4-6 Glasshouse Street,
Piccadilly Circus,
London,
W1B 5DQ
(020) 7478 0780
The ViewLondon Review
With chic surroundings, expertly prepared cocktails and funky house tunes, this venue is perfect for those wanting a big night out in the West End.
The Venue
Sat right opposite Piccadilly Circus underground station, this venue is easy to find as it’s under the famous neon lights. From the outside, it looks like a lot of West End venues – it’s dark, chic, clean, modern-looking and it has that bit of mystery that
makes you wonder what's going on inside. When you've navigated your way past the bouncer and the roped off area, it's refreshing to be immediately hit by the chic decor in the main Jewel bar area. Many venues in the area try to promote themselves as
exclusive but are nowhere near as well decorated as Jewel. There are extravagant chandeliers, mirrors over the ceilings and walls and a selection of trendy stools clustered around high candlelit tables. Even the toilets are very chic. As well as this
section, there are several areas in the venue, and a few private rooms, that can be hired out for large private parties or corporate events. All the areas have a slightly different look and feel to them. Bar Blanca, for example, is a very clean-looking area at the
back of the bar. It has huge white sofas in booths, pretty-looking chairs, mirrors everywhere and a small cocktail-focused bar in the centre. In contrast, above this, you have The Ruby Room, which is a Middle-Eastern style area with a lot of gold, fabulous
patterned rugs and low-level stools and tables. It's has a lot more character than the other rooms but still has the defining Jewel sparkle that runs through the venue as a whole. If you love getting really dressed up to stand in lavish surroundings, this is
definitely the place for you.
The Atmosphere
Jewel is a typical Central London venue in that it's popular with non-Londoners who are ready to splash some cash. The crowd are very polished twenty and thirtysomethings and it's likely you'd feel out of place if you tried to stumble in wearing more casual attire.
Men are smartly dressed and women are in their best frocks, heels and clutch bags with a lot of skin on show – there's nothing effortless about this place, everyone has clearly spent hours preparing for their big night out. Staff are a great addition to this
– they're friendly, helpful, smiley and there are plenty of them dotted around the various areas to offer you assistance when you need a drink.
The Music
You can catch DJs spinning funky house, classic and commercial dance music from Thursday to Saturday at Jewel. If you spend the evening, you may well end up dancing as the lights come up. At other times, the music is kept to a reasonable level – most of the people aren't in Jewel for the music, they visit for the experience of a big night out in the West End.
The Food
The menu consists of nibbles, sharing platters and pots and sandwiches, which are ideal for picking at with friends. All are quite reasonably priced for the area, too. The sharing pots are, for example, around £5 or £6, so it isn't unreasonably expensive to
order a selection of dishes for a table. The portions are quite small, however, and you'll need about five for two people. While the dishes are a bit better than the bar food you get in similar venues, don't expect gourmet food – the flavours are pretty basic
and made to please everyone. They are well presented, though.
The hand-cut tortillas (£3.50) are very moreish and they come with salsa, guacamole and sour cream, which aren’t particularly oustanding when it comes to flavour but are very fresh and dip-able and complement the dish well. The portion is a
bit tortilla heavy, however, and you wish for more dip. Similarly, the crumbled goats cheese and tomatoes (£3.50) is a pretty average-tasting dish. The light herb dressing jazzes it up a bit but, generally speaking, the dish is a little plain. You do get a
generous portion of cheese but rather than being the creamy distinct flavour you’d expect from goat's cheese, it tastes a lot like a mild soft cheese, such as brie. Better options on the menu include the tender baby calamari (£4.95), which is perfectly
cooked so it's not at all chewy. It has a subtle garlic flavour and is served with a delicious aioli dip on the side. The rustic potato wedges (£2.95) are another winner and offer the perfect spud combo of crunchy on the outside and scrumptiously soft in the middle.
The Drink
The drinks are really what Jewel is about. They're not particularly cheap, however, but if you get there at the right time - between 5-8pm – you can take advantage of the happy hour and get 50 per cent off
some drinks. The wine list is huge and there's a variety of Champagne and sparkling wines to add to the glamour of your evening. Expect to spend £15 to £20 on a decent bottle of wine and, impressively, some bottles of wines are just £7.50 during
happy hour. There's a pretty standard selection of beers but pints of Staropramen are priced at just £2.50 during those all-important happy hours.
The cocktails are really where the venue stands out, though. They’re expertly made, beautifully presented and taste delicious. The Black Marble is one of the cheaper cocktails on the menu (£7.80) and is made with Eristoff vodka, Erisoff Black and
creme de cassis with blackberries and ginger ale. It's not too sweet or sugary as some berry cocktails taste and it is refreshing enough to sip all night. The Jewel Bellini is another specialty of the venue (£8.10). You can't usually go wrong with a Bellini
but this smooth and subtly flavoured cocktail is especially good. The gentle pureed peach perfectly complements the Champagne tones.
The Last Word
Glamorous and great for cocktails, Jewel is perfect if you're looking to splash some cash in the West End.
Jewel has been reviewed by 84 users