The Alchemist
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This place was a quick walk from our hotel and we went on the strength of all these Yelp reviews but, frankly, we were disappointed. My husband thought this place was like a TGIFriday's (remember them?) trying very hard to be cool... His Smoky Old Fashioned was VERY sweet while my French Kiss drink was just the right amount of sweet but the silicone tongue that came with it WAS too much. (And I think most everything a restaurant serves should be edible.) There were two tables nearby that got drinks that came on fancy lit up pedestal things, which we were hoping for, too. But, no... And then the food: Also reminiscent of TGIFriday's. Meh. The interior is cool and the framed prints on the walls were great. Service, from one of the managers no less, was very attentive.
Between a 3 and 4, but going with four because the food was above average pub grub and the drinks were good even if they were better looking than tasting. Came here for pre-theater anniversary dinner with my wife. The ambiance was somewhere between that of a trendy club and nice bar. There was a mad scientist vibe with the lights being industrial vibe and some metal decor. The music was thumpy and loud enough to remind you it was there. It made me feel a bit out-of-place as somebody well past my 20s, but also a bit cool or being there. You really come here for the drinks. We got the pipe dream, smokey old fashioned, honeypot picante, and one other I can't remember the name of, but which came in a flower pot. The pipe dream and smokey old fashioned were likely the best. Overall the drinks were more visually appealing than traditionally good and the visually appealing ones tended to have ingredients that weren't as top shelf and/or they were just too sweet. Not bad, but disappointing for what we'd hope. The food was the opposite. I had low expectations and the food wasn't amazing, but was better than average. We got the bao buns, crispy duck pancakes, panko halloumi, katsu curry, and hot honey pork tacos. They arranged for it all to come out in time for us to make our theater show, which was nice. The bao buns and pork tacos were probably the best. Neither blew me away, but both were solid. The katsu curry and halloumi were standard of what you might expect. The crispy duck pancakes was maybe as advertised, but it would have been nice to have some moistness or substance to the dug vs. it basically being crunchy salty bits of something. Overall, this wasn't a bad meal, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for either. We may be back, but we'll probably try other things first.
While in the neighborhood and needing a drink, my daughter recommended The Alchemist for some fun cocktails. As the business title suggests, they take a scientific approach to most of their cocktails and create wonderful flavors and colors using dry ice, smoke, etc. for the effects. These are by far the coolest drinks around. Very theatrical presentations and Insta-worthy! I had the smoky Old Fashioned which has an infusion of wood smoke in the drink and it was suggested to cover the beaker top of the liquor to hold in the smoke as long as I wanted to customize the flavor. It was sublime. My daughter had a mixed drink blueberry and gin that had the dry ice in it that fizzled and bubbled like a slow moving volcano eruption (less violent, of course). She loved it. My wife had a color-changing space shifter drink. She also liked it. A fun place to visit before or after a show or for an evening out.
food: dint grab food only drinks but the were yum and barely tasted like alcohol. also they were obviously presented super uniquely service: the staff was nice but kinda slow getting to us at a table and there was a lot of chaos like a bartender dropping glasses the whole time ambiance: really cool lighting and interior, gets very busy though
Very cute cocktail bar in London! Loved the drinks here, service was good. Definitely would recommend if in the area
It was our first time in London with my wife. We were hungry, saw this place, and thought "let's try it." We ordered a couple of dishes and drinks, and everything hit different - the flavors, colors, seasoning, even the music. It felt totally new and amazing. Besides that the people there were very nice. We spent 5 days in London, but The Alchemist was our favorite by far. If you go, you have to check out this place. Totally worth it.
Awesome place for super cool cocktails. Like the name of the place, many of the cocktails look like science experiments - clouds wafting from the funky glasses. Shimmering liquid, beakers to share. And regular drinks of course. Highly recommend.
