I’m excited to tell you about one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to, Gordon’s Wine Bar. If you like wine, this is a destination you can’t miss. I’m always searching for establishments with character, and Gordon’s is far from lacking in this category. This place is truly unique. It’s cave-like atmosphere, lit only by candles, makes you feel like you walked back in time a few hundred years. It’s fascinating!
Gordon’s had not been on my list; nor had I ever heard of it for that matter. It was an employee at our hotel who made this recommendation. We were sitting at the hotel bar the previous night when a staff member joined us and inquired about our vacation. I explained out plans for the following day. We would be visiting the area of Westminster: Big Ben, Parliament, 10 Downing Street (home of the Prime Minister), and of course West Minster Abbey. He asked if we had any restaurants in mind. If you’ve been following this blog, you know I mapped out several pubs throughout the city. So . . . naturally I had one picked out in Westminster. He suggested we check out Gordon’s Wine Bar. He brought up some pictures on his phone, and I must say, it looked cool. In the back of my mind though, I wasn’t quite sure if we’d make it there or not. It certainly looked like a ‘Conahan Experience’ type destination, but with other options in place, it wasn’t particularly a must do on our list (though it should have been). We’d have to see how the day unfolded.
Fast forward to the following day. We had completed our sightseeing in the Westminster area and it was now time for food, and of course, a beverage. We could have gone to the pub I had in mind, but we decided to look into this wine bar we had heard about the night before. After mapping it out we made our way along the Thames Embankment, strolling through Whitehall Gardens before arriving at our destination on Villiers Street.
Should you not be seeking it out, you could easily pass it by. In a sense it’s hidden in plain view. Despite being well signed, and the fact that there is a door out front, there is no obvious sign of a main entrance. I’ve passed several pubs where I thought, that looks cool, I should check it out. I would not have thought that had I just been walking by. Nothing on it’s facade indicated the amazing experience that awaits within it’s walls.
The sign on the front door read, for entry please use the side entrance to the right on Watergate Walk. Easy enough. To the right of the building there were a few steps leading down to Watergate Walk. There was a door on the left leading down into what appeared to be a kitchen. With no signage present we continued on. Eventually, we reached the end of the building before ending up on the street behind it. Once again, no obvious sign of a main entrance. How do you get in this place? We back-tracked to the “kitchen” door. Surely that must be it. It was the only door on the side of the building. So in we went, expecting an uncomfortable encounter with the kitchen staff. Quite the contrary, we entered a world from a different time.
A smarter man than myself would have the ability to explain the ambience of this place. Any attempt of my own would surely fall short of the justice it deserves. I’ll just post some pics. All I can say is I felt like I was in scene written by Charles Dickens. Though, I believe I may have seen Jack the Ripper in the corner . . . plotting.
Gordon’s Wine Bar was established in 1890 and appears pretty much unchanged ever since. This is a true wine bar in the sense that wine is all you’re going to get. Don’t look for beer or liquor; they don’t have it! I’m sure this won’t cause panic for most. The side entrance brought us into the main room. This room has the wine bar (more of a counter) and a station for food. The decor consists of old dark wood and newspaper clippings on the walls. It felt old. Beyond the bar area is the “cave” area. This low ceiling chamber is lit only by candles and is sure to leave a lasting impression.
We enjoyed a few glasses of wine and a glorious plate of cheese and bread. I am far from a cheese connoisseur, so don’t ask me what we had. I’m no wine connoisseur either, though I know enough to tell you I had red wine. I can even go a step further—Bordeaux. I could have spent the entire night in this amazing place, but eventually it was time to move on. I would definitely recommend a visit should you find yourself in the area. It is truly unique. Weather permitting, there are outdoor tables lined down Watergate Walk, the same stretch we struggled to find an entrance. It looks like an amazing place to sit outside on a nice day and have a glass of wine, but I stand firm in saying the cave is the place to be!
We had left Gordon’s with plans to visit Covent Garden; however, a slight detour through Trafalgar Square led us to a pub decorated with Philadelphia Eagles paraphenilia. Considering we were in London for the Eagles, it became the next stop on our trip. Click here to read about The Admiralty, and the wonderful locals we had the pleasure of having a few pints with!