Bates

Bates are deeply knowledgeable and entirely helpful. I have two homburg hats from them. They reshape the brims for me triennially, which I'd recommend. Couldn’t be bettered.

Very happy with my visit here. Stuart was superb in helping me with a hat that I wanted to buy prior to returning home. We had a small issue with stock, and he took the time to resolve and come up with an alternative solution. And then on the second trip to pick up the hat, he took the time to ensure fit and pack for travel. Very professional.

Visited on a Sunday morning with a couple of notions on my mind and exited not long after as the happy owner of a pair of flat caps. One tweed, one silk, both beautifully made by Bates, and both firm favourites already . Equally appreciated was the firm, but gentle, guidance I received on sizing, shape and colour. My only regret was not prolonging what proved to be an enjoyable experience.

I had wanted to visit Bates to get a linen flat cap for years, and was finally able to go there in person on my birthday. Upon entering my wife and I did not feel welcome in this shop. While we were clearly American tourists, we were not dressed inappropriately nor did we even say a word before we got condescending looks and an almost disdainful greeting from the two sales people. They were helpful enough in that the gentleman who helped us did the bare minimum to provide service. The hats are glorious though and I am very happy with the hat I purchased (which could have been purchased online without being made to feel unwelcome).

Exceptional customer service, swift dispatch, and two beautifully crafted fedoras. I’m delighted.

Great selection of hats and clothing, but be forewarned, there are no prices on the hats which is indicative of only one thing they are VERY expensive. I tried on a few hats and despite finding my favorite, it was not worth 485 pounds (but that is just my opinion). Ended up settling for a nice Roma cap that was more reasonably priced. Good service, good selection, authentic London establishment.

This shop is fantastic, and the shop cat is a charming fellow indeed. They've got a great selection, the staff are highly knowledgable and friendly. I bought a hat here and would absolutely consider returning for other styles. Some other reviewers say it is the best hat shop in London, I would have to disagree as I personally find Lock & Co. Hatters the absolute best, but, personally this hatters comes in a very close second.

Only good experiences from Bates. One of the few 'genuine' British hatters were you can get the 'experience'. I got my leather sweatband on my boater hat replaced with no hassle through Tom, a very kind and knowledgeable gent but it did take quite a lot of time but I was in no rush for it. A+ for this excellent hatter.

I had quite an unexpected surprise when I took two hats to the till and had to pay £170. The hats I had in my hands weren't made of gold or of such significant craftsmanship, and neither my brother or I received any assistance that would justify such an absurd price for items that could be had anywhere else for a fraction of the cost. It would be helpful to make the cost apparent. Maybe it was a matter of two brown men walking into a shop in a certain part of London, thereby breaching some sort of unwritten rule, but the staff were inattentive and ignored us the entire time we were in the store except for when I went to pay. If you want a quality hat, take the train to Brighton and go to Mad Hatters where you will find better service, selection, and have enough left over to get a meal after the cost of a hat and return train fare.

These days, Bates Hatters operate from the premises of Hilditch and Key (73 Jermyn Street). This unfortunately means that space is fairly restricted, but they seem to have a big store room and can retrieve almost any hat they got even if it is not on display. The quality of Bates hats is very good, and they choice of different styles is just overwhelming. However, nowadays, the demand for gentlemen's hats is reduced to special occasions, and therefore a shop of this caliber is under threat of getting completely obsolete. Additionally, its biggest competitor, Lock Hatters, is just around the corner on St James, and they do ladies' hats as well and seem to survive on the Ascot business. Price-wise, Bates comes in a little cheaper than Lock (prices vary considerably between different hat styles), and the quality in my opinion is just as good. A great shop for an anachronistic product !

This is such a cute old school hat shop on a lovely Jermyn Street in London. You walk in and the shopkeeper who has been managing the shop for about 40 years asks Can I help you? and you answer I'd like a hat please (thinking why else would I have come in to a shop that only sells hats??) They measure your head and then you have the tough job of choosing which type of hat, which style, which colour - even if you know what you want (the choice in here is so good it can be distracting). This is traditionally a gentleman's hat shop, but trilbys can look good on the ladies too! It's a wonderful family owned and run business, which has been around since the turn of the last century. They have everything from formal headwear, soft felt hats, panama hats and straw boaters, to sun and rain hats, tweed hats and caps. The shop itself has lots of character and charm and takes you back a hundred years! If you want a good English hat, this is the place.