Janet's Bar

The prices are not London prices, they are cosmic prices.... asked for a coke. Took out a can of coke and charge me £8
Staff friendly though

This bar is nothing more than a jumped up dive bar. It is only good as a late night drink and nothing more. What decent bar takes the cash first, quite ridiculous. It looks tacky and very Tenerife with all the dumb stupid photo's plastered around the place by so called wanna be's and geniune hangers on.

If you want to have a good time, go to Janet's Bar. I'm not suprised that they've won numerous awards over the last few years! I would describe the crowd here as fun, outgoing and intelligent. This is a great place for going with friends or meeting new people, both professionals and students alike. Very cool. The staff are always smiling and making sure you are served quickly and feel welcome, and Janet is really switched-on with a fabulous sense of humour! She's also great if you need some dating advice!!! As for the cocktails, I recommend the lychee or espresso martinis.

If you're looking for a bar to recommend to someone you don't like - where the staff are rude, the cocktails really don't get much worse and prices are extortionate, this is your place.

I've travelled a decent amount, done my fair share of drinking and eating out in a fair few countries and I've never written a review online, but this place resulted in enough firsts that I figured it was time to pop that cherry too and share them.

* Before this, never had I been to a bar where the staff take payment before they've even checked if they have what you want, let alone making it.

* Before this, never had I been to a dive bar where the drink prices were so disproportionately high when compared to the surroundings, quality of service and quality of beverages - £4.75 for a 275ml bottle of kronenbourg (yes 275ml) and £10 for a mojito in a small tumbler which tasted like sweetened carbonated water and the lime wasn't fresh to put it politely.

* Before this, never had I been approached by member of bar staff to ask if I knew there was a £3 minimum charge because I didn't have a drink.

I had been there not 10 minutes and was stood chatting amongst 4 other friends who all had drinks and had another friend at the bar buying me a drink. When I told the bar maid the latter she replied "oh really, who?!" Left speechless I went to find my friend queueing at the bar to say "forget the drinks we're leaving". At that point I worked out why they take your money first.

When I first walked in to this place I was perplexed by the hundreds of photos plastered all over the walls of people having fun. It felt like a poor mans facebook photo collection, all too personal for a public space filled with strangers but "hey ho", I thought "each to their own". Now I see that like a person with a complex about the quality of their social life, this place has to prove people have a good time there. If they do it's certainly not because of the service, prices, decor o

I really don't know why people are being so ridiculously (and wrongly) critical of Janet’s Bar. I’ve had countless exciting nights there with mates, having drinks, meeting new people, listening to the live music and meeting Janet herself, who is gregarious, welcoming, and absolutely nothing like the people below have portrayed her. It’s a rare find in London- an American style bar with an easy-going atmosphere, great clientele, delicious drinks (with a vast menu) and free popcorn/hot-dogs! Janet's is always busy, especially on weekends and late at night as it stays open til the little hours. The service is the best of anywhere I’ve been before. You don't have to wait around and so many pretentious venues in London just ignore their customers and keep you standing at the bar for hours. As for prices, I suggest you go look at other Ken and Chelsea drinks menus! There's a reason Janet has tonnes of loyal customers and regulars. The cocktails, beers and wines always hit the spot, you can feel laid-back and respected, you can sit outside on the terrace and listen to a good music,, and you're offered free snacks! I urge you to disregard what other reviewers are on about. Janet's Bar is ace.

A rather lovely looking bar with a heart of stone and its eye on the cash register. Don't let appearances fool you: Janet's Bar is cynical and ruthless. It looks welcoming enough, rather like an upscale Brooklyn 'dive' bar from the 1990s - fairly lights, photomontages of customers on the walls, free popcorn on the bar. But then you get hit by the price of their drinks - £7 for a gin and tonic for example. These are almost Ritz Hotel uber prices, but the drinks at Janet's are nothing remotely special, and the bar staff (some of whom are charming)are very far from being trained mixologists. The music when we went was particularly horrid. Trashy, loud, dated 'Italio-rave' music (think a rubbish Ibiza club circa 1995) quite at odds with the carefully low-slung ambience. However useful it is to have a local bar open this late, the cash flow rules here. Janet's is dead behind the eyes.

I've been to this bar a couple of times and in the past have had pretty mediocre evenings there - its always been okay but nothing special. It's always a last resort kind of bar. However I went last night and can quite categorically say I have never received such poor customer service before in my life.

