Janets Bar, South Kensington - pub details
Address: 30 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3DL [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 5040) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
South Kensington (0.1 miles), Gloucester Road (0.4 miles), Sloane Square (0.9 miles)
West Brompton (1.1 miles), London Victoria (1.4 miles), London Paddington (1.6 miles)
Pub facilities/features:
- Food served
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> Current user rating: 4.0/10 (rated by 35 users)
other pubs nearby:
Norfolk Bar, South Kensington (0.0 miles), Zetland Arms, South Kensington (0.0 miles), Hoop and Toy, South Kensington (0.1 miles), Kavanagh's Irish Bar, South Kensington (0.1 miles), Collection, Chelsea (0.3 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of Janets Bar, South Kensington
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 38 shown - see all reviews
| I have just signed up to this website to write my first online review of anything ever. Such is the potency of my consternation that I am typing this on an iPad Mini. Our visit to Janet's bar this evening was nothing short of horrendous. We (four native west Londoners) walked in at around 11.15 to a pretty miserable welcome: a sub-EasyJet air hostess type immediately shouted "We're not partying all night - that means one drink." Quite why this woman (who having read various other reviews I presume must be the now a infamous Janet) decided to treat us as though we were asking her for some enormous favour was not immediately clear. We were then chased round the small and empty bar by a harassed looking waitress who demanded our drinks order (though to be fair to her she was a lot less abrasive than her employer gargoyle). We asked for a drinks list and she pointed to various bits of tatty laminated paper behind the bar that were entirely illegible. So we guessed at what they might have and luckily we were largely successful. We made our order and the waitress immediately looked worried: "That's only three drinks but there are four of you." I explained that my girlfriend wasn't drinking. Her response was "That could be a problem - there's a £3 minimum per person." The bar was empty and the fact that the three ludicrously priced cocktails we ordered amounted to far more than £3 per person for the four of us was flatly ignored. Had we been tourists we might have put up with this greedy and miserly behaviour and sat in a corner of this naff joint blubbimg into badly made and vastly overpriced cocktails. Luckily for us we were immediately aware that we had walked into the most repellent bar in London run by a woman who should seriously reconsider whether the service/hospitality industry ( as opposed to, say, traffic wardenry) is really for her. So we walked straight out. This review is not therefore written with revenge in mind - Janet did not get her greedy claws into us. Rather it is written to warn others who may be visitors to London not to go to this horrible bar. The few positive reviews you will find are suspiciously similar to each other and appear to come form the ether - they are woefully inaccurate. The danger with relying on online reviews is that you will always ask yourself: "Is this reviewer simply a lunatic with an unfortunate agenda based upon the fact that 'there are too many steps' or 'there were no bees in the garden' "? I promise that I am not such a lunatic and that I have no such agenda. Do not go to this bar because it is an ABSURDLY expensive and ghastly place. HarrySM1983 - 10 Jun 2014 01:00 |
| A truly terrible bar. I've been here a few times and can only describe the regulars as hangers on, or tourists just wanting somewhere nearby to grab a quick drink. The only times I came here were with friends who on wanting an extra drink or two noticed this bar and wanted to go in. They soon learned. Asking for cash up front before they serve you a drink is most probably a policy due to the watered down alcohol they serve. I know its a bar and you have to expect to pay more, but this bar takes that rule to the limit. Charging nearly five pounds for a small bottle of beer left me speechless. I have been to expensive bars in the west end, and don't mind paying as long as its a nice mix. I just don't like being ripped off. What is with all the photo's spread all over the wall making the place look very tacky and cheap. Its like something you expect inside a typical club twenty dive bar in Tenerife or Malia. I don't wanna see a bunch of nerds clowning around thinking they are part of Janet's entourage. They even once did a raffle here in which I was pressured into buying a ticket. I bought one and won a prize of a free consultation to a Hairdresser's. The staff didn't seem happy that I won, LOL. I sold the prize to someone and quickly left........and I have never been back. perfect_spy - 17 Sep 2013 12:53 |
| Absolutely horrendous. I have never been lead to writing a bad review for a bar, but I must make this exception. The drinks were watered down, ridiculously expensive. Who pays 10.50 for two small beers? Even in South Ken... The glasses were plastic and dirty, the musician was a pitchy, untalented 40 year old who had the audacity to ask for tips. The worst was Janet herself... Completely up herself, rude, trashy blonde botoxed mess of a woman. Avoid, unless you are in the mood for a hilarious confrontation with the boss from hell. cos301 - 11 Jun 2013 14:03 |
| Roaming the streets of South Kensington last night in search of a screen to watch what was left of the open ceremony, a woman on the pavement was looking for preys: it was Janet! She quickly sized the opportunity and shouted "y'all looking for a screen? there's one right here but you gotta buy drinks!" We all looked at each other and thought: we are in! So we went in. Big mistake. We could not even finish the first round of drinks that Janet sent the young girl to our table to push for more orders, then Janet herself came to tell us we had to move our chairs closer to the table as "the bar was about to get packed and she needed space" then the boy came to give us an ultimatum: order more drinks or leave.....then the final blow: Janet raided our table saying she needed it for some customers that had just come in with a reservation. How rude, pushy and agressive!!!!! The bar was empty(ish) there was no sign of a crowd mobbing the place....what was she on?!!! We stood up and left pretty angry....what an undignified way of running a tatty bar!! The older the bar, the greater the need for management to compensate the physical inadequacies.... normally!! But in this case: the tattier the business, the cockier the Janet... more like it!!! She literally shouted: "GET OUT"....yep, that's because some of us did not order more drinks and others were still drinking theirs. Unreal. As we stood outside on Janet's familiar pavement gathering our thoughts on the unfortunate encounter, a group of girls came out of the bar and having heard it all just said: "expensive plastic surgery clearly requires more maintenance!" We couldn't agree more. Cheerio Janet, and indeed.....let the Games begin! Zalabia - 28 Jul 2012 14:55 |
| Really good fun any night of the week. This bar attracts people of all ages and backgrounds. What I particularly like about this bar is that everyone is treated the same whether they are a professional, student, celebrity or royalty. Everyone is made to feel welcome by employees and other customers alike and I never go home without making a couple of new friends! I'm a big fan of the martinis, particularly the espresso martini. They also have a new selection of red wines which I highly recommend. My male friends are fans of the vast collection of gins and whiskeys! The live music is also a lot of fun, as is the owner (Janet, of course!) who is an ex-lawyer from New York with a hilarious sense of humour and takes no nonsense! Would definitely recommend this place to anyone. chelseagirl123 - 21 Jan 2012 23:14 |
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