What Scarfes Bar is, and who it's for.
Scarfes Bar sits inside the Rosewood London on High Holborn, a Martin Brudnizki–designed lobby bar named for cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, whose original political murals line the walls. The bar's drinks programme has been led by Yann Bouvignies since 2017, and The World's 50 Best Bars placed Scarfes inside the global Top 50 every year from 2019 to 2024 — No 27 in 2024 according to the published ranking.
The right visitor wants a hotel bar that does live jazz nightly without losing its drinks programme to the entertainment. The wrong visitor wants quiet, cheap, or a quick stop — the room is a destination, the cocktails are slow, and the cover charge starts at 21:00. The Infatuation London calls it "the best living-room bar in central London."
The basics.
Holborn · Holborn tube, 3 min · Chancery Lane 6 min
The physical space.
Two interconnected rooms: a front parlour with leather Chesterfields, the Scarfe murals, and a small stage that hosts the jazz; and a back room with a long bar and lower lighting. Conde Nast Traveller describes the design as "a Wes Anderson set drawn by Hogarth," which captures the maximalist-but-warm tone. The fireplace is real and lit October through March.
What to order, what to skip.
Order from the themed seasonal menu — recent editions have ridden the works of T.S. Eliot, the seven deadly sins, and Indian regional spice routes. The signature drink is the Scarfes Old Fashioned (£20), a smoked variant Bouvignies built around an Indian-spice bitters. The Caviar Bump service (£28 for two) is the table add-on. Difford's Guide rates the programme five stars; Class Magazine's UK Top 50 has Scarfes in the top ten every year since 2020.
Skip ordering a martini before the jazz starts — the bartenders are running the live-music shift and the dressier classical pours arrive faster in the back room. The £6 music cover after 21:00 is automatic on Friday and Saturday.
When the room shifts.
Hotel guests fill the early shift, dropping into the £20-cocktail demographic that hotel-bar pricing selects for. By 21:30 the room shifts toward dressed-up Londoners on dates and journalists from the Bloomsbury and Holborn newsrooms. Conde Nast Traveller places the bar in its "Best Hotel Bars in the World" feature most years.
The recurring notes.
- World's 50 Best Bars: ranked No 33 (2022), No 27 (2023), No 27 (2024). UK Top 5 by Class Magazine every year since 2020. — World's 50 Best Bars / Class Magazine
- "The Old Fashioned with the Indian bitters is the order. Get the caviar bump if you're staying for jazz." — r/londonbars
- "Cover charge after 21:00 catches a lot of walk-ins by surprise. Worth the price for the live music." — Google Maps reviews
- Conde Nast Traveller has named Scarfes in its World's Best Hotel Bars list four times. — Conde Nast Traveller
Match the night to the room.
- Right for:A serious cocktail and a jazz set without leaving central London.
- Right for:Hotel-bar dressy date — the room rewards it.
- Avoid if:You want cheap, quiet, or a quick post-work pint.
The bars worth going to, weekly.
One email every week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 60 cities worldwide.