The Donovan Bar

Italian mixologist excellence in the heart of Mayfair. Cozy and elegant club style bar with great vibes. Vintage photos and fireplaces speak of an inviting place for all ages. The menu is splendidly curated with drinks you won’t find anywhere else. Beautiful spot for a nightcap and to meet people from all around the world.

A beautiful bar and great selection of drinks. I had the Martini Roots Martini, which was expertly made and presented. Tasted fantastic. Came with cheese as a bar snack. Comfortable seating available with table service, or you can sit at the bar with stools.

The cocktails were delicious and the service was great. The venue was a little brighter than I’d like for a cocktail bar, and the leather bench seating was a little tired. If you enjoy the maestro’s martinis as I do, I would recommend Velvet at Corinthia, which has live music and the interior is very elegant.

Loved this place, the cocktails are great with my fav being head in the clouds. Service was excellent and very friendly staff, will be back again and stay longer!

The afternoon tea was amazing! A little refectory English experience for each and every traveler! Worth every pound. And Myron (service) was super good, calm, helpful and friendly! We will come again one day!

Visited on a Friday night after dinner near by. Was looking for a quiet intimate bar with good cocktails so after looking through the pictures I thought this was a good place. It is situated in a hotel and the door man was very welcoming. The bar itself is quite beautiful and the cocktail menu has a great selection of drinks. Would defo recommend and will be back. Drinks were on the pricey side but it is what you would expect for the area so no complaints.

Great drinks, an elegant atmosphere, and professional waiters. The Donovan is home to the world's oldest and most expensive drink, which packs over 700 years into a glass, including cognac from 1788, setting you back £5500. That’s a bit too expensive for my wallet, but I enjoyed a few good cocktails and also got the truffle toast with onion soup. The cocktails were great, and the meal was pretty good. I also love that they provided complimentary quality cheese and olives as snacks for the table. The staff were professional, but a bit too serious/stiff. You can expect the prices for the «regular» drinks to be in the ~£25 price range. Winston Churchill was a regular in this place, and it felt natural to try «The Winston», which was listed on the menu on the website. Unfortunately, the menu on their website was not updated, and they had stopped offering that drink. That was a bit disappointing, but I got recommended a similar drink called «Big small». The drink was excellent!

The best Martini in London! The atmosphere strikes the perfect balance between classy and wild. A must-visit spot in the heart of Mayfair!

This is perhaps one of the most gorgeous bars you'll find, even in Mayfair; which is saying a lot. The interior is a mix of creativity and class, muted colours and bright lights, which accent every nook and cranny with an almost enchanting glow. The walls are covered in an array of modern and ancient-inspired art; perhaps an ode to the times of hedonistic pleasure and plenty that the cocktail menu showcases as an inspiration for their cocktails. Speaking of the menu, you will find an almost-overwhelming amount of delicious cocktails with an interesting twist. I got the Seven Apples which is a light and fruity sparkling elixir that tastes strongly of cider. The cognac, Calvados VSOP, and Aquavit make this a much stronger concoction than your typical Apple cider, though. The service is top-notch, as one would expect from such an establishment, and the price will set you back about £30 per cocktail. In case that matters.

After years of booking meetings for my boss here, I finally crossed the pond and made a reservation for myself. For me, this tea service is off the beaten path. It's not what one would immediately think of for high tea unless they knew about it. We had the champagne tea service for 3 adults and a children's tea service. The service for the littles is absolutely adorable. It comes with a story of Albee thr monkey and they have souvenirs. We purchased the monkey because it was absolutely adorable. Each reservation allows for 1.5 hrs of unlimited sandwiches, scones, tea, and sweets. We partook in an additional serving of sandwiches. The standouts were the chicken salad, cucumber, and smoked salmon sandwiches. I enjoyed the scones tremendously- esp with lots of clotted cream. I enjoyed a spicy chai as well. This was the highlight of my trip to London. I will absolutely some back!

Great service and hella good martinis! We stopped in on a Wednesday for a quick drink and have to say this is a nice environment for a classy cocktail. Fair warning, it is not cheap.

The Donovan Bar Mayfair London: The Best Cocktail Bar, A World-class Team, The Best Martini cocktail and much more. If you are in London The Donovan Bar is the best Cocktail Bar Experience. Located in Albemarle Street in Mayfair into the prestigious Brown's Hotel the Donovan Bar is not comparable not only because the fantastic Cocktail Menu starting from the famous Martini Cocktail, the best of London, but because the unique atmosphere full of class, style, elegance , warm welcome and culture of hospitality created by a World-class Team starting from The Maestro Salvatore Calabrese (@cocktailmaestro) an international Icon in Hospitality industry and Cocktail Bars, two extraordinary drivers well known worldwide as the Director of Mixologist Federico Pavan and the Assistant Director of Mixologist Cristiana Pirinu together with the talented Fabio Spinetti, Alessandro Vella, Donato, Alessandro, Chiara, Raffaele . An incredible life experience and moments to remember and everytime you leave The Donovan Bar you can't wait to come back. Rino Siconolfi

What do you get when you get when you mix an old school London institution like Brown's with the cocktail imagination of the Maestro himself, Salvatore Calabrese, you get Donovan Bar. Awesome craft cocktails with a terrific vibe in a traditional setting. Service is impeccable, as you would expect at Brown's.

