From the Roberts London archive: this visit was first published on YouTube on 24 August 2015. The account below reflects that evening, including the food, atmosphere and terrace arrangements at the time.
After finishing work, I headed towards Embankment to meet Chloe for a drink and something to eat. Choosing a favourite London bar is difficult, but Gordon’s Wine Bar was already high on my list. We made an evening of Villiers Street: a first drink at Villiers, a look inside Gordon’s candlelit cellar, then wine and cheese outside beside the gardens.
From Embankment to Villiers Street
Villiers Street runs uphill from Embankment towards the Strand, with the station, river and gardens all close together. It is a busy little stretch of central London, yet Gordon’s takes you into a very different atmosphere. Even before going downstairs, its old frontage gives you a sense of what is waiting below.
Wine bars can carry plenty of baggage as an idea. In the film I remember Del Boy’s famous fall through the bar in Only Fools and Horses, followed by that familiar image of 1980s City drinkers. Gordon’s appealed to me for something much simpler: character, a sociable atmosphere and an evening that felt good value.
A first drink at Villiers
Before Gordon’s, we stopped a few doors up at Villiers All Day Dining Room. In the original film I describe it as a relatively new venture from the younger generation of the Gordon family, with coffee, breakfast and an all-day menu alongside the drinks.
We only called in for a drink, so this was not a full review of the food. The bar was lovely and the people behind it were friendly and helpful. Having Gordon’s so close by gave it a formidable neighbour to be compared with, but I enjoyed our stop there.
Down into Gordon’s cellar
Gordon’s was the main event. We entered from the side and went down into a cellar crowded with people, old bottles, memorabilia and newspaper clippings. The low brick vaults and warm pools of light made the room feel removed from the street outside.
There is plenty of history discussed in the film, including the bar’s beginnings in 1890 and the Gordon family name. What the camera captures most directly is the texture of the place: brickwork, old signs, worn surfaces and tables tucked under the arches. The Luis Gordon & Sons plaque is one of those details that rewards a closer look.
We opened a bottle of sparkling wine, spent a little time in the cellar and then took our drinks outside. It was busy and loud downstairs, and on a pleasant evening the terrace was too tempting to ignore.
Wine and cheese on Watergate Walk
The outdoor tables stretched along Watergate Walk beside Embankment Gardens, under large green umbrellas. The contrast with the cellar was part of the pleasure: a few steps took us from a dark, enclosed room into a leafy passage full of conversation.
Our food was straightforward and generous. In the film I name burrata, Stilton and Taleggio, with pâté, bread, butter and pickles alongside. We sat comparing the spread with what the individual ingredients might cost elsewhere. That feeling of getting a proper plate of food for the money was a large part of why I liked Gordon’s.
The table footage is as much a record of an unhurried evening as it is a look at the food: cheese in the foreground, a glass of sparkling wine, and the conversation carrying on around it.
A look at York Watergate
Beside the terrace, I paused at York Watergate. I had previously mistaken it for an ordinary entrance to the park. In this film I revisit the story of its former connection to the Thames and the riverside gardens of York House.
That was the detail that changed how I looked at the spot. Standing among the tables, trees and paths, it was easy to overlook the older riverside landscape. The gate gave our evening a small detour into London’s history without taking us far from our drinks.
The terrace caveat in our 2015 visit
My enthusiasm came with one practical caveat. During the period shown in the film, the outside tables were cleared earlier than some customers expected. I had seen people arrive for a late drink and feel hurried away as the terrace was packed up. My view then was that clearer signs would have made life easier for both customers and staff.
The advice I gave in 2015 was to arrive early, particularly for an outdoor seat and food. Those observations belong to this archive visit; they should not be read as today’s booking policy, menu or closing times.
What I remember most fondly is the combination: a cellar with real atmosphere, a lively terrace and a generous cheese board in the middle of London. It was a very good way to finish a working day.
Watch the original London evening
The full film includes our stop at Villiers, the cellar, sparkling wine, food and a walk around York Watergate.
