This was my second visit to hoxley and porter. The cocktail waiter made me four of the best cocktails I've ever had. For our last drink my girlfriend's was made by Alexandra and she was the most amazing person! She was very attentive and made an amazing cocktail! Thank you for an amazing experience !!!
Warm, intimate yet spacious, sumptuously appointed, inviting staff, great music and the food is amazing!
Do visit and tell them LeBurn sent you!
Lovely cosy restaurant that has seemed to slip under the radar under the shadow of surrounding pubs. Unfortunately so! Unlike some of the other pubs on upper st, we were welcomed in and seated immediately and presented with a menu generous with options. I could describe the meal as a really tasty home cooked roast dinner, with an edge of fancy. But doesn't sacrifice quantity for quality! Really delicious roast pork, accompanied by a £1.50 Bloody Mary! Great to see a veg friendly roast option. The panna cotta for dessert was silky and delicious. Great bustling atmosphere without being too noisy or busy to be served.
I went to Hoxley and Porter for an evening this week and loved the decor. The food and drink is good though a little expensive for what it is! Cocktails were around £10 and weren't the largest ; food was very standard in presentation and ingredients. The prawns to start were delicious but there weren't many! Then the salmon fillet was nicely cooked on a bed on tartly dressed salad- it could have done with a little more sweetness. There was a set menu of two courses for £16 which isnt bad but the portions need to be larger!
Gingle Lists Everything
+4.5
On occasion me and my friends like to play at being adults by doing the whole 'Come Dine With Me' thing, which is how you must refer to throwing dinner parties since its advent.
It was my friend who lives in Highbury's turn so to give her some time to prep after work, Stephen and I went for an 'aperitif' at Hoxley and Porter which I had been hearing so much about.
I can't remember what was there before, either because it was a pretty forgettable place to begin with or possible because what H & P have done with the place is so stunning it has obliterated any memory of its former guise.
The room is gorgeous - you walk down a long corridor to get in, giving you a chance to admire the dining area and then you basically walk into the set of Murder on the Orient Express crossed with Death on the Nile (without the murders), or at least that is what I was it felt like to me. It was definitely reminiscent of a grand train carriage and the decor and foliage were all very exotic 20-40s. There should have been girls slinking about with cigarettes in holders and if they don't host a 20s night they are missing a trick.
We had a seat by the bar and while Stephen finished his wine, I perused the menu and started to order something rum based with honey and bubbly. The bartender, however, had other ideas, assuring me that they had better cocktails if I wanted bubbles. Well, who am I to argue with the expert? I had a belize bellini which was very nice. Obviously I can't say if it was better than the one I originally wanted, as I didn't have it.
Sitting at the bar totally paid off as we got to chat to the bartender a bit and see what he was creating for the other people at the bar. The couple next to us had an amazing concoction that looked like a trifle in a glass and apparently tasted like boozy cake. And it had red wine in it! Must see if I can try that next time. We were also treated to a sample of their housemade falernum - a lightly spiced lime syrup that reminded Stephen and I of lebkuchen, those German spiced cookies. The combination of flavours tasted better in drink than in biscuit form.
The cocktail menu is short, but they're really happy to make anything off menu if you give them an idea of what you like, including, of course, the classics. For my second cocktail I had an old fashioned, again, at their recommendation. They told me it was made with 'awesomeness' so I couldn't refuse. They make theirs with 12 year old El Dorado rum instead of whiskey and let me try the rum before I agreed to try their kerazy take on the old fashioned. I like rum but I wouldn't pretend to be an aficionado. However, it was definitely quite a sweet rum and it definitely had notes of coffee. It is so naturally sweet in fact, that H & P only use half a teaspoon of white sugar (not the more intense darker stuff). I could have easily sipped it neat.
Stephen went for the Baron's Tipple which was a fruity little number of overproof rum, lime, apricot jam and guava juice. You might think all this fruitiness would leave you with an overly sweet cocktail but it wasn't at all. It didn't exactly wow us either, but it was still pleasantly sippable.
Even if I hadn't liked the cocktails I think I would be tempted to go back simply for the setting, but the fact that the staff were ever so friendly and that the cocktails were made with care and attention means a second trip has already been lined up for a few weeks' time. I might sample the food they have on offer next time as well - both bar menu and a la carte had some very tasty-sounding options!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
We tore ourselves away from The Taproom and wandered a few doors down to find Hoxley & Porter, a brand new bar and restaurant with a stunningly realised train carriage and travel theme. Upon entering, you walk down a long train carriage corridor, with views through to a classic dining carriage on your right before you reach the bar area which is slightly more exotic. As soon as we arrived, the barman (in train conductor regalia) came out from behind the bar to give Taro a big hug. I wasn't sure what was going on, so I demanded the same greeting before it became clear that Taro actually knew said barman. Unbeknownst to Taro, his friend Yih was manning the bar that evening after a few months away from the mixology game. We pulled up to two seats at the bar - always the best place to be - and got chatting.
We were lucky to also have head bartender Mikey Pendergast, previously of Powder Keg Diplomacy in Battersea, sitting to our left, along with a current Powder Keg bartender. I have come across both of them before in passing at PKD and Ginstock 2013, but it was great to have a chat with them whilst they were off the clock. Despite it being a cocktail bar, I quickly surveyed the beer options as I always do. They are currently having to sell some standard beers on tap (two lagers and a cider, I think) because they are somehow affiliated with them, but they have cleverly removed the branding, and covered them with Dark, Light, and Apple Beer signs to fit in with the decor. Hopefully they will find a workaround and get some craft beers in to match the exciting cocktail menu. There were Redchurch beers in the fridge, including a Broadway Black Pale that I haven't seen before.
