining. All in all, a good happy hour spot centrally located in London. read more

I've been here a couple of times - once for pre-show dinner and the second for my work Christmas party. For dinner the food was OK but I found the venue a little too club-like for the situation, with very loud music and dark lighting. The Christmas party was a different story - the music was great, and the different rooms lent themselves perfectly to the party atmosphere. The main room at the front has quite a few sofas for those who preferred to sit down, while the back room was transformed into a dance room which was fab. The food was very beige (deep fried everything), but after a few Proseccos this was exactly what we needed to set ourselves up for the night. It was a very fun party venue and I would happily come back again. read more

Foundation - Dinner setting - very dark! - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Average food- we got the platter with chicken wings, onion rings, pizza, chips, eggrolls, and popcorn... after eating a couple bites, everything kinda tasted the same- fried and bland. The staff, however, are great and very helpful. read more

Surprisingly huge for an underground venue. Great place for happy hour. Two main bars on opposite ends of the property keep queuing to a minimum. Extra points for the super loud speaker system, the smoking hot chick DJ (and her decent set selection), and for keeping a youngish professional crowd. read more

Foundation - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

My fingertips are holding onto...a happy hour bottle of Prosecco! Despite having Kate Nash in my head every time I see the word 'Foundation' I had a lovely early evening in this bar neatly hidden down a side street just off Long Acre. We hit the after-work crowd so the bar was pretty packed but we managed to find some interesting bubble chairs (if you leaned back into them everything got eerily quiet) and I was thrilled upon ordering some celebratory Prosecco that it was half price during happy hour - result! After polishing off our bubbles we then decided upon the 'Bling Brew' for two which, although very tasty, probably wasn't worth the £20 as the mini-teapot only filled two glasses. I also prefer my drinks a little stronger, there were too many mixers in it. Still, you live, you learn, I shall definitely be returning to sample some of their other cocktails, the list is long and they all sound great! The music was a bit pants - thumpy squealing house-type music, but then I am a bit of a music-snob - however, the decor is fantastic, even in the loo! I was also particularly happy with my Eric Clapton menu with the man himself on the front, in his heyday. Legend! In the words of Arnie "I'll be back!" read more

Awesome!!! I wasn't planning to do anything for my birthday, but the bar called and asked if I'd like to reserve a table, and I figured why not? They offered a bottle of bubbly (which wasn't very nice, but it was nice of them to offer!) which totally sealed the deal. Also they had happy hour till 7.30 which is always good. Arrived at the door around 6.30 and the place wasn't very full, however all the tables were reserved. As I was lead to my table I walked through a maze of cool, funky artwork. We opted for the teapots all night which was a great value for money. I LOVED the High Tea teapot, but also tried all the other ones. The teapot was served with biscuits as well... how cute! We got the platter which was a mini pizza, chicken wings, jalapeño popcorn and chips. It was a good nibble platter for everyone. The DJ was pretty good. He had some interesting mixes. He did cut a few songs short which we were getting into, which was kind of annoying, but I was still on the dance floor all night long! The staff were super friendly and I never had to wait too long for drinks. Only issue if that there is no mobile service in the bar so I had to go up the stairs a few times to check text messages. Otherwise a great bar, had a great time, and my birthday was awesome! read more

Recently refurbished it still has a new sheen to it. Bit of a boudoir look to it as you descend the stairs you immediately get a feel for the style that awaits with the chains that hang down along the staircase, through the double doors and you're in another world. The bar is big but it retains a very intimate feel to it. Its full of little alcoves you can isolate so easily. Go early in the week if you want a quiet drink so music is at a conversational level There is a club section through another set of double doors that has yet more alcoves. I cannot do this place justice in terms of the intimacy created by the interior designers. read more

Yesterday was my second night in this disco pub and it was really nice. I find out that drinking in London is quite expensive (last time i spent 80£ in drinking) and this pub is not an exception. Anyway it is lovely. Very good located (is 3 mins walking from my office and 5 mins from undergrounds). The enviroment is nice and yesterday was all decorated with lovely pumpkins and halloween stuff. It is divided into two big rooms, one with a lot of little table, with a big bar and some lights& the other with bar, dj and few tabels where people dance. I think there is a third room designated to dinner but i don't really know. The music is decent...sometimes very good and a few times bkring. I really would like to know how much is a table because it is a great place for parties such as birthday and so on! I will definitely come back..maybe next Friday ahah read more

