please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Top place, great music,door staff friendly , french bar staff yummy.FAB Really.
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I actually had a nice time here despite the terrible reviews - I suspect that might have more to do with the fact that I was absolutely hammered, but still..
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Very expensive, and the bar staff are obnoxious. I wont be going back and my recommendation would be not to bother either.
There are many better bars in Farringdon.
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Seemed ok when we first walked in and we wondered why the 3.5 star rating was there, soon found out.
Food was ordered and out came something that was almost completely different. We were told that because we touched it they wouldn't take it back! After 10 minutes the manager came and gave us a refund.
The place is fully seated upstairs with a small dance floor and some decks downstairs. Can you not have the speakers upstairs on a lower volume so you can actually speak to one another!!
Crap place, will not return
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This place seems nice enough, then you realise that there isn't enough room for the number of people they allow in. Lots of pretentious clowns in there, with barely any social skills
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No one in this place thinks they are getting an "ethnic" experience you middle-browed clown, no more than someone going to any other theme bar thinks they are.
I only rate this as a 5/10 in any case but felt your comment was dripping in stupidity so responded.
anonymous - 25 Jan 2006 23:48 |
Absolutely dire! Populated by try-hard middle class oafs who think they are getting an 'ethnic' experience in the form of microwaved food and overpriced drinks. The service drags it even lower.
Stonch- you slated Fluid and Charterhouse.....and like it in here??? No accounting for taste I suppose.
Null points.
anonymous - 24 Jan 2006 19:59 |
OK I am a pub man and not a bar man at all. But I have always enjoyed coming here, its very much an cocktail bar but it is open nice and late and is cosy and dark. You can get hammered in here and have a dance downstairs. If you are looking for a late night on the booze in a trendy place with a bit of atmosphere but don't want to hit a proper club this is OK.
Agree it is very expensive.
anonymous - 3 Jan 2006 13:30 |
Yep the reviews are right... Staff are terribly slow, the toilets are horrendous and the drinks are expensive... But I always seem to have a good night here! Suppose it depends on the company you keep....
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I visited this bar on Saturday night. Nice bar, good atmosphere and nice people. The waiting staff (one girl in particular, was so rude it was embarrassing). I would never go back there. The food was absolutely disgusting and nothing Moroccan about it at all. Badly cooked frozen food which was absolutely diabolical.
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A group of us went to this bar on a Friday night. We had booked a table and were planning on eating. We got in there at just after 8. This is not my idea of a good place to eat and I would not go back. (Read reviews on the 2nd page - the 1st page are all decent, but not the 2nd page!). The "tables" are fairly low and so you have to pick your plates up to eat, there were loads of options unavailable, and the quality of the food was absolutely appalling. I had veggie couscous which was bland and boring. For nearly �10 I'd expect a lot better. This was a complete rip-off. The good things; the music is good as is the ambience and we had a waitress who was actually polite but did take her time. I didn't see the bill so don't know if the 12.5% service was on it or not - I suspect it must have been. However, I will not be going back to this place. The ladies toilets (only 2) are an absolute disgrace. No locks on the doors, toilet pipes leaking, cracked toilets, you cannot flush anything down the toilet and the bins provided are tiny and have no lids, this is nothing compared to the sanitary bins which had obviously not been emptied for weeks as I couldn't even open it! Washing your hands was done by candlelight and the bin for the paper towels was also tiny and overflowing by 8.30pm! This surely must all go against Health & Safety and must be a fire hazard? I complained to "the management" who doubled up as the doorman - I had to stand outside and speak to him and was interrupted everytime someone wanted entry. He told me they'd had a problem with the toilets for weeks and did apologise, but did nothing for us by way of compensation - he told me he would get back to me but he didn't. When we left he had 3 ladies outside demanding their entrance money back (and they were almost having to beg for it) - don't know the reason for this, but I don't blame them. Beduin is in Farringdon, London, not some back of beyond hovel in Morocco where you'd expect the toilets to be bad! I'm just glad we were in there early enough not to have to pay entrance.
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I have been to this bar twice now and have enjoyed it both times. The atmosphere is lovely and slightly exotic and I've found the table service reasonably good. I will recommend that if you're going to spend your time on the top floor (which is comfortable and a nice area for a group to hang out in) then wear cool clothing. For some reason, the top floor is very hot and that's the general consensus. Also don't bother lining up at the bar for drinks. You'll end up standing there half the night waiting to be served as they definately seem to concentrate on table service. Apart from those factors.... a lovely little find!
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I'm torn as to my feelings about this bar. On the one hand I agree that it's stylish, beautifully decorated, with a fun friendly atmosphere on a Friday night.
On the other hand there are the waiting staff.
