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Number 5 of 20 in London

Gordon's Wine Bar

You go down a steep stair from Villiers Street into a vault of bare brick, so low that you stoop, lit by candles stuck in bottles. It sells wine, sherry and port from the barrel, and no beer or spirits at all.

What it is
Wine bar
Opened
1890
Area
Embankment
Nearest museum
The National Gallery, 350 m

London this week

    What Gordon's Wine Bar is known for

    1. The cellar

      A row of arched vaults with rickety tables, the walls papered with yellowed newspapers of coronations and wars.

    2. Watergate Walk

      In fine weather the long terrace beside the bar, along the edge of Embankment Gardens, is the busiest outdoor table in central London.

    3. The house

      Rudyard Kipling lodged upstairs from 1889 to 1891 and wrote The Light That Failed here. Samuel Pepys had lived in a house on the same ground two centuries before.

    What to know

    • Established in 1890 and thought to be London's oldest wine bar
    • Serves wine only, with cheese, pies and cold plates
    • No bookings in the cellar: arrive early

    Where Gordon's Wine Bar is

    Address

    47 Villiers Street
    London WC2N 6NE, United Kingdom

    Nearest station

    Embankment (Bakerloo, Northern, District, Circle), one minute on foot

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.

    Wine without a licence

    Angus Gordon was one of the last free vintners, a guild whose members could sell wine without applying for a licence. He set up in these cellars in 1890.

    A second family named Gordon, no relation, bought the bar in 1975 and has changed as little as possible.

    Gordon's Wine Bar: common questions

    Where is Gordon's Wine Bar?
    At 47 Villiers Street, in Westminster, London. The nearest station is Embankment (Bakerloo, Northern, District, Circle), one minute on foot.
    Which museums and sights are near Gordon's Wine Bar?
    The National Gallery is 350 m away, London Eye is 600 m away, Westminster Abbey is 1.0 km away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
    What is Gordon's Wine Bar known for?
    The cellar, Watergate Walk, The house. The oldest wine bar in London, in a candlelit cellar under a house where Kipling lived, open since 1890. Five minutes from the National Gallery.
    When did Gordon's Wine Bar open?
    In 1890. Established in 1890 and thought to be London's oldest wine bar.

    What visitors say about Gordon's Wine Bar

    Rating from Google

    4.6

    6,309 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 8 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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