Located a short walk from Bank Station, Be At One Guildhall is at the centre of the office universe. A classy bar excelling in fun and fresh flavours, and with those Happy Hour prices it was somewhere I had to visit.
The Venue
Be At One Guildhall has a sophisticated Brooklyn look to it, with many vintage ‘Mad Men’ attributes such as vintage leather suitcases and antique books decorating its exposed brick walls. The venue is spread over two floors and has plenty of booths and tables, catering for large groups as well as couples. Both floors have their own bar, with downstairs sporting more of a party vibe and upstairs a calmer, seated affair.
Exposed brick and cool lighting make Be At One Guildhall a great night time hangout.
The Atmosphere and Clientele
Conversation seemed to steer from the grief of work overload to more light-hearted matters as the 5pm-7pm Happy Hour turned frowns upside down. The mood was very buzzy and the commercial music and energetic bartenders had the bar in forgetting that it was only Thursday. People got up and had a dance, sang along and there was even an impressive air guitar solo to an Arctic Monkeys’ song.
The mix of sophistication and unashamed fun is what I really liked about this bar. The staff were so friendly and put a lot of personality into the service. Occasionally ice went flying, shakers circulated the air and four different coloured spirits were poured simultaneously from up high, all in the name of a good cocktail.
Groups having fun and dancing between tables is a feature of Be At One Guildhall.
The Food and Drinks
This is a cocktail bar of the most indulgent kind. We’re talking fresh fruit, purées, ice cream, pretty garnishes, cookies and an aperture for every mixology manoeuvre. We started with the Mintberry (Absolut Raspberri Vodka, Chambord liqueur, mint leaves, lemon juice, sugar syrup and raspberry purée) which was delicious and great value at Happy Hour prices. Be At One Guildhall also has a phone App you can download to extend that offer for an extra hour, the French sounding concept of “Appi Hour”, genius.
Cocktails like The Irish Disco Biscuit (Baileys, Green Creme de Menthe, Oreo cookies, vanilla ice cream) might be a fun treat, but they also hit the mark on fiercer drinks like the Passion fruit Margarita. We ended the night with one of their Mocktails called On The Wagon (a quarter banana, pina colada mix, strawberry purée and grenadine). It was fantastic.
The drinks at Be At One Guildhall are fresh, fruity and a great pick-me-up after a long day.
Summary
I would definitely go back to Be At One Guildhall because the cocktails were terrific, the staff were friendly, the atmosphere was fun, the venue charming, and it all came at a price tag that was more than agreeable.
