The Anthologist is a vast bar, with a restaurant area, near London’s Bank station, boasting a mixology table, deli, two cocktail lounges and a private room complete with 1950’s kitchen. Not as trendy as the West End bars nor as quirky as those in East London, this is a bar that comes to life when the workers from The City clock off and look to let their hair down.
The bar has a solid, unpretentious look with clean open spaces and the drinks and food are good. The Anthologist’s enormous size and the fact that it’s not a one of a kind, standalone bar (The Anthologist is part of the Drake and Morgan group of bars) mean that it might not have the most charm in the world but it’s certainly stylish and well decorated. Time Out describes The Anthologist as resembling “a more edgy, metropolitan All Bar One” which might sound like damning it with faint praise but this place is a diverse and versatile bar with accessibility on its side.
Getting inside the bar shouldn’t be a problem as there is step free access from the street. There could potentially be a difficulty caused by the two heavy out swinging doors which you may need assistance with, but somebody should be able to open them for you if necessary. Inside is a wide and open space over two floors, which you can change between via a lift if you wish. The only inaccessible areas of the bar are the standard toilets, which are accessed via stairways, but as there is a well equipped adapted toilet this should not be a problem. Some of the tables and chairs are at bar height, well above wheelchair users’ level, but there are plenty of alternative areas to sit at.
We give The Anthologist a provisional 2 BBS Ticks. It’s not the most breath taking venue in the world, but it’s certainly a notch above most in terms of style and the access is good enough for a recommendation for a drink or two.