I booked a table for 10 people and was given space for 5. When I questioned this I was told that I hadn't specified I wanted all 10 people to be able to sit down. Logical, but not really what I wanted.
We didn't receive any table service all evening except for when we ordered food. And then they tried to charge us twice for it, not apologising when they realised their mistake. Finally they conviscated our candle on the table because we 'couldn't be trusted with it' (don't ask)?! I have never received such rude service in a bar.
Oh, and Mel from Big Brother was there too. Wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
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First impressions of Beduin Clerkenwell are that it�s a very stylish bar.
Designed around a Moroccan theme, its three levels each have a distinctively different feel; the basement dark and souk-like, the ground floor spacious and with booths, and the inviting balcony with mirror mosaics and low metal tables.
So, a prime candidate for style (bar) over substance? Actually no. Bed seems comfortable in its position � stylish and trendy, but not painfully so. The range of drinks is good, featuring a large selection of cocktails, with an emphasis on rum. These may be over ambitious, as the concoctions we tried didn�t quite live up to expectations.
The balcony area comes into its own for groups, and the large booths can be pre-booked. Perfect for celebrations where you want your own space to sip without being cut off from the action.
From your comfy banquette you can survey the palatial chandelier, and take advantage of the table service, meaning you don�t have to negotiate the stairs on each visit to the bar.
The basement area must surely be the darkest bar in Clerkenwell, you can just pick out the Moroccan lamps and d�cor, and groups of people lounging on leather poufs.
Bed is open until 3am at weekends, making it an ideal late night venue for groups. The designer obviously had this in mind, as the seating is not really conducive to cosy twosomes. But make for the basement if you want to drink un-noticed!
Reviewed by - Amanda Eames
Katie - 20 Sep 2004 22:13 |
Trendy, beautifully decorated bar following a Moroccan theme with a laid back atmosphere.
The name �bed� obviously lends itself to loads of double entendres ie advertising blurb on flyers includes the little gem �we went out on our first date and ended up in bed!� but don�t let that put you off.
DJ�s play from Wednesday to Saturday and the up for it crowd always make things go with a swing. The Moroccan food on offer is sublime and there�s a good range of beers and lagers.
Slightly older crowd in the evenings as they operate an over 25�s door policy.
Reviewed by - Andrew MacDonald-Bell
Adrew Macdonald - 20 Sep 2004 22:07 |
I actually like this bar! The staff were friendly and the drinks arrived on time. Since it was a work party and the whole venue hired by us, finger food was circulated. There was a good range for vegetarians like me and the quality was excelling - making me want more. The decor is warm and inviting - certainly a place that you can unwind and relax. This bar certainly distinguishes itself from nearby venues in a good way. Enjoy!
Toby - 15 Sep 2004 16:46 |
After checking out this website, I'm glad to see it was not just us who thought the manager of this bar had much to learn about running a respected business. What could have been a really pleasant evening was completely ruined by his patronising and unapologetic manner. After reserving an area for 5 we were presented with 1 sofa for 2 which apparently is 'what you get'. After causing a bit of a fuss they conveniently managed to find us another area.
We decided to move downsatirs after eating and settled the tab. When my friend went to the bar to pay she discovered that they were trying to charge us for 2 vodkas we hadn't had. Instead of apologising, voiding the transaction and preparing another bill the manager went through a right song and dance giving back cash, getting her to sign numerous receipts. Following his aggressive manner and failing to get one apology for their mistakes, we decided on the final bill that we would deduct the service charge which they had assumed we would pay. The manager came storming downstairs to where we had sat demanding to know why we did not want to pay but it was too late anyway as he;d put the transaction through already and there was no way he was doing another refund.
We all thought it was a real shame this guy was in charge as otherwise it would be quite a cool bar.
Hannah - 17 Aug 2004 13:40 |
Ditto rude waiting staff, overpriced drinks and food, and undeserved service charge. Just had a main course of pasta for lunch which was far too small. I was told that this is the standard size served by the chef and that the waitress couldn't do anything about it. I asked to speak to the manager, and was refused. I had also had it explained to me that artichoke tortellini is usually served like that anyway. I didn't even bother going into the service charge debate. All in all, a deeply unsatisfying experience, and I will not be visiting this place again. By the way, don't ever let a waitress offer to make you something 'special' on the drinks front. I was once served a Baileys for �7.50!
Alison Glynn-Baker - 3 Aug 2004 13:51 |
*** The Bedouin Bar ***
You can�t take this place seriously. Heated to the desert temperatures that only Bedouins are used to, this bar needs to sell you drinks to keep cool. The cost of all this nuclear-style heating must be why the drinks are at wallet-meltdown prices.
