Stopped in on a week night with a large group. We enjoyed the funky, urban decor and throwback tunes. The vibe stopped there. Service was absolutely horrible, having to wait while bartenders took orders incorrectly and had ZERO personality. Aside from our group they weren't that busy where it would be excusable. We ordered food to share as they only had platters on the menu. Everything was clearly previously frozen and over cooked. Calamari was nearly unrecognizable and most food went untouched. The 2 for 1 drink special only applies if you sign up online. There is foosball and beer pong for £16. We thought it was expensive given the beer was only enough to cover one person. It was a good thing the company was fun because this place was a dud. Also the bar looks nothing like the classy photos posted here three years ago. read more

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The husband has been here many times and wanted to take me as well. It's a nice place with good prices and ambiance in the heart of Soho. Order their bites platter - it's yummy and the portion size is good! You need to be hungry to polish it off. Gem feels like a place for wines and cocktails more than beers. Make the most of their Happy Hours! We were there on one occasion on a Saturday, and the DJ played some good music. Though we were there just for a casual night out, saw the booth sections that seem great for celebrations. It can get quite crowded. So best to get here early, get some drinks and nibbles, and party into the night later! read more

2 for 1 happy hour! We stumbled upon this " gem " of a bar! Great vibe and awesome happy hour. Friendly bartenders, too. Come by after a day of shopping on Regent street. read more

Gem bar is the opposite of where I'd choose to drink. It's located in tourist central, the music is super cheesy and they serve drinks in plastic glasses. Yes, really. Not my scene. That being said, we were there for a friend's birthday and she'd hired a booth, and it was fine. Our waiter brought us drinks, we could sit down and chat - we had a perfectly pleasant time. I'm not sure why you'd choose here, though, when London has so many other, better bars. read more

£5 Cover My roommate is obsessed with this bar. Arriving in London on a Wednesday, we found ourselves asking locals on the street where a decent bar around the area was and they pointed us down the block to here. Decent music, retro decor, and two floors. Downstairs is quiet and not much going on, but the main floor makes up for it. They have a beer pong table in the back, wicked pricey if you want to play on the weekends (£35), when we went on a Wednesday it wasn't too busy so they let us play for free. Came back here on a Friday, expecting it to be a low key place like how it was last time, however it was packed with 20-30 year old crowd dancing and dressed properly in suits and heels. Safe place to go to and I am giving this place 5 stars because the workers and bartenders have the best behinds in town. read more

A hidden gem, this is not. I've been revisiting my experience here trying to decide if I liked it or not. And to be honest I'm still not sure. It has all the makings of a great place on the edges of Soho, but greatness is in the details and here Gem bar falls flat on its face. I liked...the music. It was a good mix of RnB and top of the charts with a bit of lighter house thrown in for variety. Easy to dance to and enjoyable to listen while sipping your drink of choice. But...the DJ/pre-mix was horrendous at transitioning between songs which started to grate on my nerves. I liked...the layout and décor. Nothing fancy, but it matched the good vibe I was getting and gave the impression of lots of space, even in the below ground area. Lots of private booths so great for larger groups and it felt safe leaving your stuff there. But...the crowd was something else. I'll admit to being a bit shallow and wanting some pretty girls around, but that's not a deal breaker. Feeling surrounded by women old enough to be my mom but dressing like my younger sisters...that's a bit too much. I liked...that speed at which the bartenders served drinks and shots. Waiting at the bar is just wasted time so being able to get in and get served is a win. But...the glassware was dirty (even the plastic shot glasses hand thumb prints) and the beer selection limited. So while I could get a drink, my sober self was hesitant to actually drink it. So you see my dilemma...it had it's good spots and its bad spots so overall I'm left feeling a bit meh about the whole thing. There are plenty of other places that excite me but I will say this was one of the better for groups. If you've got a big enough one, then you can ignore the rest of the crowd and a few pre-drinks will take care of your sober standards. read more

Random find! I really enjoyed my time here. We inadvertently came in here as we search for a pub to watch a Euro match. Every pub was standing room only and crowded in the Carnaby area. We just happened to glimpse a TV inside and popped in to see if they could accommodate us. The maître de was very polite saying that we could watch downstairs where there was another bar and a dance floor. The bartender downstairs was very accommodating an found us a place to watch. After the match we were surrounded by partiers and ended up staying and dancing til late. The bartenders were friendly and on point. The prices were better than I could have imagined since I had the exchange rate and the fact that this was central London in my head. ...oh and the music kept people going without missing a beat. I also really like the elevated VIP areas! Done! read more

