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Slideshow
The best Champagne bars: part two
Want to know what are the world’s most exciting venues to drink fizz? Here’s part two of our guide to the world’s best Champagne bars.
The full list can be seen in EAT.DRINK, db’s on-trade report, which was mailed out with October’s issue of the magazine, while numbers 23-33 can be viewed here.
However, scroll through the following pages to see those bars ranked numbers 12-22 in the line-up, and find out why a Philippe Starck creation in Hong Kong as well as high-rise hotel in Amsterdam are some of the most desirable places to indulge in a glass of bubbly.
12. Dion
There are three Dion bars across London, all clustered in the major financial districts, with one in the City, the other next to St Pauls and the most recent in Canary Wharf. Tastefully designed, each of the bars brings a welcome break to City life, with their sophisticated atmospheres and relaxed and friendly service.
Each bar boasts a decent selection of the usual suspects (Krug, Bollinger, Moët, Veuve…), but the difference being they are also available here in magnums and Jeroboams.
52-56 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 2BJ.
13. Salon de Champagne
This restaurant offers the discerning Tokyo drinker an impressive collection of more than 260 styles of Champagne and four different Champagnes available by the glass, although these change daily, creating interest among the regulars. Drinkers can wash down their bubbles with French-influenced dishes to complete the experience.
Ginza 8818 Bldg. 3F, 8-8-18 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
14. Felix
A Philipp Starck creation, this visually stunning bar on the 28th floor of The Peninsula Hotel is sleek and sophisticated. Looking out over the “galaxy of lights” that is the Hong Kong skyline at night, the view is phenomenal. The prices are high but the location, design and quality of the drinks keeps the punters coming back.
The Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
15. Kettner’s Cocktail and Champagne Bar
Named after Auguste Kettner, a former chef to Napoleon III, this bar is housed in four listed Georgian houses, just behind the stage doors to the Palace Theatre and boasts a secret passageway to the theatre. Elegant, steeped in history and suitably decadent, there can’t really be many better places than this to drink Champagne – and the list is both extensive and not too expensive.
Romilly Street, Soho, London W1D 5HP
16. Planet Champagne & Cocktail Bar
Located at the foot of Table Mountain this is a perfect place to unwind either before or after climbing South Africa’s most famous landmark. There are over 20 Champagnes on the list alongside an extensive selection of South African sparkling wines in this comfortable colonial style hotel. In winter drinkers can warm up in front of a log fire, while the hotter months can be enjoyed on the hotel’s garden terrace.
Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street, Cape Town
17. Epernay
Epernay – of Birmingham’s The Mailbox fame – not the French town, is an audacious name for a bar so far from the region, and potentially setting itself up for a fall if it doesn’t succeed in transporting the customer to the beating heart of Champagne.
Thankfully, Birmingham’s tribute to the cradle of bubbles is classy yet comfortable with an excellent and artfully selected wine list, unrivalled in Birmingham. While the focus is primarily Champagne, there is a good selection of wine and also some carefully considered snacks to accompany the drinks. To add to the experience, the bar offers far-reaching views over the city.
Bar Epernay, 171-172 Wharfside Street, The Mailbox, Birmingham, B1 1RL
18. Gilt Champagne Lounge
The allure of this bar is as much the location and interior as the Champagne list. In the achingly chic Jumeirah Carlton Tower in the most glamorous part of London, Gilt delivers everything its name promises. Black, gold and cream are the main colours that, combined with the soft lighting, create an exclusive, intimate and luxurious atmosphere. With a limited, but carefully selected Champagne list, here it’s not so much about what you order, but how much of it, and who you’re sharing a table with. This is a great place to give your night that A-lister feel.
Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Cadogan Place, London SW1X 9PY
19. Ami Champagne Bar
This trendy Joburg restaurant and Champagne bar has a brief but varied list with lesser-known labels alongside more famous names and holds Champagne and food pairing evenings to highlight the different styles. The focus is France but there’s also an extensive selection of Tequilas – one of the biggest in Africa, apparently.
Cnr Lancaster & Clarence ave, Craighall Park, Johannesburg, 2196
20. Beaufort Bar, The Savoy
One of the latest additions to the swish Savoy in London, the Beaufort Bar is a celebration of the glamorous age of cabaret, fittingly so given the bar is based where the old Savoy cabaret once stood.
Decked out in art deco glam gold and black, the bar is “all about Champagne, cocktails and cabaret”. It boasts one of the most extensive by-the-glass Champagne offerings in London as well as rare vintages from Louis Roederer and Cristal in particular. You can also enjoy an “Art Decadent Tea” with Champagne.
The Strand, London, WC2R 0EU
21. Cloud 9, Grand Hyatt Shanghai
As the highest bar in the world, there’s nowhere further from the ground one can sip Champagne – that is, without a boarding pass. The interior features a “maze of vertical columns” and materials from stainless steel to mahogany. Meanwhile a glass-side double-height section holds a hide-away mezzanine bar. However, it’s the views that provide the real reason to come here.
Jin Mao Tower, 88 Century Avenue, Pudong, Shanghai, China
22. Twenty Third Bar
Situated on the 23rd flood of the Okura Hotel, this bar has fantastic views, as well as Michelin-starred snacks and an extensive list of Champagnes, with a good few by the glass. Such is the quality of the selection, it has been voted Best Champagne and Cocktail bar in The Netherlands by the local media.
Hotel Okura Amsterdam, Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, 1072 LH Amsterdam
23. Goldbrick House Champagne and Cocktail Bar
This Champagne and cocktail bar is elegantly designed and thoughtfully laid out, maximising space without seeming cramped. It draws a young and buzzing crowd, and always has a good ambience without being too much. There is a broad selection of big-name Champagnes as well as some less mainstream choices such as De Sousa’s organic Champagnes.
69 Park Street, West End, Bristol BS1 5PB