Mascara Bar

Any positive reviews posted on here are clearly from lucky customers who did not have the displeasure of interacting with the owner Maggy. Most rude to all, as pointed out in multiple other reviews. Easy to catch her vibe and lack of customer skills in her review responses too. Open late and not a terrible vibe in there when she is not around though!

Loads of character and cheerful Irish vibes, music every night, superb Guiness pouring, simple but yummy bar food, and community-friendly!

I love coming into Mascara bar, always an amazing vibe about the pub. Yesterday was the first day of the rock festival and the atmosphere was unmatched🔥 Definitely the place to be if you’re looking to have a good night and great company!

A wonderful Irish pub, can't say enough good things about Maggie! Loved chatting with her and delighted to find this great hangout in our local area.

I recently visited Mascara Bar, and I must say, my experience was far from enjoyable. The establishment enforces a ridiculous rule that customers must purchase a drink to even be allowed inside the premises. If you dare to enter without a drink in hand, be prepared to be chased down by the aggressive bar staff and coerced into buying one. During a conversation with the owner regarding this preposterous policy, I expressed my dismay at the unfriendly and unwelcoming atmosphere it creates. It is appalling that an establishment claiming to be a place for social gatherings and community building would resort to such heavy-handed tactics to extract money from its patrons. The owner's response was dismissive and unapologetic, displaying a complete lack of concern for customer satisfaction. It is clear that Mascara Bar prioritizes profits over creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for its guests. Furthermore, the mandatory drink purchase policy reminded me of corporate giants like Pret, where customers are required to make a purchase to use basic facilities like restrooms. Such profit-driven tactics have no place in a community-oriented establishment and only serve to alienate and frustrate customers. I would strongly advise anyone considering a visit to Mascara Bar to think twice before supporting an establishment that values profit over customer experience. With so many other welcoming and customer-centric venues to choose from, there is no need to subject yourself to the disrespectful treatment and oppressive policies at Mascara Bar.

Best pub this side of the themes. Great staff. Lovely atmosphere and nice rolls. I cannot recommend this place enough. One of the last great real Irish pubs in London.

The strike rate at Mascara Bar for a fun night out is impossibly high. The first time my friend lost their phone at the afters elsewhere, of her own doing. The second most recent time I met Maggie and a few of her team behind the bar and made a fool of myself. The most recent time was the night after the second most recent time, and Maggie was there once again and I was told that I had met people last night who I don’t actually think I met. Never a dull night, always a cheery chinwag.

Do not attend if looking for a relaxed and friendly environment especially if queer or LGBT. While I can appreciate that the Irish landlady must have a stressful job running a bar that is open late, she was extremely hostile to paying customers who had done nothing wrong. Very aggressively asking people to move down inside the venue when there is no room as they let far too many people inside the very small establishment. When one of my gay friends tried to nicely explain that they couldn’t as there was no room but were trying, and addressed the landlady as ‘babe’ while doing so, she became extremely hostile and took offence. While she is warranted to be offended by whatever she may; when my friend apologised and said they wouldn’t do it again, and tried to explain that they were LGBT and is a phrase that gay men will often use in their casual language, she became even more aggressive and rude and kicked them out. Very mean in a way that is far beyond what would be considered the type of stern behaviour that may be required by bar staff or anybody for that matter. ESPECIALLY in such a situation for an establishment that supposedly advertises themselves as queer friendly. Sad to say, do not attend. At least until the landlady/owner can hire some staff better equipped to deal with any situations that may arise than she is. Stuck in the past.