What a strange place. It's meant to be a hip, but it feels like a chain bar. It's full of girls and a few not so cool dudes. The mixture is upsetting. If you're a girl and want to pull a decent guy ... this is not the place. If you're in a date ... really not the place. If you're on a horrible date and don't want to bother anymore ... Perfect. Food is alright. Drinks are expensive. Music is too loud. All in all not my kind of place. read more

Well I did like the music. Proper dance chart music - exactly what you need on a Friday night after a few pre-drinks elsewhere! I liked the location - couldn't be more central. I liked the bouncers - nice and not mean at all! I liked service at the bar - fairly quick though the place was packed. I liked the lounges - we've got a booth booked for us - so it was very convenient. I liked the crowd - mixed, which was good. There is nothing fancy, nothing extraordinary - it is a standard lounge/club place but I'm really rating the experience as I did have a good time there! Tip though - do have your table booked, I think if our group didn't have one I would give this place 2 stars. However if you do have your table booked and go there with a group of people of 5+ - then I'd say 4 stars. read more

I really did not think I would enjoy this place - it in the mould of Strawberry Moons and other places nearby that I never enjoy. Loud cheesy music, packed to bursting point, full of trendy after-work types, expensive cocktail menus... just passing by every evening en route to the tube made me think "I never want to go to there". HOWEVER - we actually had a really good time. Reason number one for this was booking a booth ahead of time. We were having leaving drinks for a colleague and didn't want to be standing crammed in somewhere unable to hear ourselves think. The booth cost us a minimum spend deposit, but with the numbers we had this was never going to be a problem; also I imagine such spaces are quite lucrative and we just got lucky. The booth itself was very long making it ideal for the numbers we had, the drinks we kept ordering, and actually hearing one another. Reason number two for the good experience is Happy Hour. They run half-price drinks (across the board) until 8pm, even on a Friday, which is brilliant value. And the cocktails were tasty, especially the gigantic sharing cocktail - in a huge glass, suitable for about 4 people. We ordered several of these, until they ran out of large glasses, then we just asked for them in pitchers. Service was actually pretty good considering the drinks promos and the number of people.. a giant long bar helps spread the load, and it was actually fairly well staffed. There are of course down points aside from it not really being "my thing". Non-happy hour drinks get expensive, but this is London, so can't complain too much. The food isn't the best value - we ordered a sharing platter of appetisers and it seemed to be scraps, and cost the same as 2 mains anywhere else. Oh, and bathroom attendants. Whoever invented those, and whoever continues to employ them, should take a long look at themselves. No. So, if you're in to cheesy dance and busy cocktail bars, you can do worse - and if you aren't into that sort of thing, it may not be as bad as you think. Giant, tasty, half-price cocktails certainly sweeten the deal. read more

Just off Carnaby Street this bar pulls in the crowd come the weekend. Like a slightly more upmarket Yates with booths which you are able to reserve downstairs, the bar is large and often full. The crowd has something to be desired, mainly straight people on the pull who are fired up by the wide range of cocktails and shots. Pricewise i thought the bar was a bit much for spirits and the shots i had though an, admittedly bad, bottle of wine was under £10. The music was corny but the many people dancing didn't seem to care. read more

Where do I start? Well we booked on a half price deal so it seemed like we were in for a good deal and a good time. The venue is decorated in a gaudy dark silver and black fashion - the kind of design you see in B&Q ad's and in show homes. It was a gloriously sunny day in London and yet there was no natural light allowed to penetrated the harsh decor. The music was also VERY loud. And very dated. All the tracks played were from the 80's and a few early 90's. I am not sure if this is the ideal place to eat and if you came to drink you'd run the risk of not being able to hear anyone - even the bar staff wore ear plugs. Now I must say the male waiters were very easy on the eye and the women seemed leggy (if you like that kind of thing) - sadly though looks cannot compensate for the lack of intelligence. It took several attempts for the waitress to take our orders and she had to come back several times to check things even though she'd written them down. The general standard of the food was nice but it's very expensive. Even paying half price it felt like we were being ripped off. We ordered a starter platter and I doubt it would have fed one let alone a small group - we finished it so quickly the waiter hadn't got back to the kitchen before the plate was clean. Ordering drinks were a mission - the cocktails took ages for the bar staff to prepare (their cocktail menu isn't very big so you'd think the staff would know what they're doing) and when it came to wine we were flabbergasted! We tried to order three different bottles only to find out they didn't have any of them. We ended drinking a mediocre Sauvignon Blanc - purely because this was all they had! The payment system was different (to be honest bloody annoying). Instead of paying a bill they insisted you paid money up front when reserving the table, paid a tab and continued as such. We put some money on the account when we booked but when we handed our card over to keep a tab we didn't realise the waitress automatically deducted £50 from our account - this she tried to continue through the evening whenever we went over our total balance! This was very odd and made the evening frustrating as someone had to constantly pay and we had to keep all our receipts so we could work out what the total amount was. If you want a loud hip bar where you can be ignored by dim staff and be watched while you pee (yes the man in the bathroom handing our towels was so close you couldn't help but feel you were being watched whilst peeing), then this is the place for you. If you want somewhere central in town where you can catch up with friends and enjoy a nice meal and a good bottle of wine - avoid avoid avoid! read more

