11-12 Russell Street,
Covent Garden,
London,
WC2B 5HZ
0844 371 2550
The ViewLondon Review
A stylish underground cocktail bar in the heart of Covent Garden, Dirty Martini’s excellent service and sophisticated décor are only let down by the inconsistent quality of the cocktails.
The Venue
From the south east corner of the Covent Garden Piazza, a flight of stairs leads down to Dirty Martini. Despite its diminutive size, the bar has a sophisticated glamour. A tall, mirror-backed bar runs the length of the room, with shelves adorned with the myriad of spirits that you would expect from a cocktail bar. Fairy-lights are suspended above the bar and two large chandeliers overhang the dance floor. At the far end of the space, leather sofas form intimate booths. Booths can be reserved and offer table-service, but be prepared for a very long wait for drinks at busy times.
The Atmosphere
The bar is relatively small, so Dirty Martini is tightly packed with smartly dressed revelers. Jazz-funk music keeps the place lively and energetic until 9pm, when DJs play a more chilled-out selection of soulful grooves through ‘til 2am. Staff are friendly and always willing to show off their skills with some crowd-pleasing cocktail juggling. Happy hours are available at different times each evening, offering half-price wine and £4 martinis.
The Food
Bar food is available (£5 and £7) and includes spicy Thai-style fishcakes with sweet chilli sauce, crispy prawn spring rolls and mini beef-burgers with pickle and relish dip. Sharing platters will feed 2-3 people and these cost between £14 and £15; you can choose from vegetarian, mixed grill and seafood.
The Drink
An extensive cocktail menu lists an extravagant array of classic and contemporary cocktails. The Old Trinidadian is made with Angostura 1919 rum (from one of the only distilleries in the world which still use traditional wooden barrels, giving the rum a unique flavour), stirred slowly with maple syrup, Angostura bitters and crème de cacao. The rich maple, chocolate and orange flavours add subtle tones to the smooth, dark taste of the rum. Having this cocktail served by a Trinidadian cocktail waiter only adds to the experience.
Sadly, not all of the cocktails are this good. The Manhattan (perfect) has too much vermouth and as a result lacks the punch that you normally expect from this classic cocktail. The strawberry and balsamic caipirinha is an unconventional and unimpressive take on the Brazilian national drink. But the bar does go some way to redeeming itself with a raspberry bellini, which has the perfect sweet/sharp bite. Expect to pay around the £8 mark per cocktail.
The Last Word
The venue’s style and sophistication are ultimately let down by its cocktails, which simply aren’t good enough given the level of competition nearby. With a few more top-class cocktail waiters, Dirty Martini could be so much better.
Dirty Martini has been reviewed by 47 users