Anyway, on to the cocktails. Taro started off with a boozy "My Daddy Owns a Yacht Club" which was all alcohol and incredibly drinkable. I had heard rumours of a colour changing cocktail with an edible absinthe-coated scorpion, so I enquired after it. Yih described it as their "halo" drink (i.e. the one to get the press talking) and Mikey got up from his seat to mix one up. It is a ridiculous concoction that involves some 95% Polish Rectified Spirit amongst other things. It changes colour instantly as you pour the final ingredient in, for reasons that were explained to me at the time but are now hazy. Most importantly though, it was extremely tasty, and dangerously easy to drink. Mikey described it as a cocktail that starts off like a Vodka Martini and ends up like a Rum Daiquiri, adding that he is well aware quite how pretentious that sounds. He continued to entertain, moaning about the need to include a champagne cocktail (which they gave a no frills name to, similar to Southsider Cocktail Club's "Token Champagne Cocktail").
As we were finishing our first drink, we were joined by North Londoner Tom, who had texted about watching the Arsenal match but was quickly drawn into the cocktail fun. He took Mikey's seat who left us in Yih's capable hands. Early press reported that there was a "Crypt" downstairs where you could homemade spirits and scorpions being prepared. This is apparently nonsense according to Yih - they don't have a license to take customers downstairs, and it is not at all glamorous down there anyway.
Yih was constantly dishing out fascinating nuggets of information about his favourite drinks and the art of mixing. He made up a sour ("Chipotle off the Old Block" with powerful chilli bitters) for another table, and let us in on the dry-wet-dry shaking technique (without ice or with) which produces a super smooth drink with well defined bubbles. He is a rum expert, but happily took on Tom's request of making up something brilliant with gin. He gave us a taster of the delicious Hayman's Gin Liqueur before rustling up a sublime drink with it, which was presented in a small bottle on ice - similar to the presentation of a Henry Martini Rifle at Powder Keg Diplomacy. Taro went for a "Honey, Where's Mai Tai?", Yih's signature (off the menu) drink - easily the best Mai Tai I have ever tasted. Meanwhile, I asked for his favourite strong rum drink, so he whipped me up a very special Rum Daquiri, with some extra Wray & Nephews's Overproof rum (one of H&P's most used spirits) for good measure.
Every drink was an absolute winner, and we were all simultaneously jealous of everyone else's beverage. It was amusing to watch the bar staff dealing with one table who were constantly sending back drinks to make them sweeter, to the point where Yih suggested just giving them a bottle of syrup on the side. I find it hard to believe that their drinks weren't up to scratch, but I guess you can't argue with the customer. We eventually decided to make a move, and settled up a very reasonable bill. Huge thanks have to go to Yih for being such a fantastic host (especially with a taster of the awesome Plantation XO Rum). I will definitely return, though I would be sad if he wasn't there! The food is also meant to be exceptional, but we were just here for the drinks this time around. They currently have a super cheap lunch deal going, but I would imagine that it won't last that long, so head there soon!
Really delighted to have found this pub on a rainy Sunday with two toddlers. The staff couldn’t have done more for us, they were so attentive and welcoming. Food was great: excellent Sunday roast portions including lots of different condiments. Thoroughly good wine. All for a very reasonable price in a nice setting.
The Sunday Roast was a plentiful plate of flavorful food. The service was great. Not the typical order at the bar pub arrangement, but actual table service. The staff was friendly. It smelled delicious as we were waiting for our food. It's a beautiful bar, quaint seating, and a welcoming environment. The place was hopping as we were leaving. We were pleased they were open and serving food when we arrived around 2:30.
We had a quiet dinner on Sunday night.
I really like the atmosphere and deco in this place. Lights could be even more down for more cosy and intimate feel.
We had a Nebbiolo wine and 3 course set menu in a great price.
I enjoyed arancini, roast beef and apple tart.
The highlight was cocktail-
SPICY MARGARITA- it was delicious and we had 2!
Amazing service from the waiter who also made those delicious cocktails!
Great night thanks!
G wine list and the cocktails were delicious! The manager was super helpful. You can see he loves this place as well :)
Very good customer service and excellent staff. Generous food portion and wide range of drinks and cocktails. We have been there many times and really like the ambiance. Also, their food is really value for money particularly in this expensive part of London . Mushroom mushroom arancini with a pesto flavour sauce was very tasty. Pork belly with a very nice crackling around it was delicious and fresh.
A magical and elegant place, suggestive and intriguing.
An atmosphere that few locals in the city have given me.
Excellent food and cocktails absolutely to try again.
The staff was very friendly and helpful.
Recommended!
We stumbled upon this place after the match, buzzing off Nelson's winner and boozed up!
We were drawn to the look and feel as well as the menu.
The food was delightful- we started with scallops, aubergine and one other, rabbit perhaps...all of which were on point.
Mains- lamb, pie and duck. The duck was well presented and a joy to eat. I tried the the other two...all good.
Drinks hit the spot, I had countless old fashions.
Service was attentive and friendly
Decent atmosphere too...good music
Come here for drinks on New Year's eve. Really nice cocktails and atmosphere.
Service was good, could have been better instead of having to call them over.
I've been here 4 or 5 times and its got a lovely environment with great music. The first time I went a year or two ago it had great food and cocktails, but the last couple times the menu has changed and cocktails are not as nice as they used to be.
The last time a group of us went we were told that we could not use the toilets because there was a private function. This was not acceptable as they should have been closed for the public if that was the case. We actually had 1 drink and left whereas we normally we stay for hours.
Go back to how it used to be please!
Great decor, relaxed atmosphere. (Sunday afternoon) good drinks, polite friendly staff. Will be back
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