By Susanna Borio
Unless you found yourself looking inside the venue, you might confuse Mrs Riot with an ordinary cocktail bar, but you’d be wrong.
Set in the heart of Covent Garden, this immersive bistro and cocktail bar takes its name from iconic feminist pioneer and performer Kitty Clive, who set the London scene on fire in the 1700s. The daring demeanour of her most famous character “Mrs Riot” inspired the bohemian and unconventional vibe of the site.
With live music every night, atmospheric lights and artistic prints and murals covering the walls, the place definitely implies it’s only ‘for the girls and the gays’ that’s it. Now, that might have been due to me visiting Valentine’s day (or Galentine’s day as it was for us)… or it might have been the frilly decorations, the downstairs karaoke lounge or the bathroom doors telling me to love my self.
A place intended to make annoying straight men roll their eyes before trying to hide how much they love their fruity named cocktails.
Actually, while me and my friends were enjoying our Harry Styles inspired ‘Watermelon Sugar Margs’, the man sitting to my right, whose girlfriend definitely chose the location of the date, ordered a beer. Obviously in an attempt to increase the testosterone levels in room as fast as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I like beer just as much as the next guy, but when the bar has a drinks menu as eclectic and inviting as Mrs Riot, it’s almost a waste.
With an impressive selection of both spritz and cocktails, where ‘Espresso Martinis’ and ‘Bellinis’ turn into ‘Coffee House’ and ‘Dellinis’, they take classic recipes and give them a fresh spin a pleasing new name.
If you’re a Gin lover, every afternoon during the week you can also enjoy a 2 for 1 on Gin Spritz.
The food menu is filled with Mediterranean sharing platters full of delicacies from the freshest burrata and finely sliced charcuterie, to plump French olives and a creamy chickpea hummus begging to be dipped into.
Every Saturday the venue hosts a brunch that includes bottomless cocktails, unlimited vegan cupcakes and drag shows starring Margo Marshall and her gang of world-famous Drag Queens!
Get yourself a cocktail and expect shamelessly glittery outfits, cheeky lip-syncing and jaw-dropping dance moves.
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Featured image by Jake Davis