The Mitre Townhouse

The Mitre Townhouse | Lancaster Gate, W2 3QH | 020 7262 5240 

As you go down the steps of The Mitre Townhouse towards Old Mary’s Bar, you can’t help thinking you may be about to enter a very hidden gem. Time only told me that my suspicions were correct.

By the door is an ethereal painting of Old Mary herself, giving an eerie welcome as you step into the dark basement, lit by flickering candles in intimate, wood-panelled alcoves. As you walk through the cellar arches, you can’t help but get the feeling as if something has happened within those walls, with shadows flashing across them at each glance. 

The space is intimate, with many tucked away pockets perfect for cosy dates or groups. In its original day, it served as resident Lord Craven’s servants’ quarters. But the history gets more tragic, as it is the very room in which Old Mary took her life, after the end of a torrid and painful love affair with Lord Craven himself.

But you can calm those chills up your spine with one of the vastest beer selections I have ever encountered. With most finding it difficult to choose, simply state your preference to affable manager, Francesco, who will call on his expertise to pick a beer suited to your tastes.

However, it’s the cocktails that steal the show at this bar. Mixologist (and genius), Manuel, is guaranteed to impress you with his own inventions, made with pure passion (and sometimes a flamed spectacle) before your eyes. 

Sitting at the bar (a spot which has to be reserved in advance), my guest was presented with a manly cocktail named ‘Glory & Consequence (HMS)’. Made of Kraken rum, apple and sage jam, Cointreau and blackberry sloe gin, I opted for a slightly more feminine ‘Ring Around the Rose’. Contrastingly made of Hendrick’s gin, grapefruit, secret bitters and pestle cardamom,  both were wonderful, leaving us eager to try more from Manuel’s extensive list of creations.

Over several bowls of moreish jalapeno popcorn, Francesco and Manuel shared their own ghostly experiences in the bar. From a freezing feeling that pressure was weighing in on the latter one night as he was packing up at 3am, to a bottle that shattered in front of Francesco’s eyes, they admitted having called in genuine mediums. Having had several cocktails, when told the mediums’ tests were affirmative, this was enough to persuade me away from the bar and up to the restaurant!

Set in an authentic Victorian dining room, the Lord Craven Grill is a homely yet grand setting. You’re not taken to your table until your starters are ready, and instead are brought more cocktails and appetisers from the bar below, served to you whilst you wait in a plush, English living room. The order of the Dickens books on the mantelpiece, we are told, is always inexplicably rearranged when the staff return in the morning…

The dining room is small, adding to the authenticity that this was the Lord’s home and not a purpose built venue. My creamy pate starter with sourdough toast was generous without being too filling, whilst my guest’s smoked salmon with caper berries and chive and lemon dressing was deliciously light too. Easily influenced and having heard rave reviews from the staff about the lamb, my guest ordered a very English rump with roast vegetables, new potatoes and a mint and rosemary jus. Beautifully presented in a structured heap (the vegetables hidden inside), the meat was melt in the mouth, although the cabbage underneath was slightly limp and bland. I went with the dry-aged sirloin steak, sourced by the pub’s award winning butchers, Godfreys of Islington. Recently, I’ve been finding steak’s perfect texture and sufficient flavour to be mutually exclusive, however Lord Craven Grill managed to strike a successful balance. Served with a grilled flat mushroom, confit tomato, skin on chips and a warm garlic butter, my guest polished off my meal alongside his own. Filled to burst, we foolishly attempted desert – a dense sticky toffee pudding and wintery, spiced apple crumble. When neither of us could lift another spoonful, we called it a day, having, to our surprise, spent almost 5 indulgent hours in Old Mary’s Bar and The Lord Craven grill combined. 

With its rich history, efficient, attentive service and extremely reasonable prices, the Mitre Townhouse is sure to become a familiar haunt.

Hannah Sheriff