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Garlic & Shots

3.5 (78 reviews)
ModerateBars, Scandinavian
Closed 5:00 pm - 11:30 PM

Garlic & Shots Photos

GARLIC & SHOTS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Classy
Casual
Outdoor seating

Recommended Reviews - Garlic & Shots

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Reviews With Photos

Halloumi boca de ajo
Lissa E.

Love, love, love this place. In fact the only thing I don't love about it are the toilets. They're pretty grim which is pretty bad for an eatery. Oh and the steep stairs because they aren't great if you're there taking advantage of the extensive shot list (101 shots!). On the first floor you have the restaurant - reservations are almost always necessary although if it's early a small group may get lucky with a walk in. The food is delicious - and it all contains garlic. I highly recommend the chicken quesadiila - the portion is generous and it's a really flavourful, garlicky, spicy twist on Mexican. The marinade and sauce in the dish (and a few others on the menu) features the Bloodshot - the bars most renowned Bloody Mary like shot. The corn tortillas topped with halloumi are fantastic for a lighter bite. And you have to have a side of the garlic bread - not only is it amazing, it's basically half a loaf! If you miss out on a table in the restaurant, they will serve bar food (including the garlic bread!) to the basement 'Vampire Bar'. It's a good bar - dark, dingy and with excellent music of the heavier persuasion. I recommend getting their early to try to get the table in the crypt - a little out of the way cave like booth. Drinks options can be limited - beer choices are very few and soft drinks are limited to Coke (full fat) and Sprite.

This guy had too much to drink
Matt B.

I've come to this bar periodically since I first started visiting London in 2003, and 16 years later it continues to be one of my favorite spots. The people here are just so damn fun and inviting, and juxtaposed with the metal music and macabre theme it makes for a really enjoyable time. The shots are basically small shooters of various cocktails, with creative names like "Black Death". The shots are small but cheap, so you can get a whole bunch. Go downstairs to the crypt for the real magic.

Kristine T.

If you like shots and metal music this is your perfect place. While it looks like an average bar on the outside, if you go down the stairs you will discover a dark gothic vault type room. That is where you need to be. There's not much space but if you are lucky enough to get a table just sit down and pick some shots. They are about £3 and they are quite strong. I recommend stopping there for a few shots before continuing your night out on the town. It is something unusual to take your friends to as even if they are not into that type of music and decor they will appreciate how unusual it looks.

Martina O.

I brought my friend from New York here not so long ago for some garlic shots and she is still raving on about it. I've actually been here a few times, there is a restaurant on the ground floor, never eaten here but the menu looks delicious. The bar downstairs is quite gothy and dark. If you have a penchant for metal music and the goth scene then check this place out! they have a mummy in a coffin in the corner and a dark corner with lots of candles. I tried the garlic shots once and they are not my cup of tea. You really wouldn't want to plan on kissing someone after as your breath stinks of garlic for ages after.

Joseph T.

Garlic & Shots on Frith Street is a garlic themed bar, which also has bars in Stockholm and Parma. It is a pretty obscure concept, but they pull it off with garlic in all the food and drinks. The bar/restaurant is arranged across two floors with the main bar downstairs. I've been a couple of times and had fun, though I could feel the garlic coming out of my pores for the next two days, so perhaps not the best if you need to be looking sharp afterwards. The crowd is quite mixed, both in age and style, and everyone there seemed to be having a good time. Definitely worth checking out, at least as a one-off.

Garlic Bread
Georgia J.

A friend took me here after bragging about it for months on end and I was not disappointed. The name is pretty self explanatory and their menu is pretty much garlic food and 101 different shots. It's a restaurant upstairs and an atmospheric dive bar downstairs, all my favourite things in one place! We came for dinner and I had the deep fried halloumi and we shared a garlic bread. I thought I should go for the garlic beer to really try the essence of the place! It was all pretty delicious though those last two mouthfuls of beer were possibly a bit strong for my liking! 4/5 stars purely because the waiter was rather disorganised with his seating and we were moved twice and hurried along at the end of our meal. The 2nd time we were moved was completely unnecessary too. Only mildly frustrating.

Katy I.