I went to Foundation for a friend's Birthday, he'd booked a table and we arrived about 8:30pm. This was January, when the happy hour ran til 9pm - and unsurprisingly getting served was a long and arduous process! When I did finally place an order (I decided to double up to save a return visit) they didn't have the ingredients for either of the cocktails I ordered. So I had to look at a menu and wait once again to be served. Luckily I did get my order in before the cut off time! Then came the battle to get to the table - the venue is surprisingly big but never the less Saturday night and it was packed (even in dry January!). The table was pretty small for the size of the party but we managed. I didn't think much of the cocktails I had, maybe because it was happy hour and they were rushed, but they seemed lacklustre. It didn't really matter though one we hit the dance floor! The music was a bit mixed but it was a good atmosphere. I was pleased to see they served food til quite late (and it is also discounted in the happy hour). We had a great night but the venue let us down slightly with limited/ below average cocktails, oh and a ridiculous queue for the ladies!! When will nightclubs learn to install more women's loos/ when will women take less time in the loo?!?!........despite this I would go back ^_^ read more

Nice bar in a nice area with nice cocktails and nice atmosphere...! But, is this what you're looking for at a night out? The drinks were creative but not strong enough. The lighting and atmosphere was nice but I can't say the same for the crowd. BUT, the ladies' room is amazing and has a wide selection of perfumes! Cocktail-wise I got something with rum on the sour side that I can't recall the name of and a Margarita as a second. Note to self: go straight for the Margarita next time! Price-wise, it's your average cocktail bar... more than 8£ less than 10£. UP: - Cool atmosphere & lighting - Convenient Location (literally 20 steps from the tube) DOWN: - Drinks on the lighter side - No cloakroom in use, even though it exists. VERDICT: I'll give it a second try! read more

Cocktails are not really my thing but I was vaguely and reluctantly warming to this place until I went to the toilets and discovered one of those chaps there that tries to squirt and spray stuff at you in exchange for money. This is unacceptable anywhere. Whoever had this idea should be stopped from breeding in a painful way. I'm kind in only deducting one star. This is a surprisingly large underground venue. I still hadn't seen the whole place between table, bar and being hassled in the toilet As I was having fun enjoying the most girly cocktails possible (this is strange comportment if you have read most of my other reviews) I started with a Raspberry Rum + Peach daquiri before opting for the Holly Golightly, which is served with a giant ice testicle in the glass (but i didn't receive the edible flower I was promised :( ) The service was very friendly. read more

Foundation is actually not my kind of place. I'm not really a dance club kind of girl - I'd rather have a pint at the local pub, or a drink at a dive bar. But I've been to Foundation twice now, and I've been pleasantly surprised. The first visit was a weeknight, and ended up going here for happy hour (and a bit more) with some colleagues. We found a table close to the bar, and had a great time - the music was good, and it wasn't too hard to get a drink. Slightly different situation when I went on a Friday. There was a £10 cover charge, which was annoying - but I know I'm in the area where that's going to happen, so I just dealt with it. The bar was FAR more crowded and it was harder to get a drink, but not outrageously so. Well done, bartenders. So while I prefer the weeknight vibe here, I'd still say it's ok overall - I wouldn't mind another visit or two to Foundation. read more

I heard this place was not all that. However we turned up on a Thursday night and the atmosphere was great. Happy Hour Yippee! we found a table which was reserved BUT the small print on the card (which was not so small, but good enough to detour the usual "oh no this ones reserved too" kinda person) It said "please feel free to keep the table warm whilst the guest arrives" so happy to sit down we chilled out with some cheap beers! :-) We had a few interruptions from a few of the bar staff taking names for a mailing list. They were obviously keen to build a database up. I actually had a call a few days after saying they were going to give me a free bucket of beers if i came back which was great! We had to move after 1 hour as the person who had reserved the table turned up (3hours late) but just found another table that looked like it was reserved and kept that warm too! The music was decent (house) and service at the bar was average. Would go back but not in a rush too! read more

