The cocktail bar at Brown's Hotel on Albemarle Street, named for photographer Terence Donovan and ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars list.
The Donovan Bar sits inside Brown's Hotel on Albemarle Street, the heart of Mayfair, and takes its name from the British photographer Terence Donovan. His monochrome images line the walls, with a stained-glass window above the bar.
It opened in 2018 and reaches for old-school glamour, a black-and-white room for a serious Martini. Come for the classics done properly. Skip it if you want a loud or casual night, because the mood here is hushed and dressed-up.
The room is monochrome with Art Deco touches and Donovan's photography across the walls. The Cocktail Lovers described the stained-glass window above the bar as the centrepiece of an intimate, low-lit space.
Seating is plush and close, which suits the after-dinner crowd. It seats a small number, so a booking helps on weekend nights.
Order the Breakfast Martini, made with gin, Cointreau, lemon and orange marmalade, a London classic the bar serves to its own standard. Cocktails sit around twenty-two pounds, in line with a Mayfair hotel bar.
The bar reached No. 89 on the World's 50 Best Bars in 2022 under Salvatore Calabrese's direction. Ask for an Old Fashioned if you want to see the team work a classic.
The crowd is hotel guests, Mayfair regulars, and couples out for an occasion, dressed up and after a quiet drink rather than a party.
What to order
- 01
The Breakfast Martini
- 02
An Old Fashioned
- 03
The Mystical Martini
- 04
A Champagne cocktail
