Three words: not so much. Given the choice, I vastly prefer drinking wine upstairs at the nearby Whole Foods than I do here. Kensington Wine Rooms just isn't the sort of place you want to linger and chat (really, why else do you go to a wine bar?) And the unpleasant attitude of the staff member who helped us combined with his unwillingness to be flexible regarding seating arrangement in a near-empty establishment makes me not eager to return here. read more

Wine Rooms - Tapas Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Not a bad place to grab a bite to eat after walking around the area, It was crowded for happy hour and we managed to get seated in the last table in the back for dinner. I had the Smoked haddock, spinach mash, poached egg, grain mustard dressing, which surprisingly a large serving and I only managed to finish half. The poached egg was perfectly poached and the haddock's smoky flavor contrasted nicely with it. SO had the Onglet steak (hangar steak) with hand cut ships and watercress which was cooked perfectly. We ordered a glass of wine to accompany our meal (sorry I can't remember the name but I had a Reisling and SO had a Cab). The Kensington Wine Rooms is a convenient place if you're in the area, need a bite to eat and have some decent wine. read more

We went for pre- dinner drinks with some friends and had an enjoyable time. They had an interesting concept of wine tasting by having a selection of wine available in water cooler style for you to mix and match and try. Whilst it wasn't the most proper way to drink wine, I thought it was an innovative approach nonetheless. Furthermore, they had a card on to which you could load money and use it to self-serve wine. We didn't have food, but I enjoyed the wine I had. Was a great way to whet our appetite before heading to dinner at a nearby place. Ambience was simple yet posh. Also given the surrounding neighbourhood, it seemed like a great place for a date or any special occasion. Service was generally good. As said, the wine tasting was more of a self-service model, but the waiter was helpful in explaining the concept to us and helping us load our card. read more

Wine Rooms - Tapas Bars Near Me - London, XGL

The food is rather good. Ambiance is dressy but casual. Service was terrible. We had to ask for more water. We were never asked how any of our courses tased. read more

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Disappointed. Wine was good but super expensive. My wife ordered apple crisp for desert and it was average. Service was just okay. Overall, too pricey and not worth it. read more

It is a shame that a member of the staff was so rude because the wine was decent and so was the food. I asked for our check and he didn't even look up....came back with it about 5 minutes later...slammed it down and walked away. I understand that you can get busy in a restaurant but you can't sacrifice service and courtesy to your customers!! I think it's overrated to be honest. read more

What an array of reviews, I actually had a decent time, so I'm not sure if I'm the exception or if they are! We wandered in on a Sunday for an afternoon brunch and drink, we all had some form of eggs benedict and wine. The server's recommendation was quite good for a dry white, though a little pricey, but I guess I just assumed the area would be as such. Our brunch was good, not the best I've had in London, but certainly worth stopping in for if you're wandering around Kensington Church St. The servers were lovely, the place wasn't packed, it was a great place to sit and sip on a sunny weekend day. Maybe it's a different tune when they're busy, but on a lazy afternoon they were delightful read more

First night in London...wandered in and sat at the bar. Bartender was a great guy--drinks settled in and the conversation started flowing. He was in London working on his English; in France, he had a business as a personal coach and was looking forward to taking that business to NYC some day. I had him pick out my dinner for me--he chose steak frites. Mona worked there--she was great and gave me some recommendations on where to try for the rest of my stay. KWR has a great wine selection, well-designed rooms, and nice looking crowd. I would highly recommend if you are in the Kensington Neighborhood. read more

A little sad to see some of the service issues raised below - on my experience this has not been a problem at KWR. The main reason I tend to wind up here with friends is to spend some time working our way through the wines to sample in small measures from the Enomatics. The bar-menu always delivers with excellent cheeses and jamon as well as personal favourites tsuch as he pimentos di padron and the whitebait. Great spot to catch up and enjoy some excellent wines without being dragged into a full dinner. read more

My friend and I wandered into this place on a Saturday afternoon and it was a decent spot to have a glass of wine but really wasn't anything special. We asked to be seated by the window but they informed us that they were moving the table that was situated there (really didn't get the reasoning since I saw people sitting in the same location shortly thereafter). This was a little annoying since we ended up sitting further back in the Wine Room and a couple of our stools were wobbly (it's the little details that count). The wine selection was extensive and we did enjoy some decent wine. Definitely not a cheap place to have a glass of wine but I'm not surprised since they do offer a wide selection of wines to choose from. All in all, it was an OK experience. read more

Disclaimer: I haven't tried the food. Went there on a friday evening to meet 2 friends who were recently engaged. We celebrated with some nice wine, and went off to Arancina nearby for food. The Kensington Wine Bars functions in an odd but practical way. You are given a card with a chip. There are wine distributing machines around the room, and each wine has a price (for a sip, a small glass or a large glass). You then take your glass to the distribution machines, enter your card, choose your wine portion, and get it poured out. Next time you want to sample or have another wine, you do that again. It's actually an interesting way to learn about wines, or at least try several. The per glass prices go from the downright cheap (£3.50) to the insane (£36). A nice place for a glass or two, to unwind after work. I cannot comment on the food as I did not sample it. In my short experience, going to the bar to ask for the card, glasses, water, or anything else was much more efficient than waiting for a waiter to come to your table. (that never actually happened) read more

