Cocktail bars are no longer just about exquisite drinks and service. A new trend is blending the artistry of mixology with culinary delights, transforming these hotspots into destinations for both exceptional cocktails and stunning plates.
Whether you're a cocktail connoisseur or a foodie seeking the next great bite, these bars are serving up a fusion of flavours that promise to tantalise your taste buds and elevate your night out.
Whether you’re looking for Michelin level snacks, or nostalgic comforts, these bars have it all and we get down to the nitty gritty of why they started dabbling in food and what the challenges are in doing so.
Combining food with drinks at cocktail bars can be a conscious choice from the get-go like for Adam Handling when he opened Eve Bar in Covent Garden.
Handling said, “I always wanted to open a bar that placed the same emphasis on quality ingredients and craftsmanship in their drinks and snacks, as a chef would with food
Food was always involved as the bar was inspired by a drive to use discarded ingredients from Frog, utilising what would otherwise have been wasted.”
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It can also often come after being inspired by the specific space and context of each venue. Alan Frost from Little Mercies in Crouch End shared, “Once we had the site, we knew that it was going to be a food and drinks venue.
The original concept for Mercies didn't need to have food, but it was always an option. We weren't ever going to shoehorn it into something where it didn't make sense.”
Frost also noted that the kitchen opened six months after the bar due to renovation and staffing challenges.
For the team at Kiki Lounge on the Isle of Man, food became a consideration when the venue moved to a new location which offered them more space and opportunity.
Drew Fleming said “Initially in the old venue, food was never really a thought at all nor was it an option. Whereas at the new site it organically came on the cards when we moved because there was already a purpose-built kitchen.”
Similarly, Ben Alcock of Filthy XIII in Bristol emphasised the role of space in their decision saying they were inspired by the space. Alcock also owns sister site Her Majesty’s Secret Service (HMSS) which has limited space so he can share the kitchen across his bars not just for serving snacks.
He also highlighted a gap in the market for quality cocktail bars that also serve food. The goal for Filthy XIII when introducing food was to enhance the drinking experience without competing with local restaurants.
Alcock also added that the offering “has to be right for your space” which he says means you've considered the whole experience for a customer and to complement your primary focus, drinks.
He also expressed “When we first opened, we were doing bagels and very different things and we had quite a divided crowd of eaters and drinkers, but we're a cocktail bar. That's always what we're going to be."
Fleming echoed a similar sentiment saying “We would never want somebody to come in and put a napkin on their knee and expect full sustenance
We see food and our food programme is either nostalgic or it's going to pique curiosity after a few drinks.”
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Jamie Lewis, Managing Director, added “we're a cocktail bar. We don't want to be known as anything other than that, so the food is an add on that enables you to stay a bit longer if you're out with your mates”.
The food at KiKi’s is authentic to the kitsch 90s interior and tiki bar drinks with Fleming saying, “if we're going to do food, it needs to be us and it needs to sing from the same hymn sheet”.
The dishes have been influenced heavily not only by the bar style, but by Lewis’s childhood, tasking chef Nicole Crawley with creating nostalgic flavours in new and interesting ways, like their salt & vinegar disco squid, inspired by the crisp, deep fried Babybels, and lasagne spring rolls.
Alcock is in the process of changing Filthy’s food menu but keeping it simple with dishes focusing on tastes and textures that will complement the drinks such as fats, spices and charred flavours. There will also be a key focus on presentation for the bar as they want people to take photos and share their experiences online, cleverly using the food as a marketing tool.
Frost has always seen the food at Little Mercies as “quite playful and tongue in cheek” looking to create food, which is simple, yet flavour packed to match the drink serve and style, with dishes being titled simply as the main ingredient like ‘carrot’ or ‘tomato’.
The bar’s drinks are often influenced and include homemade ingredients made from kitchen waste, which also reduces their environmental impact. The team have created a vegan dashi by smoking potato skins from the chips which can then be used throughout the bar.
Handling’s bar snack menu is also a result of utilising the produce that isn’t used in the main kitchen for Frog restaurant with the intention of giving ingredients a second life.
The cocktail menu also works in a similar way, Handling adds “our cocktails are designed primarily using “waste” ingredients from the Frog kitchen, as well as our own ingredients and spirits that we create in our bar laboratory.
The kitchen and bar teams work in synergy and their strong relationship is integral to the success of the bar”.
The snacks at Eve Bar have been designed to complement the drinks guests would have them with, some of them are incredible pairings like From the Coast cocktail with the Lobster Tempura.
Handling adds “The saltiness makes them complement each other brilliantly. Another winner is the Cherry Cola and the Fried Chicken, or Smoke and Honey with the Caviar Potato and Truffle is a guest favourite, with their sweet and smoky flavours”.
Running bars that serve food has not been an easy task with Fleming saying the concept of it was incredibly scary and was only made possible due to the support of chef Nicole. On top of that, their all-night service becomes a challenge for a chef working until the early hours of the morning. However, this has been tackled by cross-training all staff across the bar and kitchen.
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A similar approach has been made by Filthy XIII, who keep their menu simple and approachable yet flavour-forward. Food is served until close, elongating their visit and giving them well needed sustenance and allowing consistency across both food and drinks.
Handling at Eve Bar had a similar sentiment saying “no less care is taken on either the kitchen or the bar side. If it doesn’t taste amazing, then there’s no way it’s being used.”
This approach allows bars to create a succinct food and drink offering which not only fits with the theme of their bar, but also creates a whole journey for the customer. Consistency and quality are key for these bars when it comes to their offerings, meticulously testing, tasting and designing the perfect fare for your visit.
