Fodor's Expert Review Upstairs at Rules

Discretion is the word at this under-the-radar cocktail lounge on the first floor above Rules, London's oldest restaurant (established in 1798). In rooms where King Edward VII used to clandestinely dine with his socialite mistress Lillie Langtry, old-school bartenders serve traditional classic cocktails, from manhattans and Hemingways to sidecars and martinis (which are stirred, never shaken). The decor reflects a bygone era, with impressive royal portraits, mounted antlers, patterned carpets, and copious Edwardian hunting scenes.