The Groucho Club
/ About
The Groucho Club opened on Dean Street in 1985 as a deliberate rebuke to the stuffy gentlemen's clubs of the day. Conceived by a group of publishers who wanted somewhere creative people could mingle regardless of gender, judged on merit rather than pedigree, it quickly became the approved watering hole of Soho's arts, film, music and publishing worlds and the template for the modern members' club. The walls carry one of London's most serious collections of late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century British art, with works by Tracey Emin, Sir Peter Blake, Jonathan Yeo, Marc Quinn and Yinka Shonibare hung throughout the rooms.
Now part of the Wirths' Artfarm group, the club spreads across several floors of its Dean Street home. The ground-floor Main Bar and the first-floor Dining Room remain the social heart for members, while the events offering runs from the buzzing Soho Bar to a sweeping second floor of interconnecting rooms, plus the green-walled Screening Room and the fireside Mary-Lou Room. Each space is a riot of colour, pattern and contemporary art, restrained nowhere and characterful everywhere.
You do not have to be a member to hire a room here, and non-members are granted temporary membership for the occasion. For an intimate DJ-led night, the Soho Bar is the obvious choice: it has played host to many of the club's legendary parties, with a booth and an in-house sound system built to run late. The whole second floor can be taken exclusively and accommodates live music and DJs through to close, while the Screening Room and Mary-Lou Room link by a private staircase for an event that drifts from drinks to dinner to dancing.
/ Rooms Available
The Second Floor
Exclusive HireThe whole second floor taken as one sweeping, versatile space, combining the Gennaro, Carter and Mackintosh rooms. Bright and flooded with natural light by day, it settles into a warm, low-lit mood after dark. Long-table dinners, theatre-style talks and ceremonies all work here, and for exclusive events it welcomes live music and DJs through to close. A full backbar anchors the floor.
The Soho Bar
Exclusive HireOne of the club's own members' bars and the host of many a legendary Groucho party. Robust enough for the busiest of nights yet sleek with it, the room runs from soft, snug corners for quiet conversation to an open floor made for dancing, lit by a coral glass chandelier. A DJ booth and an in-house sound system are set up for late nights, with bartenders on hand throughout. Available for private hire on Mondays and Saturdays. The floor takes in the adjoining Pink, Blue and Orange rooms.
The Gennaro Room
PrivateOn the second floor overlooking Dean Street, the Gennaro Room is named for the building's history as a restaurant since the 1880s, most famously Gennaro's, where the room's namesake greeted diners with a red rose. A striking full-sized bar runs along one side, with a long feasting table and a mirrored ceiling. Equally at home for a working lunch or a celebration.
The Carter Room
PrivateNamed after the club's Director of Art, the Carter Room is home to some of the jewels of the collection, from Jonathan Yeo's Cara Delevingne portraits to a Tracey Emin. Tall windows over Dean Street, teal walls and a kinetic mobile above the table give it a light, playful feel. A separate lounge area sits on a rainbow rug. Seats up to thirty, or forty for a standing soiree.
The Mary-Lou Room
PrivateA classically chic room beside the first-floor Dining Room, with which it shares an interconnecting bar. A stone fireplace is the centrepiece, with a grand long table, sumptuous armchairs and a fully working piano. Named after a former Managing Director of the club, it gathers up to twenty for lunch or dinner and links to the Screening Room by a private staircase for a multi-space evening.
The Screening Room
PrivateSquirrelled away on the second floor, the green-walled Screening Room is the club's hidden gem and shifts easily from a cosy film screening to a formal dinner or casual drinks. A large screen and an in-house sound system with decks make it a natural fit for music as well as cinema. Deep velvet seating and a brass globe chandelier set the mood.
The Mackintosh Room
PrivateAn intimate room tucked into the corner of the second floor, named after one of the club's founders. The dining table doubles as a club snooker table, and its size suits meetings, idea-sharing and creative conversations as readily as a private dinner. Yellow walls and warm light make it the cosiest of the second-floor spaces.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – Resident DJ Booth
- – Sound System
- – Projector
- – Microphone
Catering
- – In-House Luxury Dining
- – Private Bar
- – Cocktail Programme
- – Bespoke Menus
- – Canape Service
Licensing
- – Full Alcohol Licence
- – Music Licence
Venue Specs
- – Private Entrance
- – Air Conditioned
- – Wheelchair Accessible
- – Dedicated Events Team
- – High-Speed Wi-Fi
- – Cloakroom
/ Getting Here
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