Book ahead for the greenhouse restaurant and weekend brunch. The cocktail bar and the basement den run on walk ins, and the basement gets going late on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings sits on Northampton Road in Clerkenwell, a short walk from Exmouth Market, and packs a cocktail bar, a glass roofed greenhouse restaurant, a cookery school and a basement dancing den into one address. The group opened it in 2014 as the bigger sister to its original Fitzrovia bar. The look is part botanical glasshouse, part pattern clashing parlour, and it leans into spectacle without apology.
This is a venue for an occasion rather than a quiet pint. It rewards groups, birthdays and brunches that drift into the small hours, and it works less well for anyone after a low key local. If you want flowers, frozen spritzes and a basement that turns into a party after midnight, the Buildings deliver exactly that.
The ground floor reads like a Victorian greenhouse crossed with a flea market, all hanging plants, mismatched china and skylights. Below it, a low ceilinged basement turns into a late night drinking and dancing room on weekends. Time Out London describes the space as a multi level clubhouse built for celebrations rather than a single bar.
Clerkenwell context matters here. The Buildings draw a crowd from nearby Exmouth Market and the Farringdon offices, and the layout lets one booking move from dinner upstairs to dancing downstairs without leaving the building. That flexibility is the whole point.
The cocktail list runs to garden party flavours, with frozen and sharing options built for groups, and the bottomless brunch is a signature draw. Expect cocktails around 13 to 15 pounds. The kitchen sends out British small plates and a roast on Sundays. Order a spritz to start and let the table share from there. Skip the basement if you came for a conversation, since it gets loud once the music starts.
Groups dominate, with birthday tables, after work crews from Farringdon and brunch parties filling the greenhouse by early afternoon on weekends. The mood shifts after 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays when the basement opens up and the room turns younger and louder. Dress is smart casual and the energy is celebratory.
A weekend brunch in the greenhouse, or a Friday that starts upstairs and ends in the basement after midnight.
What to order
- 01
A frozen garden spritz
- 02
Bottomless brunch package
- 03
A classic, properly made
- 04
Sunday roast and a glass of red
