Encore opened in Edinburgh’s West End in December and has already been met with much applause. Located underneath it’s sister venue, the West End Brasserie, it is clear that no expense has been spared when creating this beautiful new cocktail bar.
Upon arriving on Hope Street, I was met by plush red curtained windows, a doorway roof adorned in cinema lights, and a bright eye-catching cinema style sign. Apparently, the venue changes the messages on the sign every few weeks to create a fun entrance and a talking point for customers.
Once through the doors the first thing you see is an extraordinary moving light feature. These large colourful glass orbs on pendants move up and down as if enticing you to follow the stairway to the secret bar below. I followed the path of red walls and curtains down to a hidden door in a large picture frame which serves as the entrance to the speakeasy style venue.
On entering the bar is incredibly warm, welcoming and visually appealing. On the right polished mahogany panelled walls match the hues of the herringbone floor and are decorated with framed paintings downlit with gold picture lights. These paintings are a direct nod to the fun nature of the venue and include Napoleon with an Absolut Vodka branded bag over his head.
The front of the bar area is also mahogany with a sleek black granite top. The back bar displays a row of staggered arches which have been mirrored and are bright with hidden LED lights that can change colour. Little touches, such as the ‘Encore’ logo carved into the metal service areas, show that every detail has been carefully considered. In fact, the finishing of every feature is just immaculate.
The furniture is as striking and classy as the rest of the venue. The plush red velvet upholstery covers every custom-made cocktail seat, bar chair and sleek booth. The same material is even used for the curtains that line the walls. Each of these seats are comfortable, generous in size, and have curved accents with gold trims. They evoke a real art deco feel but at the same time are modern and opulent.
There are a mixture of round and rectangular tables, each one with a black marbled top and lined with gold trim. Every table is adorned with a gold table lamp which can be touched to alter the style of the lighting. Even the pillars in the lounge area have been fully covered with floor to ceiling hand cut mirror to increase the depth of the space. Around the outside of the room there are small private areas that look like little caves. These have been painted red and turned into ‘screen’ areas with personal TV’s.
A lovely touch here is the ‘Press For Cocktails’ buttons which ensure you don’t have to leave your private space to try some of their fabulous drinks offerings. Each area is shrouded by a vintage style velvet cinema curtain which is tied back with gold rope.
There is a lot of hidden lighting throughout the venue that offers a warm rich effect but there are other statement lights dotted around. Some of these are cylindrical 1920’s style wall lamps and others are black and gold pendant lights which hang along the length of the bar.
A lovely surprise is the art deco photobooth in the corner of the room which blends in seamlessly to the rest of the venue matching the mahogany, red curtains and 1920’s style sign above. It’s a wonderful addition that allows people a keepsake from their night out.
Even the toilets have been designed to create that perfect instagrammable moment. There are curved arch mirrors surrounded in adjustable LED lighting and hilarious artwork in the same ornate gold frames as the rest of the venue. One of my favourites was the Mona Lisa, who is seen clutching toilet rolls, with a scrawled ‘Roll Model’ message across the centre!
Jay Glass, Marketing Manager and Area Manager for Caledonian Heritable, takes real pride in the design of the venue. He tells me, “We wanted to allow Encore to work hand in hand with the West End Brasserie. With the name Encore, it symbolises both the show continuing after dinner as well as our show stopping cocktails. The venue has a cosy feel with great service and high-quality drinks. It’s the essence of a 1920’s style Parisian speakeasy but it was important for us to be unique have some fun with it.
“The quirky artwork around the venue is always a talking point and we even have a secret menu. The concept has been so well received and we’ve had great feedback from customers. We really feel we are on the right track. There’s a lot happening in the West End just now and it’s great to be part of it.”
Personally, I feel like Encore is incredibly aptly named, as I already can’t wait to go back!