Disrepute: what to order and when to go

Down a red staircase under Kingly Court, between Carnaby Street and Beak Street, Disrepute is a basement cocktail bar with crushed-velvet loveseats, marble, brass and a long bar backed by spirits. The Infatuation describes it as an underground bar that thrives on glamour. Regulars call it D.R.P. The address is 4 Kingly Court, W1B 5PW, and the entrance is easy to walk past.

The scandal underneath

The site was formerly The Pinstripe Club. SquareMeal says it gained notoriety in the 1960s as the favoured rendezvous for protagonists in the Profumo Affair, and the bar's own blurb nods to a history of scandal and infamy, where Keeler met Profumo. The Nudge adds that the club hosted everyone from Audrey Hepburn to John Profumo, though the Hepburn link is best treated as venue lore. The bar itself opened around late 2016, and it is a Nightcap plc venue, a members' bar with a 1960s accent that has been featured in the UK's Top 50 Bars.

What to order

The drinks menu is the draw. The current list at the last check, launched in October 2025, is called Counterculture: A Brief History of a Scandal, built around 1960s icons, outcasts and provocateurs. Each drink comes with a short story, and the menu is illustrated. Check it is still the one on the table, as menus move on.

• Buddy's Habit: rye, cognac, Amaro Montenegro, Cajun spice, beurre noisette and tobacco, a nod to the jazz cornetist Buddy Bolden. Order this if you like your drinks dark and stirred.
• Starving, Hysterical, Naked: tequila, agricole rum, caramelised pear, cacao and Riesling, named after a line from Ginsberg's Howl.
• A Pink Triangle: mezcal, Sipel aperitif, watermelon and calamansi, reclaiming the pink triangle as a symbol of pride. The brighter choice.
• The Hippie Trail: gin, cachaça, Timur berry, lime leaf and grapefruit.
• Femme Fatale: rye, bourbon, Amer Picon, salted banana and coffee beans.

If the stories are not your thing, The Infatuation suggests a short classic such as a sweet Manhattan to suit the art deco look. Non-alcoholic options are around £13.

What it costs

Cocktails were about £16 each according to Reset Magazine at the menu launch, and visitor reviews since suggest roughly £16 to £20. Budget accordingly: this is a splash-the-cash room. There is an aperitivo hour with cheaper cocktails, listed as four to six, Sunday to Thursday, but the price has varied over the years, so check the website before you plan around it.

When to go

Hours are five until 3am Monday to Friday, four until 3am on Saturday and four until 1am on Sunday. That makes Monday evening, opening at five, the easy night: reviewers describe it as quiet, and Saturday as very busy. The room is small and can get stuffy when full. For the full late-night effect, The Infatuation recommends a spontaneous nightcap after midnight, and with the doors open until 3am there is time for it.

Booking and the door

Disrepute calls itself a members' bar but not in the conventional sense: bookings and walk-ins from non-members are welcome. In practice, accounts of the door differ, and London x London says that turning up unbooked on a Friday night will not work. Book online at disrepute.co.uk, or ring 020 7494 2505. Dress to impress, rather than smart casual, and it is 21 and over.

For after: Ain't Nothin' But Blues Bar

A short walk away at 20 Kingly Street, Ain't Nothin' But Blues Bar bills itself as Soho's legendary blues bar, established 1993, with live music every night. It is walk-in only and small, so it gets crowded. Monday hours are listed as five until 1am, so on a Monday it closes earlier than Disrepute: go straight there from the basement before last orders, and stay for the band.