As a young, fresher, new to London, I went to Garlic and Shots and thought "I've made it." I felt that I had officially graduated from the shame and heartache of wandering aimlessly around Leicester Square with my NUS funded guide to London. I walked into the dimly lit cavern of that underground bar and thought "Yeah, this is what its all about." Now as a slightly older and more cynical graduate (that's right) I realise that I may have been slightly naive in my appraisal. It's not that I mind sitting in a dungeon with what I suspect to be Ramstein fans, it's just that I don't think I should have to pay normal drinks prices for it. It's a dripping cave, resembling the unwelcome abode of Gollom and has the feeling of something trying to be really edgy but only succeeding in being a bit dirty and crap. Saying that, you could hardly describe me as a mettler, lots of my friends love the place which is why I end up there so often and it's better than being in one of the super swanky bars on the streets above, it's just that I prefer something in the middle, something less like a weird troll cult who's mission is to take over the world by smelling strongly of garlic.

garlic fried poppers with a bloodshot spicy garlic and vodka shot in the background
Porch G.

Great little Swedish run bar offering all kinds of shots and tasty garlic based food. It's cozy and the service is warm

John S.

I went here in a large group last Friday and I have to say I left thoroughly underwhelmed by Garlic and Shots. They serve 101 types of shot - which were a lot of fun, along with bottled beers and wine. We also tried the garlic beer - but as another reviewer mentioned this is just a glass of normal beer with chopped garlic added. A few people tried it but couldn't bear to drink more than a sip. In terms of shots I tried the bloodshot (tomato, garlic, chilli and vodka), chilli vodka (pretty spicy as expected), and instant margarita (all the ingredients of a margarita in a shot glass). The shots are £2.50 each - although don't try and order from the bar at the front of the restaurant as I did and got told off. Food wise, as a starter the garlic bread was the probably the best I've ever had. The main dishes however were a major disappointment. The Swedish/American influenced dishes such as the garlic burger, or Swedish sausage with garlic mash would have been pretty tasteless were it not for the vast amount garlic added to every part of the dish. One of our party was so disgusted with his main the he took one bite and left the rest. The waitresses and other members of staff seemed really unfriendly and we didn't feel welcome. We managed to rack up a £40 bill each - but I didn't feel we got a great deal for this so would say it represented poor value for money. We had been considering heading to the downstairs Goth bar afterwards, but after finishing the meal decided we really didn't feel like staying any longer. I might go there again for a shot or a few drinks, but not for food.

Sheetal M.

I happened to chance upon this place whilst out drinking in Soho with three tipsy and very hangry men. We were looking for somewhere to eat and as this place served burgers and looked quieter than the GBK next door (my companions required burgers) we decided to come here. I had also seen this reviewed on Yelp so thought it would be a good shout seeing as I loved garlic! Okay so the concept is strange but I liked it. Straightaway we opted for a shot - however we all chose a shot for the person sitting diagonally across from us which, in my opinion, made things fun! My first shot was a 'Bombay Cooler Shooter' which consisted of gin, peach and cranberry which was quite pleasant. I can't speak for the others however they seemed able to swallow theirs down! We then decided to order food. The three boys had burgers, I opted for the Swedish smoked sausage and mash. This was served with a garlic mash, raw red onions, red cabbage and capers with a smear of whole grain mustard. The mash and the sausage were good - especially the mash! I love garlic mash! I don't really like the other stuff so I just left it, however having been to Scandinavia before, I expected it. The boys enjoyed their burgers which was good. The food was okay, I just felt a bit deflated after eating it, especially as I'd heard and read so much about it! After food, we went for a second round of shots. I have no idea what was in the second one as again, one of my companions chose mine but it wasn't too bad! I guessed that it had Jäger in it. I got one of my dinner companions a shot which had tequila, sambuca and Tabasco in it and I have never seen a grown man writhe in pain like that before! Definitely the best choice for him! Overall it was a pleasant experience although the toilets are pretty grim! Next time I might just go to the underground bar for shots and give the food a miss.

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Garlic & Shots Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Garlic & Shots

OH and if it's your first time visiting you have to get a 'bloodshot', good luck with that (buy a strong chaser hah!)

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Snaps & Rye takes me back to my childhood - and I'm not even Danish! My grandmother used to serve…read moreopen sandwiches on ceramic boards, and the meatballs I sampled today reminded my of my mum's cooking. We only ever had meatball sandwiches on Saturdays, made from the week's leftovers ... here they come freshly made to order, with a side order of pickled beetroot and thinly sliced cucumber salad. Somehow Jacqueline and Kell managed to condense my childhood memories and re-package them in modern Scandi style. The biggest draw is the rye bread - the only thing expat Germans miss when they live abroad. No wonder the place was packed just one week since opening. Service is as understated and friendly as the surroundings, and I was very happy with the recommendation of mint & licoirice tea. I'll have to come back to sample some snaps ...

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Garlic & Shots - bars - Updated May 2026

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