GOING on a UK TUESDAY...lol (10:00pm) walking up to the building the Gold accents sparkling I couldn't wait to try a "Theatrical Drink" -- we headed to the bar to order with bartenders but was habd a menu; it was missing pages btw. *** it best to ask what drinks are theatrical as they are limited base on your spirt of choice. The drink I ordered was super sweet :( for tequila to me but I did like my classic margarit- Food was decent prawns were small But those tots can't go wrong if you like TRUFFLES The staff was stand off-ish in my opinion we had to wait for a table even though there were tables open but again they were closing mode. The ambiance did not lack; golden decor with a warm modern vibe. SUPER CUTE photobooth by the bathroom!!!!! Found this spot searching yelp...Not gonna lie, the name made me want to get the
Atmosphere: First off This place is way too loud I feel like I'm at a deadmou5 rave party which was not the goal. The bass is boosting in my ear while I munch down on some lobster, an electric experience . Our waiter was very good though and was patient with our American accents. I felt that the music was too loud in the dining area. Perhaps they could have a lower volume in the dining area versus the bar area. Food: I ordered the lobster mac n cheese with a lemonade. I really enjoyed the mac & cheese. Every single bite savor in my mouth delicious complemented with the lemonade. It was a fantastic dish. The mac & cheese was nice and warm and it filled me up quickly on a nice cold day in London. My sister ordered the lobster mac & cheese cheese as well. She enjoyed. It said there was a decent amount of lobster in the meal and liked the crumbles on top of the mac & cheese. My brother said the normal mac & cheese was a little spicy, but rather than that it tasted all right and the hamburger/cheeseburger tasted fine. Nothing extraordinary quite mediocre. The fries were made well. What really surprised us was the presentation the hamburger was lit on fire. It was an epic show for the family. Also, not to mention the constant drinks that came out with a mist and fog. These drinks look so cool. I don't know how they did it maybe freeze dried ice, but they look like potions and although the portions were little and half of the alcohol was drained by ice there was no other complaints. My mom ordered a steak. She always orders a steak because **there's very limited selections off of a gluten-free menu.** They're really isn't anything that she could order so she ordered the steak. It was OK not the best but it was OK. My father's dish was a curry chicken with jasmine rice. It was prepared really well and he enjoyed it profusely also he ordered onion rings, which was just breaded and fried to perfection with a little ketchup. They were some of the best onion rings he ever tasted in his entire life. My brother had the tofu coconut curry, and he thought it was a good option. He enjoyed it. He also thought that the vegetarian sampler was good for the family however, he found that the mushrooms were a bit too battered fatty and hard to eat they didn't taste so delicious. It would've been nicer if they were Less fattening and more crispy because even with the crisp, they weren't quite crispy they still felt mushy. Concerning the drinks, I thought that the smoke was a lot of fun. However, the poor sizes were not very large and I didn't find any of the drinks particularly delicious.
If you want ultra cool cocktails, this is the place to go. The cocktails can be smoked, bubbled, and come in a variety of glasses. The food was not as good as the cocktails. We had several starters, with the best one being the duck pancakes. For a main I ordered the Curry Fish, which was terrible. The fish had a very "fishy" taste. The sauce was not even tasty enough to lap up with the rice. Pleasant service. Our starters arrived immediately but the mains took a while. Would return for drinks and possibly some munchies, but not a full meal.
Let's start with the food. Mac and cheese? Bland ass hell. Didn't think it was possible to make a Mac and cheese taste like nothing, but it did. Not a single bouillon cube in this place. Their fries were also bland. Sandwich was mid. Fried mushrooms were good. Entirely reliable on the sauce it comes with. Can't complain about the drinks. They were good. This place is solely for the purpose of having drinks look pretty. Looks cool, food sucks. Now. Doorman was nice. The hostess was nice. But our waiter was a jackass. Dry attitude. No customer service training whatsoever. Wouldn't go back. Would totally be okay with the rude waiter if the food was halfway decent, but it wasn't. So. No. Won't be going back.
