Bars & Pubs

Surprisingly, those books are real. But the whole place is otherwise a fabulous illusion: despite its olde worlde appearance, the Lanesborough was a hospital until the '80s, and only opened as a hotel less than 20 years ago. Whereas the bars at other nearby hotels - the Berkeley, say, or the Mandarin Oriental - are dressed to the eights and nines and draw a younger, more boisterous crowd, the Library remains gentle and mellow long into the night, partly thanks to a tinkling pianist and perpetually low lighting. Attentive staff and above-par cocktails help things run along very smoothly.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9