The Connaught Bar, London: hours, the trolley Martini and no reservations

The Connaught Bar in London sits at the heart of the Carlos Place hotel in Mayfair: it opens Monday to Saturday from 4pm to 1am and takes no reservations. The Connaught Martini costs £30 and is made at your table from the trolley; a discretionary 15% service charge is added, and on Sundays the bar is closed.

Updated 13 October 202610 min readHow we write the guide

2 bartenders in jackets make Martinis at the Connaught Bar’s marble counter, before shelves of bottles and mirrors

Who the Connaught Bar is for

Why go

You want a Martini made in front of you, one of the world’s most decorated bars and an evening in Mayfair without booking weeks ahead.

The menu and its prices

When to look elsewhere

You need a guaranteed table at a set time, or a Sunday drink: here there are no bookings and Sundays are closed; The Ritz’s Rivoli Bar takes reservations every day.

Other bars

Why the Connaught Bar is famous

A bar opened in 2008 inside an 1815 hotel, which in 2021 reached the top of the world ranking.

The bar opened in 2008, at the end of the hotel’s restoration (Wikipedia). The room is by David Collins Studio and blends 1920s English and Irish Cubist art with a modern edge; behind the counter work the mixologists led by Agostino Perrone and Giorgio Bargiani (bar page).

The rankings put it at the top: first in The World’s 50 Best Bars of 2021 (Cocktails Distilled), sixth in 2025 (The World’s 50 Best Bars), tenth in 2026 and Best Bar in the UK by the hotel’s page. Wikipedia also records 2 World’s Best Cocktail Bar awards at Tales of the Cocktail, in 2012 and 2016.

The gesture that made it famous is the trolley: the Martini is made at the table, and the drinker chooses the bitters. A January 2026 review asks whether a drink is worth £30 plus 15%, and answers yes, for the ritual and the precision (reviews).

Of the hotel’s 2,000 most recent Google reviews, read on 4 October 2026, 125 mention the bar: they average 4.56 stars, with 96 five-star ratings. The 41 naming the Martini average 4.68. Alongside the trolley ritual, guests write about waiters explaining drinks, the price and the wait: with no booking, an evening may begin at a table or at the counter.

An evening at the Connaught Bar, from opening to last round

With no bookings, the evening turns on when you arrive: late arrivals may find themselves waiting at the counter.

Opening
The bar opens at 4pm, Monday to Saturday, and takes no reservations: to reduce the risk of an evening wait, arrive early. Children come in with an adult; pushchairs do not.
The trolley Martini
The Connaught Martini, £30 on the June 2026 menu, arrives on a trolley: Tanqueray No.10, a blend of dry vermouths and the bitters you choose at the table, from the house-made range.
The Masterpieces
The Number 11, £29, is the Martini reworked after 11 years; the Mulata Daisy, £26, is Agostino Perrone’s favourite; the Faraway Collins also comes alcohol-free, at £20 (menu).
Canapés and truffle pizza
Any 3 canapés cost £65; the black truffle pizza, £42, is served until 10pm; caviar starts at £115 for 30 grams (menu).
The vintage cocktails
For an occasion, the Vintage Cocktails use spirits from the 1970s: the Vintage Martini costs £150, the Negroni £130; the Sidecar with an 1893 cognac reaches £1,410 (menu).
Last round
The bar closes at 1am. On Sundays, when it stays shut, the hotel’s own Coburg Bar serves classic cocktails and whisky until midnight, also without bookings.

The Connaught Bar and London’s other great hotel bars

Claridge’s is 5 minutes’ walk away, The Ritz 12, The Langham 18; The Savoy is on the Strand, half an hour away.

Loading map…

The ConnaughtThe Connaught Bar: 4pm to 1am, Monday to Saturday
Claridge’sClaridge’s Bar, 5 minutes’ walk
The Ritz LondonThe Rivoli Bar, 12 minutes’ walk

The menu and its prices, from June 2026

What the bar’s page and the June 2026 PDF menu said on 4 October 2026.

On the menu

Connaught Martini, £30, from the trolley
The Masterpieces, the house cocktails, £25 to £29
Alcohol-free versions of 5 cocktails at £20
Vintage Cocktails from £130; the 1893 Sidecar at £1,410
Any 3 canapés at £65; black truffle pizza at £42, until 10pm
Caviar from £115 for 30 grams
A discretionary 15% service charge

The Connaught Bar’s rules

From the bar’s page, the menu and Maybourne’s restaurant terms, read on 4 October 2026.

Hours	Opens at 4pm and closes at 1am, 6 nights out of 7: Sunday is the night off
Reservations	None: first come, first served
Children	Welcome with an adult, hotel guests or not; no pushchairs
Service	15% discretionary, added to the bill
Dress code	None published; Best Bars London advises dressing up
Dogs	Assistance dogs only in bars and restaurants
Groups	The Champagne Room, next door, for private events of up to 20

Staying the night above the bar

In the suites the butler brings the Martini to the room, straight from the bar’s trolley.

