So exclusive you have to be invited before even applying for membership, there’s little to no chance of blagging your way into the Ivy Club.

The Venue
The Ivy is an iconic part of Covent Garden’s history. The restaurant is famously hard to get into with waiting lists that will see you acquire a few extra grey hairs before you can so much as get a whiff of the food. And the Ivy Club? Even tougher to get into. The building itself is grand and occupies a large expanse of the street – it’s easy to spot as the old-fashioned serving uniforms of the doorman are in stark contrast to the usual bouncer garb of today. Bruisers they are not.

The Ivy Club entrance is located away away from the main restaurant entrance and almost requires a Duke of Edinburgh Award to navigate. Stepping into a glamorous entryway swathed in a sea of luminous white surfaces emitting bright light, a little waiting area with a few seats and a table sits beside a staircase – also in bright white – that leads up to a lift. There’s no sign or person to guide you, you just have to walk and hope. Up a couple of floors in the lift you’ll find a reception area where you have to justify why you’re there - this is where most blaggers will be sent packing. If you get past this point then you’ll walk past a bar and a dining area, around the corner and past another little reception space to a glamorous room, the Loft Bar – one of several spaces that would probably take the course of a year to fully explore. There. You made it. Here, the sparkling, large bar sits elegantly beside a series of sofa areas in an array of colours. The light is bright but dims as the night wears on and a huge television screen dominates an entire wall, playing whatever fashionable images are most appropriate at the time.

The Atmosphere
This is The Ivy dahling so there are no central London wannabes to be found. Instead, the atmosphere just strays into pretentious at times but for the main is actually rather friendly – if you’re meant to be there then they are very concerned with making sure you’re well looked after. It’s also not the kind of club where mini dresses and shiny shirts are the norm. A mix of trendy and expensive clothing with a smattering of suits reflective of what you find in the restaurant instead dominates. Of course, if you go there specifically for an event then the dress code is dependent on why you’re attending. The Ivy don’t impose any strict rules in that respect.

The Food
The Ivy restaurant is the main provider of food at this venue with more simple menus available in most of the bar areas throughout, including everything from chicken pie to truffles. Catering for events is of the highest quality with regular trays of exciting looking canapes ranging from everything from sushi nibbles to surprisingly substantial, meaty ‘mini’ burgers.

The Drink
Drinks at The Ivy don’t come cheap with above five star hotel bar prices in many instances. Don’t expect much change from £15-£20 for a cocktail, for example. Then again, the elderflower martini is exquisite, balancing the strong hit of alcohol with a sweet, almost perfumed twist. Of course, the spirits used are of the highest quality, as shown by their above-average array of premium bottles. Oh, and don’t forget the seemingly endless champagne list. Only the best for the Ivy Club members, after all.

The Last Word
The Ivy Club is one of those places that most Londoners will never get to experience, and most people are probably happy with that. For those of you that do get in, it’s certainly glamorous and well put together but you may feel a little disappointed that it really just boils down to being one of many members' clubs in the capital with little to set them apart.

venue information venue map view london review write a review