I have always had a soft spot for hotel bars. To some they may seem stuffy, but not to me. With their polished interiors, sleek seats and lo-fi music, drinking in them always feels classy and sexy. The cocktails are usually good, they’re not too noisy, or trendy, and you can almost always get a seat. I have also always wanted to go to Los Angeles, but alas, have never managed to make the trip. At Chet’s Bar I got to fulfill my dream of drinking in a slinky LA hotel bar, without leaving London.
The Hoxton Shepherd’s Bush has been home to Chet’s, from Silverlake-hailing chef Kris Yenbamroong, since 2023. Now they’ve opened Chet’s Bar, an offshoot of the vibrant and addictive Thai eatery, in the same building.
The Thai Sour – fragrant and frothy with banana liqueur – is a beach holiday in a glass
Sitting on a dusty pink bar stool, I found the room pleasantly dim-lit, with each table kitted out with its own spaceship-looking lamp. There are also marble and chrome accents and wood panelling. Very nice. As for the crowd, it’s sort of what you’d expect from a hotel in west London – fairly middle-aged, and a decent amount of people who look like they could be business travellers. But that doesn’t mean that Chet’s Bar is boring – the trendy people simply haven’t found it yet.
To sip, you can order Chet’s classics, like the Lychee Martini – sweet and girly with a pleasingly green lychee at the bottom; and the Thai Sour – fragrant and frothy, made with Dewars 12 scotch, Thai spirit Mekhong and banana liqueur. A beach holiday in a glass. But my favourite was the Calamansi Sour. When picking up this creamy tipple in an elegant coup, you’re hit by the dizzying scent of zingy calamansi, which smells a lot like mandarin. The drink itself is incredibly smooth, fresh and quite savoury. It’s immensely satisfying.
This is an LA-inspired place, so you’re probably wondering if they have margaritas. They do. You can order yourself a classic marg, or stick to the menu with an LA-rita del Sol, a sweet, sharp and earthy strawberry take on the classic.
Chet’s Bar has food too, and it was worth schlepping to west London for the tuna tacos alone. These were fresh and light with a hint of warming spice, served with a cheeky dollop of caviar. I liked how they didn’t totally fall apart once you bit into them – not an easy feat for a taco in a crisp shell. The pulled pork slider was excellent drunk food. The barbecue sauce was tangy, sweet and peppered with pineapple chunks, served on the most buttery brioche bun. Battered, deep fried artichokes came slathered in tart thai basil aioli with a smattering of grated parmesan. And if you need something more substantial to soak up the booze, you can also order the fast food du jour – smashburgers.
Service was a little sluggish at times and they were out of a few things on the menu when I went (I’m still dying to try the kimchi doughnuts), but hopefully these will be ironed out. The cocktails here are fun, playful and incredibly drinkable. They also look good, which is a winning combination.
The vibe: An LA-style hotel bar in the Hoxton Shepherd’s Bush, attached to a mighty fine restaurant.
The food: Comforting Thai-meets-American bar snacks, including smashburgers, kimchi doughnuts and tacos.
The drink: Extremely drinkable Thai-inspired cocktails, made using inventive and Asian ingredients. There’s a good selection of natural wines too.
Time Out tip: Start with drinks at the bar and then stay for dinner.