The Carlos Suite: a plasterwork ceiling, a chandelier, a blue-tiled fireplace and a grey sofa

The Coburg Suite: a sage-green sitting room with a chandelier, a pale sofa and a seascape on the wall

The guest services page says so: suite guests have a butler who unpacks, presses and pours their favourite Martini from the Connaught Bar’s trolley. The Carlos Suite and the Coburg Suite measure 56 m²; on Google Hotels, on 13 October 2026, the cheapest seller asked £714 for the single night of 14 January 2027 and £745 for 10 August, without saying for which room.

The 20 rooms and suites

The Connaught Bar or London’s other great hotel bars

Hours, bookings and rules from each bar’s own page, read on 4 October 2026, and the minutes on foot from The Connaught.

The real difference is booking: the Connaught Bar takes none, while The Ritz’s Rivoli Bar books every day, with a £30-a-head minimum spend, and The Langham’s Artesian has its own reservations page. With one evening and a set time, book there.

On Sundays the Connaught Bar is closed; Claridge’s Bar, 5 minutes’ walk away, stays open until midnight, The Savoy’s American Bar until 10pm, and the Coburg in the same hotel.

One mistake to avoid: turning up at 10pm on a Friday expecting a table. A March 2024 review says the bar fills up and you can drink standing at the counter while you wait.

Bar	Where	From its page	From The Connaught
The Connaught	Carlos Place, Mayfair	Monday to Saturday, 4pm to 1am; no reservations; Martini at £30 plus 15%.	You are here
Claridge’s Bar	Brook Street, Mayfair	Noon to 1am, Sundays to midnight; also by David Collins Studio; bookable.	5 minutes’ walk
The Ritz, the Rivoli Bar	Piccadilly	Daily 11am to midnight; bookable; £30-a-head minimum spend; smart casual.	12 minutes’ walk
The Langham, Artesian	Regent Street	4pm to midnight, to 1am Thursday to Saturday; bookable; over-18s only after 6pm.	18 minutes’ walk
The Savoy, the American Bar	Strand	Noon to midnight, Sundays to 10pm; ages 16 and up; elegant dress asked for.	33 minutes’ walk

Walking minutes computed on OpenStreetMap’s streets from The Connaught to each hotel on 4 October 2026, the day we read the bars’ pages.

What guests say about the bar
Of The Connaught’s 2,000 most recent Google reviews, read on 4 October 2026, 125 mention the bar, averaging 4.56 stars. Guests write about the Martini, the waiters who explain the menu, the price and the wait for a table: in December 2024 a couple there for their anniversary remember staff handling the waiting guests well, and in January 2026 a guest asks whether a drink is worth £30 plus 15% and answers yes, for the ritual.

Questions about the Connaught Bar

Booking, the wait, the dress code, prices and Sundays: what people ask before an evening at the Connaught Bar.

Do you need to book The Connaught Bar?

No, and you cannot: the bar’s page and Maybourne’s terms say the Connaught Bar takes no reservations. You arrive and ask for a table; only the Champagne Room, for private events of up to 20, can be reserved.

Is The Connaught Bar hard to get into?

In the evening it often is, because it fills up and takes no bookings. A March 2024 review says you can drink standing at the counter while you wait for a table (reviews); to reduce the risk of a wait, arrive at opening, 4pm.

Is there a dress code for The Connaught Bar?

The hotel publishes none, neither on the bar’s page nor in the restaurant terms. Best Bars London advises dressing up; at Hélène Darroze, in the same hotel, the terms say guests may wear what makes them comfortable.

How much is a Martini at The Connaught Bar?

The Connaught Martini costs £30 on the June 2026 menu, plus a discretionary 15% service charge. House cocktails run from £25 to £29, alcohol-free versions £20; the Vintage Martini, with 1970s gin and vermouth, £150.

Why is The Connaught Bar famous?

For the Martini made at the table from the trolley, and for the rankings: first in The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2021 (Cocktails Distilled), sixth in 2025 (50 Best), tenth in 2026 and Best Bar in the UK by the hotel’s page.

Is The Connaught Bar open on Sundays?

No: it opens Monday to Saturday, 4pm to 1am (bar page). On Sundays, in the same hotel, the Coburg Bar is open from 9am to midnight.

Can you take children to The Connaught Bar?

Yes, with an adult, whether or not you are staying; there is no room for pushchairs (Maybourne’s terms). At The Langham’s Artesian, by contrast, only over-18s are admitted after 6pm (Artesian).

The Connaught Bar or Claridge’s Bar?

They are 5 minutes apart on foot and share a design studio, David Collins. Claridge’s Bar opens at noon, takes bookings and opens on Sundays too; the Connaught Bar opens at 4pm, takes no bookings and has the Martini trolley.

Arrive at opening, 4pm, and not on a Sunday: the Connaught Bar takes no bookings and is closed on Sundays

The Connaught Bar on the official site

Written and checked by Lumina, independently of The Connaught. Lumina sells no rooms or tickets: every link leads to its source.

Sources