Bermondsey Arts Club

Last month I had dinner with friends on a random Tuesday, we decided to have drinks in the area. We walked for a few minutes and found one of the most unique bars I've seen. We walked to what I thought was a public toilet. I was told there was a bar downstairs, and a bar there was. It's so random, in the middle of bermondsey there's an underground bar. I don't think many people will know of this, I'm so glad I got to find this place. The bar was empty, there was nobody there, apart from the guy behind the bar. I ordered a Guinness, which wasn't available but the bar man said that he is able to get it from me. I know not where he got the Guinness, but I was incredibly grateful. I can imagine this place would be more atmospheric if there were more people here. If it was a Saturday night, I'm sure this place would be bouncing.

Venue is great as friends had booked for new years party. Its quaint and cozy for an intimate group, although no wifi can be a problem if you're trying to Shazam the music. Bar service is relatively slow, 2 people for around 50 guests meant a long wait time. Also, wasnt very impressed at the shady characters that came into the private party (who were bar staff affiliates NOT staff), this part was massively unnaceptable for a private function.

£15 on the door — and the security guy might tell you it’s a cover charge and you can “use that amount for drinks”, but that’s not really true. You get one drink. Beer is £5.50, cocktails are £11–12, and they’re all premixed and pretty mediocre. So you’re basically just paying to enter, it’s not a club, no live music, nothing extraordinary so not sure why, unless the venue is struggling financially and it will look more genuine if they just add a clear cut entry fee! Inside, it’s empty. The vibe is pretty shady these days, the atmosphere is dead, and the bar staff are rude. They should visit other cocktail bars in the area and get some ideas. This place used to be amazing, but now it’ll just kill your buzz and leave a bad taste. Better to avoid.

We booked this place out for our engagement party as it’s where we had our first date! We were even able to design our own cocktail menu. Really great atmosphere for a private party. Highly recommend

Went to a friend’s birthday party here. Absolute delight. Staff was lovely, cocktails were lovelier and the vibe was great.

Loved this bar. It's located in a former underground toilet. The repurpose of the building is great. They kept all the original tiles. The bar itself looks very fancy against the wall as soon as you come downstairs. The menu changes on a monthly basis. If anything I'd say the lights could be just a bit brighter as it was quite dark. We will be back for sure.

Intimate and intricate space with an extensive cocktail list and talented team of mixologists. Huge thanks to Ed for making our night so special with a curated drinks list, bespoke decorations, and all-round good time ✨🎨

A place to avoid, prices more expensive than other places, drinks served in plastic cups, one of the bartenders (glasses and long hair) seemed to be under the influence of something, cleanliness = zero... and as icing on the cake, went to see local dealers doing business in the toilets. And on the top of everything they have the nerve to charge you with 12.5% of service... 🤪

One of the coolest spots I have ever had a drink because it used to be a public restroom and now it's an underground bar! Rusty was super fun and so welcoming for our first drink in London! He played such great music and created an amazing vibe when we got there. The people were so kind and welcoming to us as visitors so you definitely should check out this spot and make some new friends!

Verbally assaulted by one security and one staff at the entrance. When we got first line in the queue, we asked if the security guard had a good night, and he responded by saying "don't look or talk to me". After patiently waiting for 45 minutes at first line in the queue, being quiet as we didn't dare to look or speak to the security guard due to his disrespectful and rude attitude - we finally asked if the two of us could go in as our friends was already inside and waiting for us with drinks. The security guard and one from the staff then gets really, really agressive and starts yelling and cursing at us. The security guard and staff verbally assaulted us whilst we was trying to talk them into sense in a calm and polite way. The entire queue of 15 people ended op leaving due to staff's behaviour and thankfully backed us up. We have never experienced behaviour like this, and would never, ever come back. This has all been video documented.

Normally I am compelled to write reviews of the great places that I have been to but this time I would like to save someone else from having a terrible evening. I was there with a group of people, we had a terrible experience with the staff being so so rude from the moment we walked in. Their cocktails were very watery and overpriced for what you got. I had a Tom Collins that was weak at best. Why call yourself a cocktail bar if you can't even make the classics. Also only taking cards for payment (With a stupid card charge) and not cash - is that even legal? Would not ever recommend this place.

Amazing cocktails. Beautiful design. Relaxed vibe. This place is great. It's an old underground public toilet that's been converted into a swanky, yet chilled out cocktail bar. Also they do a jazz night once a week - check it out! It's a great place for a date, or for an after-work cocktail.

Public toilets turned into a staggeringly good looking cocktail bar. Art deco features heavily, mix of tunes and clientele mainly over 30s, probably due to the high prices, 330ml beer £5, cocktails start from £9. Dancing to silly o'clock on a school night. Champion. Teaching a bunch of Cambridge graduates how to slut drop. Priceless.

Great spot, easily missable, glad I stumbled upon it, was pretty empty the night we went. AMAZING DATE SPOT!!

Creative concept, neat little space and extremely unique cocktails. Francisco was friendly and knowledgeable and gave us some great recommendations of other cocktail bars around south London.

Cool place to visit, however once you get past the cool atmosphere it's just another very expensive place for average drinks.

A lovely little hidden cocktail bar in a disused Victorian loo beneath Tower Bridge Rd at the top of Bermondsey St. It's not labelled, so you have to keep your eye out! Lovely old art deco feel, with amazing cocktails. They have live jazz on a Wednesday evening, which further add's to the atmosphere.

They make truly exquisite cocktails here and the staff are friendly and welcoming, the decor is funky and cool. I rarely post yelp reviews but felt moved to give this place some credit because they deserve it. Put this bar on your "to do" list for sure.

My husband and I had been really looking forward to trying Bermondsey Arts Club, as we have recently moved here and we are still getting to know the neighborhood and are in search of our "go-to" spot. The perfect opportunity arose when our friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to have some proper London cocktails. The atmosphere is inviting and funky - the allure of the public toilets turned speakeasy certainly holds true. Our first round of drinks was very enjoyable. Our friend and I tried the "Thymes Up" and my husband had the classic Old Fashioned. We ordered a second round and all of us opted to try something different. While my and our friend's new "Twelve Miles In" was just as enjoyable as our first drink, I could tell that my husband was not having the same palatable experience. I asked him what was wrong with his "Big Smoke" and he said that it tasted horribly bitter. I tried a sip and the taste was indeed offensive. We politely asked our waitress if the bartender could check whether he had over poured the bitters. She gave my husband a smug look and said she could bring the drink to the bartender for him to try it, but he was unlikely to agree. We watched from afar as the bartender rolled his eyes at our request, pretended to taste the drink, and insisted to our waitress that she bring the same drink back to my husband to finish. When paying 12 quid for a drink, I would expect better service from a bar that deems to call itself professional. Bermondsey Arts Club had the opportunity to win our future frequent business if the bartender had been more friendly and respectful of a customers opinion. The worst we could have hoped for was an apology and an offer to mix in additional whiskey and vermouth to balance out the bitters; the best we were hoping for was a new drink, even if it was a cheaper menu option so that my husband could have finished the evening enjoying his drink with us. Instead he left his 12 quid drink 9/10 full on the table and we will not be returning.