If I could give this no stars, I would. 15 minutes to be acknowledge after we were seated (incl no drinks); sent 1 appetiser back; sent back the steak "we can't cook a blue steak as it will be cold" - ridiculous... and they still tried to charge for the steak; first waitress brought wrong drink. And... No-one cared when we complained. In a word: AWFUL - avoid at all costs - as wonderful alternatives close by. read more

A very unique place, with great ambience and modern self tap machines to try lots of wines bully the glass. To be very fair, it deserves 4,5 stars - 5 for the bar and 4 for the restaurant. It's an amazing wine bar, with more then 40 wines on self tap - the format very common in Italy but unfortunately not so in London yet. Great choice, great wines. Slightly on the pricier side. Now the restaurant-starters are wonderful. Had carpaccio and foi grass-both really nice. The mains-onglet steak wasn't as tender as it should be, slightly overcooked. read more

Caught up with some fellow ex-pat friends for a quick drink. The service was a touch on the eccentric side but for the most part they are French so expect more Parisian levels of service. The wine list is impressive as is the by the glass selection. We were helped by at least 3 of the staff. The jamon and cheese sampler plates were very nice and were complimentary pairings to the 98 Rioja they had in the Enomatic machine. If you know your wines, this is a nice stop. read more

This is a beautiful space for anything from a full dinner to a single later night glass. The "self-serve" bar of reds is a great idea and offers three size choices for each of about 8 bottles, but is supremely expensive. There are better values on the menu. The "bar snacks" are delicious but also pricey. Great vibe, music, seating options, ambiance - we will definitely return! read more

Perfect for a date. Yes it's pricey, so particularly good if you're trying to impress. You get what you pay for.

Excellent wine bar with a restaurant on back (I did not eat here). You can purchase a card and sample the wines from the new age wine vendhing machines and buy a glass of one you like. Great selection and good ambiance for a date or catch up with a friend. Try the Altano red from Douro in Portugal. Great value! read more

Eh. Nothing too special. The place is a cool idea in theory, but it just doesn't seem to work out like you think it should. Individual wine dispensers actually seemed a bit silly considering the time and effort the servers would have to devote to replacing each bottle once it had finished. Despite an extensive selection of wines by the glass, I didn't try anything that knocked my socks off. The best thing about this place in my opinion, is its proximity to the Churchill Arms pub, a place I've been enjoying since childhood (and by that I mean their Thai food, not the alcohol - promise) :) read more

Place had the right ambiance, but the overpriced wine and the cold shoulder from the staff made my experience here very unpleasant. Don't see myself returning. read more

I like the concept of self serve wine, but it turns out to be quite expensive, and frankly in the end I'd rather have someone pouring and delivering my wine at a nice wine bar. The food is average, service good, location terrific. read more

I recently moved back to London, so this was my first visit to Kensington Wine Rooms in four years. The concept has changed a bit, as it's no longer self-serve. I arrived around 7 PM on a weeknight and it was absolutely packed. I was immediately greeted by a friendly waiter, who managed to find us a couple of barstools off to the side and took our order. Although the wine dispensers are still there, you order off the menu and the waiters serve you from the dispensers. We eventually were able to grab a table, and ordered some bar plates. I recommend the croquetas as well as the prawns & chorizo. The wine list is pricey, but the Cotes du Rhone I had was worth the money.The service was consistently good throughout the evening. I definitely recommend a visit if you're prepared to pay for premium wine. read more

Good selection of wines and nice decor at moderately high prices. Unfortunately, subpar food that was smothered in cheese and sauce along with generally rude service... I have never been somewhere that the lights are turned to "very bright" ten minutes before closing, quite rude. read more

Stopped in for a glass or two of wine and a few starters. Unfamiliar with French wines but our server provided two suggested tastings. A contemporary setting, with lots of quiet spots for conversation. At 6pm on Friday its nearly full with a demographic of locales 30- 50 yrs of age. Stayed for 2 glasses of wine each. read more

Gorgeous, fun and different. Lots of wines to sample and drink, gorgeous snacks at the bar, try the foie gras and the burrata. Really great service too. read more

I really like to go to this place to try new wines. You can buy a pre-paid card that you then use to try different wines. You can have just a little bit (25ml) or half the glass or a full glass - up to you. I usually end up trying a little bit of 5-7 wines and then picking the one for the night. Quite fun when you come with a few friends and chat about the wines you like. read more

Not great at all. The waiters were not at all happy to show us the main feature of the venue - i.e. how the recharge card for getting a glass of wine works which I thought was very poor form, considering they were not busy. The food was not bad but nothing special. Overall, disappointing and not worth another visit. read more

The place is ok and seems Cosy but probably the re wine is one of the worst wine I have ever drink . Very low quality wine , nothing with high quality or distinguish taste . I really don't recommend for people who appreciate good wine . read more

Not good, not bad! That's my experience here. People are friendly but nothing to really make it stand out as something special. I can see how this place can become a 'hang out ' place, it is comfortable and has some booths. read more

I'm a bit surprised by all negative reviews below.. I went there for my first date and I loved it. Maybe my company has something to do with that but overall I can not find anything wrong with this place! Good wine selection and helpful staff. read more

Brilliant little wine bar and restaurant. Fantastic service accompanied by a range of 40 wines by the sample and glass. Food is good, bar snacks and restaurant food are both really well done. If you are in the area, this really is a must visit. read more