The UK is home to some downright incredible hotels, with many located in London. There’s The Ritz, Claridge’s, The Savoy, and The Dorchester, to name but a few.
But the capital is also home to one of the world’s best hotels, according to a new travel guide, and it’s one you may not have heard of.
Forbes has named Raffles London at The OWO (Old War Office) as one of the top luxury hotels in the world, alongside The Cadogan.
This isn’t the first accolade The OWO has won — it is often praised for its lavish interiors and suites which can cost up to £1,000 per night.
However, there’s another special feature hidden in the basement.
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Tucked beneath the hotel are simple storage rooms. Compared to the opulence that greets you in the foyer, it’s an unassuming space, with white brick walls, dim lighting and dark wooden doors.
Take a closer look at one of these – specifically the door at the end of the corridor, just before you round the corner – and you’ll see that the plaque on it is a little different from the others. Instead of saying ‘store’, it reads ‘007’.
This is where you’ll find The Spy Bar, a James Bond-themed speakeasy that’s got an impressive history and is potentially the most secretive drinking spot in the UK.
The OWO was once the epicentre of the British government, used as the headquarters for the War Office which today is better known as the Ministry of Defence.
Churchill had an office there, T E Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) was employed in the building back in 1914, and it was also where you’d find some of the UK’s most classified documents.
The subterranean storage room, behind the 007 door, once functioned as a high-security vault, containing identity papers and mission reports belonging to MI5 and MI6.
While other rooms along the corridor also served top secret purposes, being used for briefing, debriefing and interrogating spies before and after they went into the ‘field’.
Flash forward to today and secrecy is still paramount behind door number 007, and anyone going inside has to agree to follow a strict rule – no photos.
Photography is banned inside the bar, as a way of ‘honouring the space’, and they’re pretty serious about enforcing this, even going as far as to cover up the camera on guests’ phones. A sticker that reads ‘for your eyes only’ is placed over the camera lens before you enter, and just in case you didn’t quite get the memo, there’s also a large sign to remind you again as you head in.
Due to the lack of photos available, I didn’t really know what to expect from the bar, but my jaw dropped the moment I stepped inside.
I doubt anyone has ever made a storage room feel as glamorous and intimate as this one does. It’s all rich maroon hues, shiny mirrored tables, flickering candles, and plush velvet chairs.
Oh, and did I mention there’s a silver Aston Martin DB5 above the bar? Or at least, half of one.
The prop car, which has been sliced in half vertically, featured in several James Bond films over the years (although staff didn’t confirm which ones), and is now mounted on the wall, hanging above a vast array of spirits.
As you head further in, you’ll see the room is divided into two areas; there’s the main bar area with glossy red stools, and several tables for two, and a space out back with booths for bigger groups to chat without disturbing everyone else.
I sat at a table in the corner of the main bar area, with the best view of the car, and the ability to keep an eye on the comings and goings of everyone here. The five-star hotel is known for having high-end clientele and staff say it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a celebrity swinging by for a drink, drawn in by the exclusivity, the privacy and the impressive menu The Spy Bar offers.
There are two cocktail menus, a regular one with James Bond-inspired tipples, and a vintage cocktail menu containing drinks ranging from £200 to £350 in price.
Keep on flipping through the menu and you’ll spot a spirit that costs an eye-watering £10,000 per shot.
The vintage Macallan Whisky from the 1980s was privately commissioned for Raffles Singapore and there’s only one bottle available for consumers – the bottle at The Spy Bar. No one has bought one of the pricey shots yet, but they are expecting a guest to purchase the entire bottle at some point for a jaw-dropping sum.
While the £10k shots might not be in demand just yet, the vintage cocktails are some of the most popular drinks at the bar, specifically the Vintage Vesper.
This shaken not stirred beverage is the £350 premium version of their signature drink, made with Gordon’s Dry Gin and Smirnoff Vodka which were bottled in the 1960s and Kina Lillet bottled in 1967.
The regular Vesper Martini is £26, but for those who have money to spend the vintage version is said to be ‘exceptional’, according to the bar’s manager, Sotirios Konomi.
He tells Metro: ‘The Vintage cocktails are pretty popular at the Spy Bar and, more specifically, the Vintage Vesper. Guests are travelling back in time for some exceptional liquid moments and the Spy Bar atmosphere helps a lot for this experience.’
During my visit I stuck to the regular cocktail list, ordering The Writer’s Club (£23) and The Spy Who Loved Me (£24). The former is inspired by a martini, and contains Sipsmith London Dry Gin, Axia Mastiha, Makrut Leaf, White Chocolate, Miso, Gardenia, and Baldoria Orange Wine Vermouth. The cocktail pays homage to Raffles’ history as a literary hub and was quite possibly the strongest – and driest – drink I’ve ever had in my life. Essentially, if you like the taste of pure alcohol, this one’s for you.
If you prefer not to grimace each time you take a sip of your drink, and have a sweet tooth, you’d probably be better off with The Spy Who Loved Me, which is like a cherry negroni, composed of Belvedere Vodka, Cocchi Rosa and cherry yoghurt, meadowsweet and Campari.
Along with the mixed nuts and olives on the table, as well as an order of popcorn chicken from the snacks menu, the drinks went down a treat.
Without a doubt, this is the coolest place I’ve ever been to for a drink and it’s definitely where I’ll be heading from now on for special occasions, or when I’m looking to really impress someone with a hidden gem spot in the city.
If I’ve inspired you to check it out, it’s worth noting that you can’t just rock up at the hotel and expect to be let in for a drink. You have to make a booking.
But how you go about securing a booking is a little more of a mystery.
The OWO website currently claims the bar is only for hotel residents and guests, but The Spy Bar’s Maître d’ assured me this isn’t the case and everyone is welcome.
On the way out he slipped me a card containing an ‘undercover’ message and email address to contact when I wanted to visit again. It all felt very cloak and dagger, which just added to the experience. You definitely leave feeling like a VIP, which is great fun.
If you spend a little while searching the hotel website, eventually you’ll find a phone number and generic booking email that might get you in – these details are very different to the details on the card though.
I could tell you what the message said, but then I’d have to kill you…
This article was first published on January 17, 2025.
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