Opium reviews
Went to Opium a few years back as an after-party to a New Year event. Got off to a very slow and tense start, as priority ticketholders were herded like sheep as the club wasn't ready to be opened at 4am.
The decor and layout of the venue was very nice (the idea of windows into the gents' toilets and vice versa was a very good design idea - it certainly gave us girls a good laugh!)
Downside to the club: the cloak girl was very rude and we later found that a friend's friend's brand new digital camera had been stolen from her bag while it was in the cloak. That put them off the place and they left soon after that after getting a dismal response to the complaint.
Music-wise, the place was very good, even though the 2 people who were running the after-party had their own DJ there (and were actually off it on horse tranquilisers, which was highly amusing). Everyone seemed to have a blast except the poor girl who had her camera stolen.
Make your own mind up with this one!
I went to Opium the other Saturday after not having been for years. Will definitely go back - the music was great, the crowd good, a hidden gem brought back to life. Handily open till 4am too!
by Anonymous, 22 Feb 2007Went to Opium last Saturday and was totally impressed with what the new owners have done. The crowd was spot on, cocktails perfect and the atmosphere was lively. We will definitely be going back!
by Anonymous, 17 Oct 2006We booked a friend's birthday dinner at Opium with plans to stay for cocktails after. Plans were abandoned when we soon realised the food was average and extremely overpriced (e.g. £9.50 for 1 duck spring roll cut in half!) Cocktails were dire (e.g. powdered cinnamon and concentrate juice!) The staff were barely keeping it together, using 4 different waiters for a table of 10. Forgotten orders and double orders were common all night. To cap it off, the bill came to £60 per person and that included 50% off main courses. Overpriced and below par... don't go.
by momi, 22 Sep 2006Nice atmosphere and location, but quite warm! The music is OK (House & R`N`B). Long drinks £6.50, champagne £60 and bottle of vodka £120. Entry on Saturday £10... Place to be!
by Anonymous, 03 Sep 2006Went on a Sat night and we were the only ppl who had booked a table... it's a tiny door in the middle of Soho that doesn't even look like a club. Don't bother.
by -, 30 May 2006Good ambience, colouring and environment. Great club, though the music is a bit odd and out of place. Impolite staff members.
by Zaffar, 16 Apr 2006This place has a nice interior and good cocktails but gets way too crowded and dancing becomes a nightmare. Getting served can be an effort! Ok but much too busy on a Saturday night!
by Anonymous, 19 Aug 2005Have only been there once but it was very good. And boys if you are looking for girls... damn there are some hot girls in there.
by Anonymous, 09 Aug 2005Have your 21st bash here! With 100 guests, enough seating as well as dance floor space. For private hire, strongly recommended.
by cheeseburger711 (15 reviews), 05 Aug 2005It took ages to get in and even a brother of a well known singer behind me had to wait 30 mins on a Wednesday night to get in. Nothing special and full of posers.
by wessa, 11 Jun 2005Terrible - far too many ppl, slow bar staff, arrogant bouncers, pretentious crowd and top it off with poor music and repeated songs... overated is an understatement.
by Anonymous, 07 Apr 2005Opium gave us a nice little booth as we booked ahead, but forget dancing - it gets way too crowded.
by capital girl "top london reviewer" (59 reviews), 17 Jan 2005Really enjoyed it - not too crowed, the atmosphere was good, bouncers friendly, something you don't find too often in London! Definitely worth a try!!
by Anonymous, 02 Jan 2005I've only been there a few times but I really like the people and it's very chilled out - more so than the other clubs I've been to.
by Anonymous, 05 Dec 2004When I first walked through Opium's doors, I thought I'd found a rare treat in Soho. Very nice, comfy bar and not too busy at 7.00 on a Friday night. I did actually have a very good night but it was spoilt somewhat when, just as we were getting ready to go, a snooty bar lady asked us to leave as there were some other people coming down "who would be spending more money than you." Now I understand that they could be regulars who had booked a table or whatever but for her to come out with that, I'm afraid is typical of the place. Do go if you like being treated like cr*p unless you're spending God knows what on a round. Don't go if you like a smile with your drink.
I thought it was OK to drink beer in a bar. Maybe not?
Hard to imagine an opulent Vietnamese-styled bar, restaurant and club beneath this relatively anonymous doorway at the top of Dean Street. It's an incense-infused environment of booths, dining tables, a VIP area and toilets with windows into the other gender's toilets, designed by the guy responsible for the Buddha Bar in Paris.
I've mainly enjoyed Opium as a bar and restaurant, but people start dancing when everyone has finished eating (around 10:30) and the relatively small dancefloor soon becomes rather busy. It's certainly not the ultimate club, but as an all-round drinks, dinner and dance night out it's hard to fault. Bouncers seem a bit surly until they get to know you though.
Have we missed a great club in London? Let us know.
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