Myself and four friends were quite happily chatting on the tiny terrace, one of the lads had been out all day and decided he'd had enough, one of the girls helped him into a cab (to be fair he was drunk but was not causing any trouble - you know the kind of drunk where you can't really be bothered to talk anymore!) Meanwhile an American woman came over to the rest of us and rudely said our girlfriend could not come back in because she's had too much to drink. At this juncture I should point out she wasn't drunk and had been drinking water for over an hour! The aforementioned American then came back over and shoved a tray of stale jam sandwiches under our noses and proceeded to insist we eat them because "we needed them".

Personally I don't go to a bar to have my friends wrongly accused of something, patronised and force fed bad food and all courtesy of a bar that is vastly overpriced and nothing to shout about.

I completely understand they have to retain some level of decorum and obviously have to protect their license but I have never experienced such poor judgment from a licensee. She actually seemed nervous of people having a good time just in case it got out of hand and this really sapped the whole bar of any atmosphere.

There are bars and pub in the area that are trendy and can afford the surly bar staff because they are places 'to be seen' Unfortunately, Janet's Bar, is not one of them.

You won't find a more friendly, uniquely fun, authentic bar in London. It's got a real all-American vibe, from its interior decor to its personalised drinks menus to the owner herself. The atmosphere is laid-back, cool and always upbeat. It's as though the bar staff, live musician and Janet are dedicated to giving you the night of your life! And they fully succeed, because I always have the best time when I go there. I keep going back, and it never fails to impress.
The staff are welcoming and really efficient. You never have to hang around to have your order taken and the drinks come straightaway, which means you can put your feet up and relax. There's no stress and glancing at your watch! The drinks themselves are delicious, especially the cocktails, of which there are many to choose from. There is also wine, champagne, bottled beer, and a big range of soft drinks. The prices are really good considering that the bar is located in one of the most upmarket areas in London. The atmosphere itself is worth every penny you spend.
The live music is worth going to the bar for, as well. A really good musician playing at a reasonable volume is hard to come by in good London bars, and these guys tick all the boxes.
The bar is open until late, so while other places in the area will close their doors before midnight, Janet's will stay open. It's a great place to catch up with friends, have some drinks before going to a local club, or just come to sit on the terrace and watch the world go by.
Janet, the owner, is so much fun to have around, because she'll chat to you like she's known you forever, offer you complementary snacks, and make you feel really at home. I highly recommend the bar. My friends and I have been going back regularly since we discovered this South Kensington Aladin's cave! I'm sure you will become a regular too.

Best bar in London! We have been going to Janet's Bar for 10 years and shall continue.! It is worth every penny because Janet and the Staff make a real effort to get you to have fun. They give lots of extras too- BUT do not go in there if you are mean and churlish-you will look like a complete W----R- and DO NOT stand there and not order anything- you will look even dumber-Janet is running a business and works really hard-she deserves to do well.
And to the people who say they couldn't understand "why they were thrown out for not ordering anything but tap water" AND "Blocking the door" thereby not allowing actual paying customers in, I say DUHHH! If there were more "Janet's" in England we would not be in the mess we are in.

Go Janet! Go Janet!!!

Janet's bar is the worst bar I've ever been to in London. I was with a group of people who all ordered drinks. Because I had a tap water I was asked to leave because I was blocking the bar-even though my friends had only just got their drinks. I was in complete shock. Janet is incredibly rude and lacks basic customer service. She missed out on several drinks purchases that night. What kind of business woman is that? I would not recommend this bar to anyone. It is a rip off, managed by incompetent, rude staff. She ruined my night. DO NOT GO HERE.

Worst place ever! Three of us friends, completely sober, walked in at about 9pm on 15/11/2007 and ordered cocktails. The Mojitos ordered by a friend had ROTTEN mint!!! And this is not all, the hostess (not Janet - but a fat lady wearing a red jumper) refused to accept that the drink was bad. Even after I tasted the drink and it was REALLY BAD. When my friend, asked her that he DOESN'T want a bad drink she was really rude and asked him to order a replacement. He politely said that he will just wait till he recovers from the bad taste in his mouth and order soon. She rudely asked him to order NOW or leave. And this when two out of the three were already having cocktails. We left in a shock!

Janet's Bar is a tiny, atmospheric gem of a place in South Kensington. If I were a woman I'd say it's adorable, but since I'm not I'd describe it as very laid-back and friendly. They have an unusual selection of food and drinks that matches the decor--both are strange and kind of funky, in an unpretentious way. The staff really went out of their way to be friendly, and after a long day at work that's something that suddenly seems very appealing.

I really enjoyed this place and will be returning soon...I plan on bringing my wife and some of our friends next time. Highly recommended.