London’s Top Bars With Private Function Rooms For Christmas Parties

Christmas party time is (for the most part) filled with excitement, fun, fantastic food & bubbling booze! But there are two frequent worries pre- Christmas work festivities or festive corporate bash: who will be the secret Santa and who will you get stuck sitting next to? While we can’t solve these issues for you, it is why we love private rooms that come with their own bars!

In room bars allow guests not only to choose their own drinks should they not like the selection on offer (mine’s a Sipsmith gin & Fever Tree tonic please), but it also enables guests to get up from the table, mingle with ease and have a great excuse to move away from the office bore!

Here’s our top Twelve bars in private rooms that are perfect for Christmas parties

Setting the bar high…

Going straight to the top, Beaufort House in Chelsea sports the Penthouse Champagne Bar for up to 120 guests (standing) to party the night away with fizz, fabulous cocktails and bowl food, while the Greek themed Elysee offers its whole first floor including bar, dining rooms and outside terrace (with retractable roof!) for up to 150 guests to mingle and make use of its 3.30 am license.

In the backstreets of Mayfair, Hush also boasts a penthouse room with a bar for up to 100 guests (standing) and is commonly used for dancing and drinks parties as well as sit down do’s.

Above The Ivy’s legendary restaurant sits its recently revamped private room. Up to 100 guests can enjoy a canape reception or breakfast/lunch/dinner events in this versatile space with a classically striking Ivy bar to boot.

It’s all about the base…ment

Over in the City, The Chancery’s best kept secret is its exclusive basement bar for up to 50 guests (standing). With direct access to the private room (for 35) and main restaurant above it’s the perfect cosy space for discrete celebrations, pre and/or post dinner drinks.

Hixter Bankside has Mark Hix’s inimitable 70s retro chic style imprinted on it and Mark’s Bar for 100 guests features the apothecary bar and British inspired cocktail list as well as unusual seating (think tube seats!) and funky windows to street level. Top tip: you can hire half the bar for drinks and canapes.

Two of Home House’s private rooms have their own bars, the Zaha Hadid designed, silver statement champagne bar for 150 guests on the ground floor of Number 21 sports the unique style of the late, great interior designer, while down below in The Vaults, the gold and black bar for up to 80 guests screeches illicit late night partying and comes with a dj booth and 5 am license, ensuring heads will hurt the morning after.

You may not want to freeze in the Icebar – or you might want your guests to warm up in cosier surrounds after their ‘chilling’ experience and their basement Reindeer Bar for 45 is ideal – does it get more Christmassy?!

A hidden gem on Kensington High Street worth noting is Romulo Café – the acclaimed Filipino restaurant’s basement private Library Room for just 20 guests has its own bar as does the semi-private back section of the main restaurant above.

Three of the best of the rest

Andaz’s Catch Champagne Bar in all its fluorescent-lit glory is a site to behold and holds 120 for standing receptions or 200 with the connected Lounge.

The Fox Club is a hidden gem in the backstreets of Green Park, with a gorgeous private room for 30 guests with skylights and fireplace, the adjacent bar is a shoe-in for pre-dinner drinks or post dinner relaxation.

And finally… We just love the new bar at The Big Easy in Canary Wharf. The main bar is an alcoholic assault on the senses (in a very good way!) and now the Rum Lounge can also be hired for private events for up to 100. There’s nightly live music at no extra expense – add to that their staggeringly long list of bourbon and whiskies, ‘high rollers’ wine list and multitude of cocktail slushies – and the party is good to go!

Now all you have to decide is who picks up the bar tab!. Eeek.