On first impressions it is a relaxing, laid back bar. So laid back in fact, they�ll take over half an hour to deliver drinks that you didn�t order in the first place. I think the staff must have been on those Hubbly Bubblys in the corner before the place opened. Shame the manager didn�t have a go one. Him and his attitude invited themselves to sit down at our table when we refused to pay the 12.5% �optional� charge for the lacklustre and bad service. So rude in fact, he must have skipped a few chapters of the bar management handbook before they chucked him out of kindergarten.
If you should accidentally end up at this bar, do what the Bedouins do. Go and roam somewhere else.
RattyRat - 2 Aug 2004 13:28 |
I was part of the group of 16 that left this bar on Saturday night. I would have thought that a bar that cannot extend its budget to buying notepads for waitresses, locks for toilet doors or air conditioning would do everything in its power to hold onto a large group.
Charlie - 2 Aug 2004 12:46 |
This place is absolutely awful.
First, we had an area reserved for 18 people, it would just about seat 10. We were moved to a different area and then offered table service. After waiting 45 minutes for a drink in an incredibly hot bar, we were finally served... with the wrong drinks.
On realisation that we were being charged a ludicrous 12.5% service charge, we refused to pay it. We were then interrogated by the manager as to why we were not paying it. He was rude and aggressive. The only option was to leave. Shame because the decor and music were both excellent. It really is a total rip off. Just don't go there.
Gill - 2 Aug 2004 11:55 |
Nice interior and good music played downstairs HOWEVER its very unlikely that I would go back to this bar or recommend it to friends for the following reasons: arrived early Friday evening and tried to order some cocktails from the menu. The barman has clearly never looked at the menu as he said that he'd never heard of the cocktails that we asked for. After pointing on the menu to the ones we wanted we were then told that he didn't have the ingredients to make them. We ordered alternatives but were not instilled with confidence as to the quality of what we would actually receive despite the price being �7.50 a pop, or so we thought. We were actually charged just over �25 for 3 and realised that the optional service charge of 12.5% is automatically added to any order you place at the bar. This is mentionned in small type on the bottom of the menu but you are not actually told this when they ask for the money. Some people may think that this is ok if the barman is going to the trouble of making a cocktail (provided he actually knows how) but the service charge is added to every drink ordered, even bottles of beer that take all of 2 seconds to open.....where's the service there?, taking the price of a bottle of beer to over �3.80. And who reads the menu to check the small print when ordering bottles of beer...I can imagine a lot of people get ripped off this way. For a bar charging these kind of prices you'd expect that they would be able to afford to pay the electricty bill, but you wouldn't think that at Beduin if you visited the ladies' toilet. Not one electric light was on, there was a candle in each toilet and a couple of tea-lights by the sink. Atmospheric maybe, but also pitch black, impossible to see anything and certainly no chance of checking your appearance in the mirror. Also, surely the service charge on just one customer's round of drinks would be enough to pay for some new locks that work in the toilets, its supposed to be a bar not the student union. Finally back to the bar, this time to order a bottle of wine and a jug of soda to make spritzers. The wine was �12.50 but the total was over �18, of course this included the 'optional' service charge but also �3.50 for a small jug of soda water. Again, what exactly was the service I was paying for, considering that I'd had to queue for a considerable amount of time before being served and then an ice bucket was not offered until we requested one several times. I received a look of pure contempt from the barman when I said that I did not wnat to pay the optional service charge. I should note that later in the evening when we sat up in the balcony area we were served by a very nice waitress. In this situation we had no objections to paying the service charge as she took our order and brought the drinks over to our table. Incidentally it was the same wine order as above but this time the total was only �14 as she hadn't charged us a ludicrous price for the soda.
In conclusion, this bar should stop ripping of its punters.
Dolly - 17 May 2004 16:12 |
I would definitely not go back to this pub they add on a 12.5% service charge to ALL drinks even when ordering at the bar, despite stating that it was optional on the drinks menu.
Ruth - 17 May 2004 14:31 |
This is a good place, particularly for midweek drinking. On Fridays the place gets too busy for an all night stay, but for midweek drinking the low-lighting, the cool and not-too-loud music and the general laidback atmosphere really works. Farringdon has a fair selection of decent establishments and this place is one of its nicest. Highly recommended
Meister - 10 Mar 2004 17:44 |
I've long gone off bars, but this place, just opposite the market, has it right. It's dark and somewhat romantic, all candles and cushions and an interesting pleasant aroma. It wasn't too busy when I went, a Weds down the curvy stairs for Meister's birthday, and the barstaff seemed remarkably pleasant, with not a trace of conceit or haughtiness. No pints but bar-priced bottles. I wasn't surprised at that though. Recommended, and look forward to reading other people's comments.
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