How is this a dirty martini? I specifically requested dirty, this came, I asked the server, he returned and somewhat rudely said "It's dirty" and quickly walked away. I guess I was a bother
The Alchemist was literally at the bottom of our Airbnb, making it incredibly convenient--and I'm so glad we stopped in. The location is fantastic, the customer service was excellent, and the atmosphere made for a really enjoyable breakfast. I started with a cappuccino and added salted caramel, but honestly, the cappuccino was so good it didn't even need it. It was smooth, rich, and perfectly made on its own. For breakfast, I ordered the Eggs Benedict. They offer two versions: one with pulled beef and one Florentine. As someone from the US who's a bit of an Eggs Benedict snob, I've tried countless versions over the years, and pulled beef just wasn't something I could picture working with it. I went with the Florentine and customized it by adding bacon, avocado, and a side of sausage. One thing I've learned while visiting the UK is that the sausages are much larger than what I'm used to back home! I honestly could have skipped it because it was so filling. The Benedict itself was unique--the base was almost like a buttery croissant instead of a traditional English muffin, and it came with pickled red onions, which was an interesting touch. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly, and I especially enjoyed it with the added bacon. The food was fresh, high quality, and beautifully prepared. There was plenty of seating both inside and outside, but I chose to sit outside and enjoy some people watching, which made for a relaxing start to the day. Overall, a great breakfast spot with delicious food, excellent service, and a wonderful atmosphere. I'd definitely come back. read more
10 days ago
Even from the outside I was drawn in. Looks so inviting. We were greeted my a nice man who took us to our table immediately. It was a bit warm inside and we mentioned it to him and he immediately kicked on the air conditioning. It was very comfortable after that. Our server was a nice lady who was clearly busy but took the time to explain everything in detail. We started with the pulled beef donuts. Honestly, I could have eaten three dozen of these. I absolutely loved them. Our drinks come out next. I got a strawberry purée champagne cocktail that was very good. My friend got the smoked old fashioned and the presentation was excellent and my friend said it tasted even better. I got the Korean BBQ pork tacos and the Bang Bang salad with no protein. The taste of both of these were out of this world. The flavors were spot on! I was dreaming about eating here the rest of our days in London but we were never able to make it back. I will definitely eat here on my next trip. Just perfect. read more
14 days ago
This place was a quick walk from our hotel and we went on the strength of all these Yelp reviews but, frankly, we were disappointed. My husband thought this place was like a TGIFriday's (remember them?) trying very hard to be cool... His Smoky Old Fashioned was VERY sweet while my French Kiss drink was just the right amount of sweet but the silicone tongue that came with it WAS too much. (And I think most everything a restaurant serves should be edible.) There were two tables nearby that got drinks that came on fancy lit up pedestal things, which we were hoping for, too. But, no... And then the food: Also reminiscent of TGIFriday's. Meh. The interior is cool and the framed prints on the walls were great. Service, from one of the managers no less, was very attentive. read more
25 days ago
Between a 3 and 4, but going with four because the food was above average pub grub and the drinks were good even if they were better looking than tasting. Came here for pre-theater anniversary dinner with my wife. The ambiance was somewhere between that of a trendy club and nice bar. There was a mad scientist vibe with the lights being industrial vibe and some metal decor. The music was thumpy and loud enough to remind you it was there. It made me feel a bit out-of-place as somebody well past my 20s, but also a bit cool or being there. You really come here for the drinks. We got the pipe dream, smokey old fashioned, honeypot picante, and one other I can't remember the name of, but which came in a flower pot. The pipe dream and smokey old fashioned were likely the best. Overall the drinks were more visually appealing than traditionally good and the visually appealing ones tended to have ingredients that weren't as top shelf and/or they were just too sweet. Not bad, but disappointing for what we'd hope. The food was the opposite. I had low expectations and the food wasn't amazing, but was better than average. We got the bao buns, crispy duck pancakes, panko halloumi, katsu curry, and hot honey pork tacos. They arranged for it all to come out in time for us to make our theater show, which was nice. The bao buns and pork tacos were probably the best. Neither blew me away, but both were solid. The katsu curry and halloumi were standard of what you might expect. The crispy duck pancakes was maybe as advertised, but it would have been nice to have some moistness or substance to the dug vs. it basically being crunchy salty bits of something. Overall, this wasn't a bad meal, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for either. We may be back, but we'll probably try other things first. read more
