Opal - City of London,Westminster

Came up on Open Table as hosting a table for 10, but really not set up for lunchtime. Menu different than advertised food ok but very limited range. Not really a lunch venue so staff not set up for it, and seating options poor.

Due to its very easily accessible location, and the fact that I have booked a booth here before, I chose Opal as the meeting place for girls gathering for welcome drinks, to kick off a hen do! I initially requested a booth via DesignMyNight.com...but despite receiving an email stating someone would contact me to confirm my booking, nobody did. I then contacted Opal direct via their website, and Laura was very good in responding quickly and assisting me with my request. It was necessary to pay a deposit to secure the booth, but this was redeemable against food or drinks. I enquired about ordering a couple of bottles of prosecco for the table on arrival, but at each I thought better of it as my deposit didn't even cover one bottle! So instead I ordered sharing food platters each) when we had all arrived, and paid the little extra. Unfortunately we were only starting out at Opal and our reservation did not fall into Happy Hour this would be a much better time to come considering the costs of drinks. However, we did manage to consume a good few bottles in the two hours we were there .. The bar was very empty when we arrived, and as we were minutes early our booth had not been allocated. The barman rang through to Ashley who appeared (genie in a bottle? and placed two reserved' cards on the two tables nearest the door. This worked for us as it was a nice day and we were still able to benefit from the fresh breeze coming through the open front doors, and also catch our guests as they arrived I suspect that in a busier time, this would have been a rather annoying place to be seated due to the constant comings and goings of customers. Ashley checked on us a couple of times to ensure we had everything we needed, and I had no cause for complaint. Personally, I think Opal could do with a bit of a tart up' on the ground floor bar the white seating looks a little tired, and the cushions are a little tatty. Bars always look better at night but the downstairs bar looks more glitzy, probably helped by the fact the furniture is black and the lighting more conducive to a bar atmosphere. When we left I went over and told the barman we were going, and thanked him. Opal was a good starting point for our day, and I would return ..

IT describes itself as Offering an eclectic mix of funky cocktails, mouth-watering food and the best mix of people' I would say it is more of an after work meat market where people flock to get merry on happy hour cocktails. There is nothing wrong with this of course, its just a case of managing expectations. The food is run of the mill pub (bar) food, burgers, fish and chips, platters etc. Not bad quality but I would only recommend eating here if you are in need of some fuel to keep you going for the rest of the night.This is one of those places that tries to position itself as high end but it really is not, having girls walking around with clipboards directing people around to tables doesn't really do it for me.There are many more places to choose from that have a better atmosphere and value for money

I really enjoyed my time here! Opal is a gem of a place: small, with lighting that shifts from bright (where it's needed) to dim for some slightly-more-dramatic ambiance. My friend has gotten to know this place quite well because of the happy hour deal, and so she recommended we drop in. It wasn't particularly busy, despite being rush hour, and we easily picked out a comfy booth opposite the bar. The barman made us some great mojitos, which was the cocktail of the day, and therefore had the off deal. My friend doesn't drink them unless they're strawberry flavoured (how? why but the staff were more than happy to make one of each flavour and we were both happy with that! They also offer bottles of wine for half price if you purchase it within the allotted time, which is always welcome. Opal doesn't strike me as a good place to buy a square meal, so perhaps come here for the drinks only, and perhaps a snack. It really fulfilled our needs though, and therefore it gets a high score. On a final quick note, it was really nice to leave and immediately be greeted by London all lit up Opal is right on the Thames, so it's an easy-to-find, great location.

Came here with friends late afternoon and were lucky to hit happy hour which runs from til It was amazing to order cocktails in London for just under The music was good and progressively getting louder taking us into the evening....We had no problem getting a seat upstairs and downstairs there is a big club space. Would come here again and would stay later next time. We only left as we had booked the boat show comedy club nearby. No children allowed though even if they just need the toilet..we saw a few families trying to come to use the loo and were refused entry.