Experimental Cocktail Club

What the Experimental Cocktail Club is in Soho's Chinatown

The Experimental Cocktail Club Chinatown is an intimate cocktail bar at 13a Gerrard Street, in Soho's Chinatown. It first opened in 2010 and is reached through an unmarked door, a deliberate speakeasy approach that keeps the rooms small and the focus on the drinks. A visitor would come here for a serious cocktail list served in a dim, close setting rather than a loud, open bar, and for the contrast of a low-lit drinking room set among the restaurants and shops of Gerrard Street.

The bar runs across two floors, so groups and couples can find a table on different levels of the building. It opens in the evenings only, from 6pm on most nights, with later closing times towards the weekend. A cover charge applies at the door after 11pm.

The cocktails and the recent refresh

The Experimental Cocktail Club built its name on classic and original cocktails made to order, and that remains the reason most people visit. The list changes over time and leans on fresh ingredients and balanced, spirit-led drinks rather than novelty. Bartenders work behind a compact bar, which keeps the service personal and the room turning over slowly across the night.

In 2024 and 2025 the venue closed for a full interior redesign by Dorothée Meilichzon of the Paris studio CHZON, then reopened in revamped form. The new interiors draw on the history of Gerrard Street and the wider Chinatown area, using scale-like patterns, bamboo, braided wood, mirrors and deep purple and violet tones. The redesign kept the bar's hidden, two-floor character while updating the look, marking fifteen years since it first traded on the street.

Visiting the bar in Chinatown

For anyone planning a night around Soho, the cocktail bar sits a short walk from Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, making it an easy stop before or after dinner in Chinatown. Because the space is small and popular, booking ahead is sensible, especially towards the weekend when closing runs into the early hours. The Experimental Cocktail Club Chinatown suits visitors who want a quiet, drinks-first evening in central London rather than a large venue, and who are happy to find an unmarked entrance on a busy Gerrard Street. Reservations and current opening times are listed on the bar's own website.