I should've known the true nature of this place when the doorman asked how big our party (of obviously, two) was, hesitant to let any more bodies into the space if he could help it. It was only 8:30 on a Saturday night, and Foundation was packed -- no less, reserved to the last bit of elbow room on any empty stretch of bar. The vaguely house-esque music was thumping, maybe a little too loudly, causing everyone in the bar to shout at full volume in order to be heard by a person 8 inches away from them. The bar was ever so slightly, annoyingly trendy -- there are weird 'pods' everywhere in which people are meant to sit and converse, and alternating, dark and neon-hued lights all over, presumably to give a mysterious feel (but really, they made it so that either you couldn't see anything, or you were about to go into an epileptic fit when the neon started flashing to the beat of the music). Drinks were standard for the area, being between £9-14 for each cocktail. They do offer sharing drinks for two, served in a teapot; as they are a bit more economical (£15.50 for the whole lot), my friend and I opted for one of them, called the Sweet Tea. Were it not for the fact that the cocktail-laden teapot was served with two digestive biscuits on the side (cute!), I would have been largely unimpressed. The drink was pretty weak, and there was a lot of ice in it that continued to melt and water it down. Also, if you're reading this, surly female bartender who served my friend and I, please serve the teapot with a lid next time...it's impossible to pour otherwise. Overall, despite the glowing words of reviewers before me, I remain pretty 'meh' about Foundation. Maybe I just went on the wrong night, or there was an off crowd during my visit, but I'm not sure that I'll return another time to find out. read more

Been here a few times after a friend showed me this hidden alley gem. Is it a bar or a club because it seems to have both? Great atmosphere and never had an issue getting a table or booth to sit down in with group of friends without having to buy a bottle. There is a good happy hour here but I never seem to make it in time. Can't say the dance floor choons are amazing but there is a little side room to shake your booty if you've had your fill of sitting. Also enjoy that the non-dance area is not too loud so you can carry a conversation. Recommend if you can't make up your mind if you want a club or bar and best part is it's right by the tube station to stumble your way home! read more

Lovely little bar just off covent garden. I was used to the old stalwart The Langley for cheap cocktails and soul-less decor, but the new Foundation exceeded my expectations. Headed here late on a Saturday afternoon early evening as a retreat from the covent garden crowds and decended down into the cosy, funky bar. Cocktails are still cheap with Happy Hour at half price. It was a fab little place where my friends and I spent a few good hours sampling the cocktails and catching up on gossip. I did have a quick nose round to see how it had changed since the Langleyand I would love to go back for a night out soon as already the tunes were good in the afternoon. I noticed from their website they are getting big name DJ's there every now and then so worth checking it out in advance on the website. Would reccomend for after work drinks, or even a Saturday eve. read more

I'll be honest, Foundation bar wasn't my cup of tea; but in a sense I suppose I should have expected the kind of atmosphere I found having elected to spend a Friday night in Covent Garden. I went to Foundation for my sister's birthday celebration. One point I noted upon entering is that this place is surprisingly large. When you arrive you immediately go downstairs into a massive bar area. The first room you walk into is focussed on seating areas for groups, with a large bar along one wall. Moving into the next room you have a large club area with raised DJ booth, another big bar and several private booths (which it appeared you have to book in advance). As we were attending for a birthday party we had a private room at the back. I was pretty impressed with the service on offer here. For parties there is a private fridge on offer which is kept regularly stocked with champagne, wine or whatever your favourite tipple is by the waitress/waiter who is on hand specifically for the private area. The staff member working in this area will also take cocktail orders for you and bring them right to your table to enjoy. The beer selection was good and I was happy to be able to enjoy a Vedett and Modelo - unusual beers to find in the Kronenbourg and Carling soaked WC2H postcode. Unfortunately I was not so wild about the cocktails I sampled. I tried a 'Dr Jack' and classic Long Island iced tea and found both of them to be much too sweet. Despite it not being the kind of place I would usually choose to head out, I did have an enjoyable night at Foundation and found the service to be attentive and friendly. A couple of points though - the music was really, really loud. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not your grumpy Grandfather and realise this is a central London club on a Friday night - but I really feel that having the music in the social bar area, where people congregate to chat and drink, at the same volume as it is in the club area is a bit of an error. I would be extremely surprised if they did not have individual volume control for each room; so I really feel that it would make for a much better atmosphere and drinking experience if the volume could be lowered in the bar area to a level where conversation could still take place; whilst keeping the decibels high in the dance area. I also had a few issues with the music policy. To be fair this is probably more down to the DJ playing that night than the club itself, but I do know that this kind of bar/club tends to have a regular DJ who plays there every weekend, so they most likely have a bit of influence on the music policy. I noted after a while that the only tracks the DJ seemed to play were relatively low quality, slightly abrasive/repetitive house remixes of pop classics. Of course there is room for a few of these in every set, but this was literally every track!! I honestly felt that the DJ would have got a better crowd response and provided an even better listening experience by playing the original version of some of these tracks. I mean surely everyone would rather hear the excellent original version of 'Pump up the jam' and Michael Jackson's 'got to be starting something' over a cheap refix that sounds like it was made in 10 minutes on fruity loops? I am a music snob though, so perhaps that's just me! In short though, I thought that Foundation was alright. It wouldn't be my first choice for a night out, but it was good for a birthday celebration and if the above two points could be rectified I would consider coming back here. read more

