Berkeley Square's Amazónico – the restaurant that took in a tracksuited Jess Glynne when Sexy Fish enforced their dress code – is to let the public into its private club for the first time.
Underneath the main dining room floor, which seats 200 and is themed for a rainforest, the Mayfair restaurant ran a smaller bar, accessible through a hidden doorway and only open to those invited in.
Now the 40-cover speakeasy space will host the public for a limited time.
The move is a marked change for the downstairs room which, besides being invite-only, offered no membership and no guarantee of repeat entry, with no way for guests to request access. Though it will now welcome to anyone keen to head in, entrance will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and no reservations will be taken. Given the restaurant reported weekend waiting lists of more than 1,000 pre-lockdown – just four months into trading – it's expected the new bar will be extremely popular.
Amazónico's head of bars Edoardo Casarotto said: “I have worked in some incredibly beautiful bars, in London and around the world but this space really is the jewel in the crown.
"When it was by invitation only, it was only ever seen by a select few. Now, by opening it up, I am so excited for more people to experience it. It is like a journey beneath the ocean. Everything, from the premium bottles we stock, to the inventive cocktails we make to the décor and the surroundings, it is truly unique and luxurious. So many people have missed going out to a special place during lockdown, this makes opening this bar now, more special than ever.
"I look forward to meeting Londoners and visitors there and, as some become regulars, to introducing them to some exclusive off menu cocktails too.”
The table-service only bar, which is designed to appear as if it's underwater, will serve a range of high-end cocktails and spirits, including a £35,000 bottle of brandy and Neisson 1997 rum, of which there are only 70 bottles worldwide.
