Tucked discreetly beneath the polished glamour of Burlington Arcade, London’s most historic luxury shopping strip, lies a speakeasy so seductive it feels almost imagined. No Regrets, the newest and arguably most intriguing addition to Mayfair’s drinks scene, is a blood-red hideaway concealed beneath British rock ’n’ roll jeweller Stephen Webster’s boutique, a bar that demands you seek it out, not stumble upon it.
There is no Instagram handle, no website, no number to call. Entry is granted only to those who discover the narrow staircase at the back of the shop, as if stepping through a trapdoor into another world. “People love that it’s a bit secret,” Webster says with a grin. “It’s the kind of place where you can disappear.”
The bar is a creative union between Webster and two titans of Britain’s culinary and cocktail worlds: chef Mark Hix and bartender Nick Strangeway, with mixology maestro Stu Bale contributing his technical flair. On most evenings, at least one of these characters holds court, adding to the atmosphere of a private, insider-only salon.
Inside, the mood is dark, lush, and ever so slightly wicked. Velvet banquettes glow under candlelight, while whimsical details, a trio of ice-cold mini martinis delivered on a silver tray engraved Enjoy Your Flight, or the gleaming gold toilet that practically demands admiration, remind you that Webster’s world has always been one of playful decadence.
Cocktails lean into British artistry: a sour cherry negroni, a blackcurrant-and-lemon-verbena margarita, traditional-method English fizz by Dermot Sugrue. Each drink arrives in exquisite glassware, perched over crystal-clear ice. Hix’s elevated bar snacks, caviar and blinis, sausage rolls, smoked trout on soda bread, complete the experience.
A record player invites guests to choose from Webster’s own vinyl collection, rock, reggae, Motown, and more, turning the tiny, sociable room into something closer to a musician’s living room than a traditional bar.
With its limited opening hours, intimate scale, and irresistible spirit of discovery, No Regrets captures the magic of London at its most secretive and sophisticated, a place where time slips away, music fills the air, and indulgence is the only thing on the menu.