While in the neighborhood and needing a drink, my daughter recommended The Alchemist for some fun cocktails. As the business title suggests, they take a scientific approach to most of their cocktails and create wonderful flavors and colors using dry ice, smoke, etc. for the effects. These are by far the coolest drinks around. Very theatrical presentations and Insta-worthy! I had the smoky Old Fashioned which has an infusion of wood smoke in the drink and it was suggested to cover the beaker top of the liquor to hold in the smoke as long as I wanted to customize the flavor. It was sublime. My daughter had a mixed drink blueberry and gin that had the dry ice in it that fizzled and bubbled like a slow moving volcano eruption (less violent, of course). She loved it. My wife had a color-changing space shifter drink. She also liked it. A fun place to visit before or after a show or for an evening out. read more
food: dint grab food only drinks but the were yum and barely tasted like alcohol. also they were obviously presented super uniquely service: the staff was nice but kinda slow getting to us at a table and there was a lot of chaos like a bartender dropping glasses the whole time ambiance: really cool lighting and interior, gets very busy though read more
2 months ago
4 months ago
It was our first time in London with my wife. We were hungry, saw this place, and thought "let's try it." We ordered a couple of dishes and drinks, and everything hit different - the flavors, colors, seasoning, even the music. It felt totally new and amazing. Besides that the people there were very nice. We spent 5 days in London, but The Alchemist was our favorite by far. If you go, you have to check out this place. Totally worth it. read more
Awesome place for super cool cocktails. Like the name of the place, many of the cocktails look like science experiments - clouds wafting from the funky glasses. Shimmering liquid, beakers to share. And regular drinks of course. Highly recommend. read more
2 years ago
GOING on a UK TUESDAY...lol (10:00pm) walking up to the building the Gold accents sparkling I couldn't wait to try a "Theatrical Drink" -- we headed to the bar to order with bartenders but was habd a menu; it was missing pages btw. *** it best to ask what drinks are theatrical as they are limited base on your spirt of choice. The drink I ordered was super sweet :( for tequila to me but I did like my classic margarit- Food was decent prawns were small But those tots can't go wrong if you like TRUFFLES The staff was stand off-ish in my opinion we had to wait for a table even though there were tables open but again they were closing mode. The ambiance did not lack; golden decor with a warm modern vibe. SUPER CUTE photobooth by the bathroom!!!!! Found this spot searching yelp...Not gonna lie, the name made me want to get the read more
Atmosphere: First off This place is way too loud I feel like I'm at a deadmou5 rave party which was not the goal. The bass is boosting in my ear while I munch down on some lobster, an electric experience . Our waiter was very good though and was patient with our American accents. I felt that the music was too loud in the dining area. Perhaps they could have a lower volume in the dining area versus the bar area. Food: I ordered the lobster mac n cheese with a lemonade. I really enjoyed the mac & cheese. Every single bite savor in my mouth delicious complemented with the lemonade. It was a fantastic dish. The mac & cheese was nice and warm and it filled me up quickly on a nice cold day in London. My sister ordered the lobster mac & cheese cheese as well. She enjoyed. It said there was a decent amount of lobster in the meal and liked the crumbles on top of the mac & cheese. My brother said the normal mac & cheese was a little spicy, but rather than that it tasted all right and the hamburger/cheeseburger tasted fine. Nothing extraordinary quite mediocre. The fries were made well. What really surprised us was the presentation the hamburger was lit on fire. It was an epic show for the family. Also, not to mention the constant drinks that came out with a mist and fog. These drinks look so cool. I don't know how they did it maybe freeze dried ice, but they look like potions and although the portions were little and half of the alcohol was drained by ice there was no other complaints. My mom ordered a steak. She always orders a steak because **there's very limited selections off of a gluten-free menu.** They're really isn't anything that she could order so she ordered the steak. It was OK not the best but it was OK. My father's dish was a curry chicken with jasmine rice. It was prepared really well and he enjoyed it profusely also he ordered onion rings, which was just breaded and fried to perfection with a little ketchup. They were some of the best onion rings he ever tasted in his entire life. My brother had the tofu coconut curry, and he thought it was a good option. He enjoyed it. He also thought that the vegetarian sampler was good for the family however, he found that the mushrooms were a bit too battered fatty and hard to eat they didn't taste so delicious. It would've been nicer if they were Less fattening and more crispy because even with the crisp, they weren't quite crispy they still felt mushy. Concerning the drinks, I thought that the smoke was a lot of fun. However, the poor sizes were not very large and I didn't find any of the drinks particularly delicious. read more
