Click here for a scan of Time Out's 2009 review.
Click here for a scan of Time Out's 2008 review.
“I can’t believe a place like this exists right in the middle of the tacky tourist haven, Leicester Square! I was a bit dubious when I found it nestled amongst the adult shops and kebab bars, but it is truly a gem of a place. Superb wine list, great food (the steak was delicious), lively atmosphere - how come I didn’t find it sooner?”
London-Eating 2007
“Just how wine bars are supposed to be - and then some. Forget your theatre booking - well you will if you come here first. Why? Because you won’t want to leave. This is THE greatest wine bar not just in London, but Britain. Browse your way through the world in the form of the C&B’s wine list. I defy you not to find something to your taste. I have never been disappointed. The food and service are superb and the atmosphere the best. Enjoy!”
London-Drinking 2007
Click here for a scan of Time Out's 2005 review.
"This old-fashioned wine bar is a world away from its neighbours - sex shop and purveyor of kebabs. Beyond a discreet glass door, a narrow spiral staircase winds down into two small rooms, heavily decorated with art nouveau posters for Moët & Chandon and Mumm. It’s a gorgeous space: small tables sit on a battered red tiled floor and an alcove dives under the street, into a blue-painted space for six. Owner Don Hewitson loves his wine, and has compiled a list that has top choices from the Rhône, California and New Zealand. Te Mata’s 2002 sauvignon blanc from New Zealand is a must-try at £29.50 a bottle, and wines by the glass - such as the 2003 Domaine L’Aulnay (£4.95), from St Nicholas de Bourgueil - have improved since Hewitson installed a Verre de Vin preservation system. Drink with Hemingway’s favourite, a burger that combines beef, pork and lamb, with chips (£10.95)."
Time Out London's Bars, Pubs & Clubs guide 2005/2006
We have received one of the most important awards in the past 36 years ... FROMMERS BEST DINING IN LONDON has named the Cork & Bottle as having "THE BEST WINE BAR FOOD IN LONDON".
"Don Hewitson’s raised ham & cheese pie is worth the trek across town. It’s hardly your typical quiche. The goodies don’t end there: taste the mediterranean prawns with garlic and asparagus or the lamb in ale. The wine selection is superb, with a strong emphasis on selections from Australia."
Best Restaurant is "Tante Claire". Best traditional British Cuisine is "Wiltons". Best continental cuisine "Le Gavroche" ... So we are in good company!
Click here to see Wine International's September 2003 review.
Click here to see more press coverage from 2003. |
"Don Hewitson runs the best wine bar in London, the Cork & Bottle, just off Leicester Square, and it was here that I first came across the super wines from Wolf Blass long before they were available in the USA. Hewitson, a New Zealander, was a vociferous advocate of antipodean wines during the 1970’s, and he is as responsible as anyone for turning the Uk on to the great vino coming from Australia and his own country."
Nick Passmore, FORBES
"The Cork & Bottle enjoys legendary status."
FOLIO, Switzerland.
"Don must also get some of the credit for introducing the UK to the wines of Australia and New Zealand, but he’ll take wines from anywhere if they are good enough. I suspect he suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Here’s been here 30 years but professes hardly to know the country. ‘ I know every yard of Zinfandel Lane, California, and the back roads of Beaujolais and the Barossa Valley, but here all I know is London and places where cricket is played."
John Graham. TATLER
"Ne vous trompez pas de porte, vous regreteriez car la selection international des vins servis au verre est absolutement enthousiasmante."
GAULT MILLAU Magazine, Paris.
"In a desert of tourist tat right by Leicester Square the Cork & Bottle is an oasis. Two tiny entrances with metal spiral staircases lead down to a rich cavern of nooks and crannies and some of the most interesting -and best- wine in London. When you add good, fresh food and friendly and efficient service you have a gem."
OMH. Restaurant Review
"The Cork & Bottle’s concealed entrance frightens away the tourists but it’s worth hunting down to enjoy the remarkably good wine list served by friendly, knowledgeable staff."
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
"Atmosphere is a huge drawcard for any establishment and Don has developed the fine art of creating a cosy, amicable place where many regulars return and casual callers immediately feel welcome and at home. Don claims to dictate to the market rather than let his customers rule him, and offers the surprises and treats he had discovered in his travels."
CUISINE, New Zealand.
"Best of the London Wine Bars, wines from all over the world, and good grills and salads."
APPELLATION, California.
"The Cork & Bottle is an establishment where all the pleasure of eating out in style can be enjoyed at a remarkably modest cost."
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