I love smoking cigars at different cigar venues across London! Did you know that I’ve managed to track down 43 locations to exclusively smoke cigars throughout the capital, including 22 cigar ‘sampling lounges’ and 21 ‘cigar terraces’? So far, I’ve visited 32 of those and have just 11 more to go! My goal is to visit all 43 by the end of the year and continue documenting my experiences on this blog. Of course, this does not include the numerous ‘private members cigar clubs’ or the many ‘comfortable outdoor smoking areas’ or ‘cigar-friendly smoking areas’. Nor does it consider the upcoming cigar venues yet to open – and yes, I have a spreadsheet tracking all this info 😀. I am a bit of a nerd!

The Boisdale brand has had a significant influence on my cigar journey. I have visited Boisdale of Canary Wharf cigar lounge and terrace on numerous occasions, where I attended ‘in-person cigar auctions’ by CGars Ltd (when that was a thing), the Cigar Smoker Of The Year awards, Cigar Club Ldn’s anniversary events, and Davidoff/Plasencia cigar launches.

As soon as I heard that the original Boisdale of Belgravia restaurant also had a cigar terrace, I knew I had to visit. They recently celebrated their 35th anniversary of being open since 1989 🎉.

Oddly, despite living in London for many years, I needed help remembering where Belgravia was. After a quick search on Google Maps, I found that Eccleston Street, where the venue is located, is merely a short stroll from Victoria train station—just along from Tom Toms’ cigar shop and sampling lounge, which I recently visited and blogged about.

Background

Boisdale of Belgravia is a stunning restaurant and bar located in a beautiful Georgian townhouse. It is well-known for its impressive whisky bar, private dining rooms, and live jazz, blues, and soul music every night. Most significantly, it also has a hidden cigar terrace. The restaurant specialises mainly in Scottish cuisine, but it also offers traditional British dishes and hand-crafted cocktails in an intimate, relaxed yet sophisticated ambiance.

Ranald Macdonald, the eldest son of the 24th Chief and Captain of Clanranald, founded Boisdale – named after the remote port on the beautiful Isle of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, off Scotland’s North-West coast.

Over the years, various individuals, including prominent UK politicians and broadcasting figures, such as Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, have been frequent visitors at Bosidales.

Just this week Nigel celebrated his 60th birthday at Boisdale of Canary Wharf –

Even Donald Trump made an appearance wishing him a happy birthday! 🎂

It looks like they threw in an ice sculpture made by the folk at Ice Box Design.

This looks very similar to the ice sculpture commissioned for the Hunters & Frankau Bolivar Regentes cigar launch earlier this year.

Anyways I digress a little…

My experience

One of my readers suggested grabbing a cigar together, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out a new venue together.

I couldn’t for the life of me find how to reserve a table for the cigar terrace on the Boisdale website. But I did find a contact email address at ​​reservations@boisdale.co.uk and dropped them an email about reservations. In their response, they mentioned that the cigar terrace is based on a walk-in basis. However, when I arrived, they asked whether I had a reservation—this confused me a little 🤯. Luckily there was space on my arrival!

I had heard that people could smoke their own cigars on the terrace. I usually purchase cigars from the venue I visit, but also brought my own cigars along. This might be appealing to some, as I often get a lot of people asking me whether they can bring their own.

Upon entering the venue, I was immediately struck by the vibrant atmosphere. People were gathered around tables, dining, drinking, and chatting with one another. To my surprise, I discovered that the cigar terrace was located at the back of the venue, accessible only via a staircase above The MacDonald Bar. This was unexpected, as I had initially assumed it would be situated on the ground floor based on the photos I had previously seen.

Once up the staircase, I clocked a cigar humidor to my right—which I didn’t get to see the insides of during the visit—and some toilets to my left.

I walked on through to the cigar terrace and informed the cigar sommelier that I wanted to smoke cigars and have a cocktail – and that my guest would be arriving shortly. He then showed me to a seat.

The terrace was decorated with red walls, green seats, and bits of tartan scattered about. It was furnished with a variety of seats and armchairs (approx 27), tables, cushions, and rugs. Additionally, there were outdoor heaters and a roof cover to shield against cold weather and rain.

The terrace seemed relatively quiet initially. But then, I had the pleasure of chatting with a true gentleman named Mark Hadsley-Chaplin. We talked about my journey with cigars, and I found it fascinating to learn about his experiences. Mark recommended a book by David Shaw (who is sadly no longer with us) about London cigar terraces, which I was not aware of before – called Cigar Rendezvous.

Now, I am interested in finding a copy of it. Although I searched for it online, I did not find any information yet. If anyone has a copy, I’d love to hear more about it! Please drop me a message in the comments, or contact me directly 🙏.

I always learn something new when I visit cigar lounges, and meeting Mark was an excellent experience. I later discovered that he is the chairman of Boisdales, which blew my mind a little! 🤯

My guest arrived and the cigar sommelier for the evening, Jay, handed us a cigar menu and a drinks menu.

The menu included a mix of Cuban and non-Cuban/New World cigars.

I went for a whisky sour and a Juan Lopez Selection No.2 cigar. Soon after, my drink and cigar arrived, it was cut and lit.

I was amazed by the quality. The cigar was well-maintained, soft to squeeze, and produced an exquisite smoke.

Next, I tried a Quai D Orsay No 50 that I had brought from home – this wasn’t so well looked after (damn personal humidor!).

I noticed the absence of music, which felt strange. Some light jazz music in the background would have been perfect, but I guessed it would come from the restaurant downstairs when the band were ready to play in a couple of hours. As the evening progressed, the terrace grew busier.

My rating: 8 out of 10

This is a wonderful place to have a cigar and spend time with friends for a memorable experience. However, if you are alone, it might feel a little awkward, especially during peak hours – as it is quite a cosy intimate setting. While the ability to smoke your own cigars there is a plus, I found the discretionary service charge of £13.50 on my bill to be quite steep. I was also surprised to see a cigarette smoker on the premises, which shocked me a bit – yep I’ve turned into a right cigar snob! Despite this, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the outdoor heaters are excellent; you’ll barely notice you’re outside. Overall, me and my guest really enjoyed our time here and would definitely return to this venue.

It might be a good idea to send them an email or call ahead of time to reserve a space, so there is room available when you arrive – I’m still a little confused whether you can/cannot reserve a spot.

If you would like to visit:

Boisdale of Belgravia
15 Eccleston St, London, SW1W 9LX

View on Google Maps

Tel 020 7730 6922
Email: reservations@boisdale.co.uk

Website: boisdale.co.uk
Social media: Instagram | Facebook

If you liked this review, check out my others at Cigar bars, Terraces & Smoking lounges