If you want ultra cool cocktails, this is the place to go. The cocktails can be smoked, bubbled, and come in a variety of glasses. The food was not as good as the cocktails. We had several starters, with the best one being the duck pancakes. For a main I ordered the Curry Fish, which was terrible. The fish had a very "fishy" taste. The sauce was not even tasty enough to lap up with the rice. Pleasant service. Our starters arrived immediately but the mains took a while. Would return for drinks and possibly some munchies, but not a full meal. read more
1 year ago
Let's start with the food. Mac and cheese? Bland ass hell. Didn't think it was possible to make a Mac and cheese taste like nothing, but it did. Not a single bouillon cube in this place. Their fries were also bland. Sandwich was mid. Fried mushrooms were good. Entirely reliable on the sauce it comes with. Can't complain about the drinks. They were good. This place is solely for the purpose of having drinks look pretty. Looks cool, food sucks. Now. Doorman was nice. The hostess was nice. But our waiter was a jackass. Dry attitude. No customer service training whatsoever. Wouldn't go back. Would totally be okay with the rude waiter if the food was halfway decent, but it wasn't. So. No. Won't be going back. read more
2 years ago
How is this a dirty martini? I specifically requested dirty, this came, I asked the server, he returned and somewhat rudely said "It's dirty" and quickly walked away. I guess I was a bother read more
8 months ago
9 months ago
Cool and trendy bar not too far away from Trafalgar Square. We came here after lunch for some afternoon cocktails before continuing our tour of London. It was open seating and order at the bar and each table had cocktail menus available. - Caramelized Jungle Bird (4.5/5): My husband loves tropical rum drinks and this was right up his alley. The bartender melted the sugar to make the caramel right in front of us and finished making the drink by setting it on fire! Overall this drink was great! - Martini-in-a-bottle (4/5): I didn't realize this was literally pre packaged in a glass bottle lol. He just pulled it out of the fridge and took the top off. But either way, the drink was super refreshing and delicious. Light and not too sweet which I love. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
The service was very attentive, and if judged separately, 5 out of 5 stars. The cocktails...looked cool, but tasted too sweet with not much alcohol. I thought maybe it was the drinks, so we ordered more, and same outcome. They are for the eyes, not to give you a buzz. The food was not bad, but did not wow us. The fried chicken sandwich and pork cracklings were good and crispy, but the grilled chicken with fajita fixings was underwhelming. No seasoning. What I thought was salsa or hot sauce due to the red color was what tasted like ketchup with water. The Alchemist was worth a stop to watch the dry ice in the drinks cause a smoky show, but I don't recommend it otherwise. read more
2 years ago
Great place for Instagram-worthy, experimental, and tasty cocktails. Order at the counter service, the mixologists were very friendly and enthusiastic (when ordering, make sure your company is watching as well, as part of the show will be given at the counter). The setting was dimly-lit and not too crowdy, making it an enjoyable space for a pre-dinner drink. Also note that a lot of items are cocktail-themed, even the oysters that are on the menu. read more
It is a chain store and the location I went was in the theater district. Their drinks are creative but just know that if you want to sit at a bar with no reservation, you have to go order your own drinks. No table service at the communal bar table. So make a reservation even just for drinks. I waited about 25 minutes in line to get a drink while 2 managers standing and watching. So the service isn't great just you know. read more
1 year ago