Recommended by a friend who works at another amazing hotel cocktail bar, and it did not disappoint. We arrived for our reservation and were seated at the bar as requested so we could chat with our friend's former co-worker, part of the London bar scene's 'Italian Connection'. I started with their famed Spicy Fifty which, true to its name, is quite spicy and very delicious. I then had The Winston which is theatrically served with a smoke bubble dispensed table side which then pops and releases a savory and smokey aroma. I then had the The Saint George which was a combination of several amari and other liqueurs which was phenomenal. As we were a friend of a friend we were treated to several extra tastings including a bottle of amaro not available in the States. Our host, Daniele, was fantastic and we would certainly come here again.

bright bright bar that forbids tablets! Heaven forbid anyone would be distracted by light in this place. A pretentious bar in complete self-contradiction

Fabulous bar, and I've been in a lot of bars... Great vibe and very attentive staff. My wife and I had a cozy February afternoon by the fireplace. I wouldn't hesitate to meet up with business clients here. Great location.

One of the best martinis in a great martini City / friendly staff and great people - just a solid London Bar

In the Mayfair mix. Personally, I don't care for this area of London; touristy and up itself. However, Donovan's (inside Brown's Hotel) is a cool, trendy and sophisticated bar but beware, this bar is dark. No, not seedy; dark as in Where's the lighting? From what we could see, in the dark, it's a good looking place. There's a DJ and the music wasn't to loud but the service was a bit gruff. Plenty of servers but they gave off a vibe like they were annoyed we were there... Asking for drinks and food. What was up with that?! Be mindful, the prices are not for the faint of heart. The toilet was in very good order and we did enjoy our time here. I'd consider going back but not sure if it would annoy the wait staff.

Love the new bar setup and the menu is great as always. We tried the new blood and sand which is excellent!

Your quintessential old school hotel lounge located in the heart of Mayfair. Despite being a bit touristy, it is a perfect sophisticated place for a martini or a manhattan. One of the most extensive lists of spirits I have seen. Seriously, there dozens of vodkas and gins to choose from! Drinks are elegant and perfectly prepared and at 14 quid for my Donovan Martini it should be! The glassware is quite special as well---the mint julep is served in a pewter mug (check out the pic) and most martinis come in sophisticated crystal glasses. My only gripe---tone down volume on the jazz. It was nice and all to have live music, but it made it a bit harder to have a decent conversation!

Small yet bustling space in the fashionable Brown's Hotel, this historic bar is perfect to take that visiting Anglophile to partake in a martini like Churchill would have had. With a novella of a drinks menu there is much to try and please. From old world style cocktails to the more modern and trendy it makes a grand watering hole for that fashionista in your life, or a cozy drink with a friend before a posh dinner in Mayfair. Bring your Birkin bag.

The staff in this bar within Browns Hotel were really friendly and I'd encourage you to sit right at the bar. There are some good seats around the hotel but good to see cocktails being made and to have a good chat. Had an espresso martini and a very good whiskey sour. Found the bar through world's best bars app and I can see why.

Peter is a fantastic bar tender with old school formality and proper English etiquette. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Drinks are done up in a traditional sense with a focus on proper presentation. We could places like this in the USA!

One of my favourite hotel bars in London, the small Donovan Bar is tucked in a back room of Brown's Hotel. The decor is beautiful (save for a scattering of plaid fabric) - with soft, flattering light, wood floors, muted greys and blues and old black-and-white photos (trivia fact: by Terence Donovan, hence the name) lining the walls, you'll feel instantly relaxed here. Further your relaxation with one of their potent martinis - but keep yourself in check with the plentiful bar snacks which are constantly topped up. The piece de resistance is the gorgeous bar itself. Its mirrors and grand, gleaming stained glass will instantly draw you in. Note: there is live jazz late on most nights.

This spot is jumping, jumping with finance jockeys in universally drab attire matching the "trendy" interior. The music is loud, drowning out others' conversations which is a welcomed effect. Service is attentive, but I could only spy one barman mixing drinks for a reasonably large bar. My wife's rose petaled drink, was heavenly. My rosemary-infused vodka drink was a medicinal slap in the face, better as aftershave than tipple. One good, one bad equals average bar.

Among the best bars, let alone hotel bars, in London. Superb martini with a friend or a date. Hidden behind Brown's Hotel bar one of the nice surprises is late evening live jazz -- hard to find in London. Barkeeps are pros and the interior is nicely done. I'm very comfortable drinking here and the best news is I can stumble home after my third martini.

They are working hard to get this place to be "up-market". It sort of works. The drinks are expensive and the clientèle is there to luxuriate in its faux-exclusivity. The photos from Donovan are great, and for the more adventurous be sure to check out the "bum corner". But nevertheless a lovely place to sink a few martinis, especially if you can charge it, and take clients / customers / colleagues.

The Donovan Bar at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair is cool, stylish and intimate. The walls are adorned with Terence Donovan's iconic black and white prints, which adds a contemporary twist to the history of the surroundings.