Digress is simply a must I mean a must in London if you are aged between 25-35, if you like being around, friendly, mature yet fun, well-groomed people. The place is far from being gloomy and cheap like some places in London; on the contrary it gets a petit cote chic as we say in French: Nice chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and it is furnished with a mix of classy & trendy furniture. The atmosphere is on the all very welcoming and cosy although somehow you get that little plus of those hype places in New York I just love it, it's my favourite place in London. It is the place we always want to go with my girlfriends for a good night out but mind that the music, depending of the DJ, can be really good or really plain, but for the 80's fans there is always something for you to jive on!!!! ;) My little tip: The best day to go there is on friday night and, also always try to get there before 9pm, afterwards it won't be free!!! read more

Got mixed feelings about this place. Ive been a number of times now (always evenings towards the end of the week or weekends), and either had a fantastic night or it's been a shambles. The downstairs bar is great, and if there is likely to be a few of you, reserving one of the cool Moroccan themed booths is the way forward. In my experience, staff have either been great and really efficient and helpful, or a bit on the rude side and up themselves. Maybe this was just a bad experience, and I wouldnt let it stop me going back to boogey on down to the fab music they play. Give it a go! read more

A bar and club I have grown to love, if not remember after a night out in the west End. It has brought many photographs of the pretty shots girls, the spacious dancefloor and many a drunken pose with friends. The drinks are expensive, the tables are usually full but the redeeming feature which allows this place to flourish is that it lacks attitude, people come here to have fun, they dance they laugh (at me), they go home happy. It's a great place full of cheesy music and possibilities! read more

This restaurant-night late bar-club is all of that in the same time. This two floors club would allow you to have a good drink or dance until 3 am. The dance floor, downstair, is crowded during Saturday night, but the bar still offers good drinks. But we are out of luck, drinks follow the prices of london, which means 6,10 pounds for a mojito. This place is good for people aged from 25 to 35. Don't expect to hear the last electro or house sound here! read more

Overpriced drinks and sticky tables. The drinks were tasty, even though they were craz pricey even for Central London. We were here with a work get-together and had a table reserved, so that helped make the evening a good one, anyhow. On a downside, the toilets were sketchy, even at 7pm on a Friday night - I can't imagine what they'd be like at midnight! read more

Not a bad venue during the week as it is relatively quiet (not a fan of this place on a Friday however). Awesome happy hour and the bar has a nice, cosy feel (especially as there are now twinkly Christmas lights around). They tend to do different events downstairs throughout the week too, like comedy or dance lessons - so worth checking out. read more

Gem Bar - Can't escape the Xmas cheer... - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

I went last night with some friends and we had a lof of fun! good commercial music and the best atmosphere, we were dancing a lot. The drinks were ok, I think they also have cocktails. I recommend it if you go out in the city centre as is in regents street read more

I've been there yesterday night, It is a nice place for a Happy Hour, 5pm to 7pm. All their cocktails are Half Price, Margaritas, Mojitos, Caipirinha...only £3.95. It's such a really interesting price for an After Work! read more

If mass ordering sugary sweet cocktails during heaving happy hour is your thing after work - this is your mecca. Good location but all screams early twentys with LARGE glasses of Rose to me. Not my cup of tea. Food is served - all deep fried, pre cooked, bought in fodder. Great to line your stomach before purchasing another bottle of wine. There are FAR classer joints just over in Soho. Personal preference but I wont be visiting again. read more

Digress is ok. It can get very crowded. The lunch time menu is excellent value and the food is of a good standard. They have dancing downstairs in the evening and the drinks are reasonably priced. There are booths that you can reserve for your party. This venue is ok but has the souless quality of a Slug & Lettuce or Hogshead. I personally prefer a bar/club with a bit more of an atmosphere. read more

this place was packed from very early on in the night- the bar and club area. Everyone was very nice and friendly, the music was commercial pop and hip hop,rnb, and there are various places you can sit without having to reserve. I would recommend to get there early for these booths as it gets very packed so you cant really dance. the drinks are fairly priced and entry is free at a certain time-i think before 11 and after is £5/7. We all enjoyed ourselves. read more