This is hands down one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. Not only are the drinks and food absolutely impeccable, but the presentation of everything is pure ART-- and a huge plus is the service we received from the staff. We were served by Khalid and Kim. As an American tourist, we have been met with some unkind service at some places. We've been lied to, tricked & "forgotten" about. When we first came in, we were told there was a 30 min wait, we didn't need to put down a name and could sit in a side waiting area. My group was nervous that we would be forgotten about, but less than 10 minutes went by and we were greeted by the host and seated. While we waited for our seats, we ordered at the bar, where the bartenders didn't know what a lemon drop was. They didn't say "sorry we can't make that" they asked HOW to make it and did an incredible job. They even asked us to come back so they could do something different to it and see if we liked it-- and we did! I can't even begin to describe how amazing the food was. Everything was delicious and it is something I will day dream about tasting again until the day I die. We are from Los Angeles & Portland and I'm telling you-- America could neverrrrr do anything like this. read more
This is a 5 star business!! I have to say, that at first I was a little put off. It's when I first realized I am no longer a spring chicken lol. It was dark, and it was crowded walking through the bar, and the music was loud. When did I get so old? But as soon as we got to our table, I loved every single thing about this place. Food is amazing and believe me we tried a lot of everything. Presentation of the food was beautiful as well. The drinks were delicious and of course very interactive and delicious. The staff is trained very well to engage and excite you. Did I mention the food was amazing? It's very difficult to not enjoy the experience here. read more
Came here for dinner & drinks with friends. The restaurant was dimly lit and great for catching up. Our waitress recommended some popular items on the menu and kept us laughing all night. You definitely come here for the drinks and theatrics as they have liquid nitrogen and all kinds of cool tricks as they make the drinks. The food was really good too but we would definitely come back with 'out of town friends' for drinks for sure. read more
4 years ago
Looked for something close by the Lamb and Flag for dinner. Eclectic food and drink menu caught our eye. As it turned out this was a bit gimmicky - mostly tuned to a younger crowd. While the drinks are imaginative and they use dry ice for theatrical flair - they tend to be small pours and a bit too sweet overall. Like I said - tuned to a younger crowd. The food was tasty, but the presentation. tended to outstrip the execution. Enjoyable but not much better than average in general in terms of quality. Not bad - just not great. The young (18-20ish?) woman next to us we're having a bang up time posting to instagram - need o say more? read more
1 year ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
The food is fun and excellent and the drinks were amazing - great presentation and taste. Highly recommend it!! read more
Love the style of this place. We got stuck on a layover in london traveling back home to the states and wanted to grab a drink. This place is so trendy, cool, and well designed! It was very clean, chic. The menu is amazing - very unique and interesting drinks and food. Our cocktails were inspired and delicious, served in interesting glasses - mine bubbled and glittered, my friend's fogged up, one of my friend's was served in an Erlenmeyer flask... wow what a fun time!! The desserts were also so fun and delicious. I absolutely loved the style of this place and how the menu was designed, as wel as the place itself. What a fun place to grab interesting and boozy drinks! Wish I could come back more often. Also, the service was great! Waiter recommended a lot of fun things to do on our night in London, he was super sweet. Our drinks and food came out so fast! I walked here - not sure what the closest parking garage is or anything like that, definitely no private lot. Would highly recommend stopping by- they also have an online merchandise store with some shirts and cocktail recipes! read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
The food was very good and that's the only reason this place is getting three stars. The drinks were EXTREMELY sweet and expensive, we ordered three and the presentation was amazing but we could barely taste the liquor. The drinks look aesthetically pleasing but they didn't really taste like good cocktails. They all tasted like soda pop and made 40% of our bill expense. The music was very loud, it was giving night club but the inside looks like a very classy restaurant. Also the women's bathroom was quite literally FLOODED. And to top it all off...our bill was $118 and they tried to charge me $164? read more
I will start by saying the drinks and food here are incredible!! The service was a different story, but only because of speed. Our waiter also forgot to put our order in to the kitchen so it took much longer than expected. We tried our way through the cocktail menu and were pleased with each option! They all come with some sort of theatrical element that makes them fun and unique. The food was also unique and tasty. You could come here for a multitude of occasion, but it would be a great spot for date night! read more
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