New Bloomsbury Set

This is the second time I’ve been to what we now call the Bunker Bar.
I love the novelty of the bunkers and waiter service. It’s very different and great for a cosy group of friends catching up.
The highlight as always though is the great rapport Remi has with customers, some may even call it flirting, lol.
Looking forward to reserving a bunker again soon…

Just visiting. Very nice place to have a chat with good friends on a lowkey Wednesday evening. I came by myself trying to find a quiet place to chat and make new friends, but it was so cozy and niche-​ey that it wasn’t quite conducive to meeting new people, but just because it wasn’t what I needed at the moment doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fantastic place.

Great place for a Saturday night or probably any night!
Not too big, not too loud (am I getting old?) with great drinks and friendly staff. This is what I would class as a bar and you can definitely dance if you want to (though it does depend on how many people are there as there is no dedicated dance floor). The music was great and the screens everywhere were playing Cruel Intentions, added bonus.
Unless you get one of the two caves (get there early!) then it can get a bit loud for just chatting. This is like a big step up from the pub but not quite a night out at the club. I think it’s great for a laid-​back night of hanging out with a group of friends both new and old!

The New Bloomsbury Set is a perfect place of refuge. In Winter, you just want to crawl down there, buy some nuts, a cheeky cocktail and not emerge until the sun comes out.
I want to apologize to NBS for my absence. You can normally find me there every Sunday for a post choir rehearsal beer. The choirs been on sabbatical and will return in September. As a regular I’ve invested (no investment really because its free) in a NBS card. The card gives us bottles of house for a tenner and discounted drinks. What’s not to love. I honestly would never leave if they had beer on draft.
NBS is a reliably lovely place to go for a chilled out night, every day of the week. It’s a basement bar with cushioned cubby holes, sofas, quirky virginia Wolf covered loos and amazing cocktails.
As has been said before is a perfect alternative to the usual Soho scene. Perfect place to take a date, candle lit and fill of charm and suave.
This place puts up with the lot of us coming down demanding Madonna and show tunes and singing at the top of our voices drunkenly every Sunday. The staff are so accommodating, welcoming and beautiful in every way.
Thank you NBS.

The staff here is so nice and helpful, the music is great and the atmosphere is perfect. There are two small lounges with pillows and one of the bartenders came to tell us that if we needed anything, all we had to do was push a little button and they would come cater to our every need. The bathrooms were clean, the patrons were cool and I cannot stress enough how wonderful the staff were. They were so welcoming, and its always a good experience when you walk into a lounge and the first thing you get is great service. We were very fortunate to have this gem so close to our hostel.

Great music and the best staff PLUS private pillowy lounges. Good drink selection. Clean and serene atmosphere.

NBS, where have you been my entire London life? This is the exact bar I’ve been searching for – good cocktails, good environment, excellent service.
It definately wasn’t crowded for a Friday night, but I think the party I was with kept them in business! We settled into one of the bunkers, which was cozy and über comfy thanks to all the cushions. Both bunkers have small TVs which you can use to watch cheesy DVDs – at the end of the night, we threw on Back to the Future 2 and relived some of our childhood!
The bartenders were welcoming from the get-​go, a fact that really makes this bar outstanding for me – I do hate going to bars that are too pretentious which, sadly, happens quite a bit with gay bars I’ve found. OUTSTANDING, gentlemen. Brava.
A final note, their mojitos are so authentic, I nearly cried. No syrup for these guys, they use actual gritty sugar and actually muddle the mint (unlike certain Camden bars, which will seriously slap the mint and call it a day… I’m looking at you, Grand Union!!) Will most certainly be back!

I thought the days of going to gay bars in central London were behind me but now I’ve discovered this place, I’d better think again. I suppose ‘discovered’ is the wrong word considering I went here on the recommendations of Tisha B and Thomas A but they were spot on.
We turned up early on a Sunday so, admittedly, we were the only ones there apart from the bartenders. But the music was great, the décor stylish, the drinks ka-​pow and the aircon on full blast (watch out for the wall of displaced heat as you descent the staircase into the basement bar).
I already want to go back on a Saturday night and for me (who rarely ventures further west than Old st for a night out) that means this place is a little bit special.