Hands down one of my favourite cocktail bars. I really love the decor and ambience: quirky with some class. The food is pretty good and they have a huge variety of different drinks to try. It's very reasonably priced for the area and happy hour is 2 for 1 on drinks: any drink, and you don't have to get 2 of the same like at a lot of other bars. I love that some drinks are served in jam jars or in tea pots and the slightly quirky nature to everything is really up my street. Great place to check out for happy hour with a huge selection of tasty that should leave everyone happy. read more

Definately a fan of this place. The vibe and non pretenious walks of life in all forms made my short lived stop by at this bar (pre theatre) and gave me a great first impression to go back for more. A broad range of cocktail varieties available not to mention the creativity of how the drinks are presented (one cocktail came in a jam jar). Whilst the standard cocktails exist there is definately no need to be boring giving you a range of "out there" cocktails to branch out and let you try something new (maybe even create a new fav). The bar has a dj which was playing decent music and many different areas to congrugate in and set yourself apart from other groups. I loved the layout and the staff were chilled. Oh did i mention the foundation has happy hour half price drinks 4pm-8pm monday to friday?? I believe. Mega fan! read more

Foundation is really well-located in Covent Garden, but slightly hidden down a side street with only one small door leading downstairs to a very spacious bar and restaurant area. Food is very tasty and I recommend the Vodka spaghetti and meatballs. The cocktail selection is more than adequate and happy hour is amazing with 2 for 1 offers on everything! I love to go to Foundation on a Sunday when it is not heaving like on Friday and Saturdays. The only complaint I have for Fridays and Saturdays is that the cover charge can get quite steep after about 10AM. Sundays, one can book an area or just turn up even in a large-ish group, enjoy the happy hour cocktails and platters, and relax in the quirky decor of the bar. The staff are always friendly and quite relaxed. The loos are very creative and interesting, and the little room of mirrors in the Ladies is lots of fun and useful too. read more

Had ipad mini stolen from a bag in the cloakroom which you pay £2 for, when questioned the cloakroom staff he just shrugged & pointed at the disclaimer sign, manager & bouncers were very unhelpful denied everything on the night & then told me to call back, so they could check CCTV, after hours of trying to get through & no one answering & staff fobbing me off saying 'he is in meetings' ...finally spoke to him & he was really unhelpful & rude-& he knew the whole police procedure like the back of his hand, so obviously not new to the situation he was dealing with?! Do not go, & if you really have to, keep your stuff on you & DO NOT use the cloakroom!! :( unfortunately due to the fact that I didn't take my ipad out in full view of the CCTV cameras police couldn't do anything, dread to think just how much the cloakroom staff get away with! read more

Amazing Staff, Atmosphere, and Drinks. I take the tube to Covent Garden station, get off, make a left, another left, my first right down an Alley and I am there haha. read more

Fun and hip. The crowd was small, but it was a Tuesday so... drinks are a little pricey but worth it for the atmosphere. Didn't try the food, but the menu seemed typical bar food orientated. All in all, worth the trip. read more

Not my kinda place, but I came for my husband's friend's birthday. Ended up having a very nice time indeed, but that was more on account of the company than the venue itself. Drinks and food good, but too pricey for me. Music in the booths was good and got us up, wanting to dance. But the music in the dance area seemed to have a different DJ, which sent us back to our seats. Wouldn't bother with this place again, unless someone I like very much indeed decides this is where we have to go for their birthday. read more

Food was average but nice. Seemed a disorganized place. Might go back for a gig but probably wouldn't eat there again.

