Isabel takes dinner reservations through its own site, and the booths fill fast on Friday and Saturday. The downstairs lounge is the easier walk-in, best after 10pm.
Isabel sits at 26 Albemarle Street in Mayfair, a restaurant and late-night cocktail lounge inside a Beaux-Arts building that dates to 1905. Open since 2017, it runs from lunch through to small hours drinking, with a menu that leans Latin American and Mediterranean. The draw after dinner is the lower level, a dark lounge with emerald silk walls and a DJ.
This is a place to dress up, not to drop in for a quiet pint. Prices are firmly Mayfair, so come for an occasion. If you want a low-key neighbourhood bar, look elsewhere on this list.
The ground floor is the grand dining room, ornate and loud at peak service. The real bar destination is downstairs, a more intimate lounge of padded silk brocade walls in emerald green, with a DJ and a separate cocktail list.
The private Dragon Room sits below the main floor for events and bookings. Time Out and the Luxury Restaurant Guide both file Isabel under Mayfair's dressed-up rooms, and the design carries that billing.
The cocktail list changes with the seasons and trades on unusual pairings, rare spirits and exclusive bottlings, per the venue's own menu notes. Drinks track the kitchen's Latin and Mediterranean accent, so expect agave, sherry and citrus to feature. Order a seasonal signature from the current list and let the bar steer the spirit.
A Mayfair crowd of locals, hotel guests and a dressed-up after-dinner set fills both floors. Early evening stays restaurant-paced, then the downstairs lounge tips toward late drinking once the DJ starts. The mood is glamorous rather than casual.
After 10pm on a Thursday or Friday, when the downstairs lounge and DJ hit their stride.
What to order
- 01
A seasonal signature cocktail
- 02
An agave-forward drink
- 03
A sherry or vermouth aperitivo
- 04
Small plates to share