Digress is a good lunchtime spot if you need a cheap meal near oxford/regent street. The prices range from only £3 to £5 for the lunch menu. Watch out for the drinks though - at £2.50 for a coke you can see where they're loosing money on food they're making up for it on the drinks! I haven't been in the evening but it looks as though there are some good drinks offers on. read more

This used to be Digress and its a good bar, its better than Yates and the other chains that are around the area. I met a friend for a meal and some drinks and the bill was a respectable amount considering we were in a prime location in the City. read more

REALLY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I am really disappointed and upset with my experience at this bar on New Year's Eve. The security and management team were incredibly rude, unpleasant and quite aggressive. My girlfriend made a phone call to the bar on 31st January to confirm our booking and ask if it would be possible to get extra tickets at the door, considering that we had reserved a booth for 10 people and had already paid for 8 tickets, the manager (Julia) said: " Yes, no problem". Well it was a problem, my friends who had to pay for a taxi from Uxbridge to Gem and spend the night with us and then to arrive at the door and the security and management team not letting them in was a BIG problem (considering they also called in the afternoon to make sure that they would be allowed in). So, all my 5 friends stayed at the door even though when we arrived Julia again said that it wasn't a problem, it was a problem because there where 5 of us, not 4 as we initially said. So, my friends spend the midnight outside the bar and after trying to get in again (they then said no to the guys who had tickets!), after this ordeal they left to return back to Uxbridge. Inside the bar, the horrible experience continued...Security and management were pushing and screaming at my friends and I, since the moment we arrived. The security guy that controlled the I.D. cards pushed me to the left of the corridor against a girl and then the wall, to leave room for others to pass on the right side of the corridor however, there was nobody there - this was completely unnecessary! It was clear he wanted confrontation and if he had asked me to move aside, I would have happily obliged. On the way outside, by the door, Thomas (who said he was a manager) without reason (not many people by the door) also pushed me and when I said, "Sorry, what are you doing??...Can I speak to the manager", he said:" I am the manager!", So I then said: "Well, it is not really nice what you did and I'm not at all happy with the service", he said: " I don't mind!! Get out of my face!!!". This is unbelievable and utterly unacceptable service, I will never recommend this bar to anyone; in fact I will do the opposite! It just shows by the poor reviews this bar have, that I am not the only person who thinks this about Gem. Thank you for ruining my start to the New Year. And to top it all off, my girlfriend expressed her feelings about the terrible service and she has yet to receive a response from the bar, and it is now over a week since the email was sent. read more

nothing too special about this bar except its happy hour (5-8pm, half price food/cocktails). the long island was pretty good, £3.40 during happy hour. it was okay crowded when i went on a Tuesday evening, and after a drink or two, we were able to grab a table. the place tried too hard to be a club on a Tuesday evening though. the lights dimmed around 9pm and the red disco lights started revolving.. annoying cause i was trying to have a conversation and the strobe light was getting in my eye. dime a dozen in london, would only come back during happy hour! read more

Try the falafel type veggie burger. Delicious!!! Cute bar off Regent St area. Big booths to sit in. During lunch, not too busy but I'm sure it will be packed in evenings. Order at bar, waitress brings food. My daughter had the fish and chips, and our friend had their focaccia bread with guacamole which wasn't as spicy as stated in the menu. Good beers on tap. read more

cool place,cool music,cool staff and a sexy guy behind the bar washing up,,wish I ask u for ur name :-)

I went to Gem bar for New Year's Day; it was my first and last time. My new year's was ruined by the staff. The security at the door was extremely rude and the manager of the night was worst. The manager GRAHAM who was happy to give me his name was not pleasant at all. He took one look at me and stated that I was not going in the venue. I asked why he said because I tried to come in before. I told him I just arrived which was true, he then made an excuse that I did not have ID. I showed him my Id, then he just looked at me in disgust and said you are still not coming in. Bear in mind I am sober and ready to go in to meet my friends. I had my printed ticket with me which I paid £15 for. All I have to say is that the management are not polite and racism is still around 2015. Black and Asians please stay away from this venue as you would be treated the same way that I was. If you must know I still did not enter Gem Bar and had to spend my New Year's travelling back home. read more

Terrible place, the alcoholic cocktails are not alcoholic at all. I paid for a vodka redbull and they didn't give me what I've paid for, and then just kept ignoring me. At some point they gave me a new drink, which was just the same as before. I don't know what they put in the glasses but it was surely not vodka. I was as sober when I left as when I entered. read more