Came in for dinner on Valentines day, rellay lovely service and great food! the selection is more than enough and prices are very reasonable. Had a really good night, stayed for cocktails and dancing after! Will definanlty be reccomending this to some friends, if your looking for a fashionable but relaxed place in Covent Garden then check it out! read more

Wow this place is bad. Was forced here for someone's birthday, and I knew it'd be awful but not quite like this. 'Cultureless Covent Garden meat market' accurately describes it, but then a significant proportion of the population enjoys that kind of thing and I feel I can look past it to objectively describe this place as bad. It looks like any other bar (Revolution, Tiger Tiger etc.) catering for people who work in telesales, although they seem to have put an odd focus on music related decorations. The bar menu was stuck to a record, and the cocktail menu was in a sleeve. I found this particularly confusing, given it didn't seem that anybody else in there had ever heard music prior to that evening. Music was the thing that pushed it from being this is a standard terrible club found in every town/city in the UK, to this is the seventh seal. Everything was wrong. Absolutely abysmal electro house remixes of chart music, played by a DJ who couldn't beatmatch (yet felt qualified to pump his arms in the air), in horrendous quality. I guess the DJ downloads his tracks in 192 from terrible blogs. It was also far, far too loud on a system that couldn't handle it, it just sounded awful. The most horrifying thing of all was that it was busy when we got there at 10pm and everyone seemed to love it. The dancefloor was full with people dancing around handbags, and the sides of the dancefloor were full of creepy old men waiting for potential victims to appear drunk enough. Most people appeared to think they were 'somebody', despite the fact they were spending their Saturday night in a club in Covent Garden. It goes without saying that men for the most part wore terrible shirts and shoes, and the women mainly wore Karen Millen dresses. Don't think it has a dress code, though if it does, the doorstaff obviously realised I was superior to these people and didn't apply it to me. Bottled drinks were pretty reasonably priced (£4.50 for a 500ml cider), but spirits were expensive (paid £24 for two rum and cokes and a bottle). Staff were quite friendly. An extra star because none of the other patrons spoke to or stabbed me. read more

Forget about the overpriced drinks and terrible music, this place is actually unsafe. My wife had her hair pulled and was pushed around in an aggressive and threatening manner by a group of six men on the dancefloor. The bouncer was alerted to this, gave the guys a brief telling off and let them back in again. We left, feeling unsafe from then on. On leaving i asked the bouncer why they had been let back in again and the impression was that their custom was worth more to the bar than our safety. Please avoid this venue. read more

My boyfriend paid £25 to be on the guest list for a group of 12 or so people. They turned up and the doorman wouldn't let half of them in because they were a group of lads. He also turned away other groups of 3 or 4 guys because they weren't with girls. The bar had a decent mix of music, drinks quite pricey for what they were- I wouldn't go back though, after paying for a guest list you expect to have a nice evening with everyone who was invited! read more

This place is AMAZING!! Decided to go there last minute on a recommendation from a friend for a birthday party this weekend and just as we got to the corner of the street the promotions guy told us we needed to pay £5 each (cash). Which was fine, as expected (if not a little cheap) for London! So we said ok, we just need to go to the cash machine, are you sure we can't come in for free as it's our friend's birthday.. And they let us all in for free! The door man was very helpful telling us where to go in the bar and club when we got downstairs and where to hang our coats etc. We were really surprised with all the niceness (especially after a terrible time at the Salvador and Amanda restaurant that evening). The bar is really cool, it reminded us all of drinking cocktails in a shoreditch-based ikea store with mismatched chairs, unique flower pot displays (?!) and mannique lamps! The cocktails are gorgeous (especially the Garden Jam) and served in jam jars and tea pots! I know it's very gimmicky but it was really enjoyable we even got moved to a free booth in the club and didn't even have to ask! We love this place and are DEFINITELY returning and I've already recommended it to lots of friends. The music was great in the club and the atmosphere was really nice and the bar staff were very friendly (and the male ones were quite nice looking too!). Much better than The Langley was in this spot. Thanks for a fantastic evening Foundation Bar! read more

Horrendous. Ignored on favour of male punters at the bar, served a drink with sugar instead of salt, then no apology and a replacement drink in a cracked glass. Basically an unpleasant experience, chavvy hellhole, avoid. Would give 0 stars if possible. read more