I heard about this place on the Internet and decided to check it out.
Its really quite confusing to find. Google Maps says its at an Italian resturant. It’s actually below the Snappy Snaps across the street.
Once inside, you’ll find a very sleek and cosy lounge. There are lots of comfy leather couches and small café tables. There’s even a small cave full of throw pillows and a small flat screen television.
The place wasn’t too busy. However it was early Sunday evening and we were told that it get pretty packed on the weekends.
The cocktails are fabulous. I had the winter warmer which was mixed to perfection and at £7 it’s not too pricey.
If you’re ever in the neighbourhod and are looking for a cute, chill place to have a fantastic cocktail, be sure to check it out.

Oh Unilocalers… hidden stairwells, gays, cocktails… if you’ve been keeping up with my hot lists, you know that this is the way to my 5-​star affection.
Be on the lookout for for the NBS sign, because we were absolutely baffled at first as to where this place actually exitsted (76 seems like a fairly straightforward number, but the entrance isn’t off marchmount…)
Great cosy little bar that suits the locals in the know. NBS has some well-​crafted cocktails that packed quite a punch and a chilled out atmosphere. There’s a couple of small little private caves with mini flatscreens and pillows if your group wants to be a bit away from the crowd, otherwise plop down on one of the cushy leather sofas and sip the night away.
We were there on a Sunday night so it was pretty quiet, though we were told that it does pack up a bit more on prime nights.
All in all, the NBS is a great little bar that delivers exactly what you would expect from this neighborhood.

I went here last Friday night and the place was very quiet. Its got too much of a pretentious vibe about the place. From the elaborately painted sign on the door stating its an over 21s bar in flowery lettering (who is that going to impress) to the bar staff you treat you as if you should be grateful for being allowed into the premises.
Whilst there the owner introduced himself — and I’m always suspicious of people who state there employment role in their first sentence. The fact that he is a senior bank manager by day wasn’t something I want to known when I had gone out for drinks after a long week at work.
Its a real shame as the premises has been kitted out well but the attitude lets it down. I will stick to the Edge and Profile — even if it means an extra 10 minutes walk.

New Bloomsbury Set has an intimate feel to it, small enough to create a relaxed atmosphere with enough seating and enough room to dance and mingle. They’ve got the soft warm lighting just right — not so dark that you’d need a torch to find your companions after a trip to the loo, not uncomfortably bright. One of the things that set the place apart from neighbouring bars is that they have tiny rooms through arches, where you can lounge around on cushions. I almost fell asleep in there on one occasion though, it was so cosy after a few beers. Yes, beers. Although this place is known for its cocktails, the one I sampled wasn’t too hot and the drinks menu didn’t offer a lot to me — I’m into fruity, traditional cocktails and their interesting, innovative concoctions were a little too sophisticated for my palette!

It’s 5pm, I’m starving and tired.
Simon — What are you doing tonight?
Eric — Damned if I know. You?
Simon — Come out with my friends and I.
Eric — Done.
Two hours and an unappetising avocado and chicken pesto sandwich from Pret A Manger (that’s a review for another time) later, I met my friend at The New Bloomsbury Set.
There was a lovely blast wall of air-​conditioning as soon as I walked down the stairs and entered the bar. It is small and minimalistic and comfortable. Those things don’t always go hand in hand but Jez has pulled it off somehow and I thank him for it.
If you take a look at the wall on your left as you enter you will see three little alcoves that look like they may have been storage space at one time. I didn’t have a chance to ask but they’ve been gussied up as a nice little chill out space. Throw pillows and carpets make these little spaces nice and cosy but don’t completely alienate you from the rest of the room.
They have a full bar with a wonderful drink menu and plenty of beers to suit a number of tastes. It’s a safe bet that you’re in good hands unless you only drink odd things like 20 year aged mescal.
I have a light hearted warning to pass on about the hall outside the bathrooms. There is a disco ball and coloured lighting so beware. A dance party might just break out.
If you happen to be looking for a nice, intimate place to have a drink and relax then I highly recommend The New Bloomsbury Set.