Viajante87 — London’s Subterranean Agave Journey
By Rafi Mercer
New Listing
Venue Name: Viajante87
Address: Basement, 87 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JZ, United Kingdom.
Website: viajantebar.com
Instagram: @viajantebar
Phone: +44 20 7221 6539
Notting Hill has always been a district of dualities. Pastel facades and quiet mornings give way to carnival energy by night, and beneath it all lie the basements — those secret, glowing rooms where London hides its most refined indulgences. At the corner of Notting Hill Gate, below the cinema marquee, one of those basements hums at a lower, more deliberate frequency. Viajante87 isn’t a speakeasy in the traditional sense. It’s a subterranean voyage — a lounge that feels less like a bar and more like a passport stamp in liquid form.
The descent itself is part of the ritual. You leave the noise of buses and footfall behind, step into dim light, and find yourself in a room that feels almost geological — layers of texture and shadow, cork and velvet, brass and glass. The interior is tactile: cork walls, recycled materials, teal upholstery, mirrored panels glowing with amber light. It’s both lush and sustainable, built from reclaimed and repurposed materials — a conscious kind of glamour. The space breathes calm, with curved seating arranged like waves around a central bar.
Viajante means traveller in Spanish, and the concept is built around the spirit of movement — a journey through Latin America, rendered in agave, glass, and sound. The team behind it, the Thesleff Group (also of Los Mochis), brought in Pietro Collina — formerly of Eleven Madison Park — to lead the drinks program. Together, they designed a menu structured not by spirit, but by state of mind: Be Comfortable. Be Curious. Be Courageous. Be Present. It’s an invitation rather than a list, leading you gently from familiar ground to new territory.
The first section, Be Comfortable, offers classics with subtle twists — a Glacier Martini cooled by saline ice, a Pisco Sour with clarified citrus. Move to Be Curious, and mezcal takes the lead: smoky, saline, complex. Be Courageous veers into experimentation — roasted corn, sotol, or chicha infusions that reference regions across Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. Finally, Be Present brings meditative simplicity — neat pours, slow sips, spirits that ask to be understood, not hidden. Over 300 bottles of tequila and mezcal line the back bar, a glowing archive of craft and origin.
But Viajante87 isn’t just about what’s in the glass. Music defines the rhythm. During early hours, a curated playlist of Latin jazz, downtempo funk, and tropical electronica sets the pulse; by late evening, DJs take over the decks, blending vinyl warmth with digital precision. Fridays and Saturdays stretch until 2 am, but this isn’t a party bar. The sound system is balanced and clean, the bass tuned to warmth rather than weight. It’s a space that invites you to listen — to the record, the shaker, the laughter, the clink of glass — as part of the same performance.
Lighting shifts gently through the night. At six, the room glows golden; by midnight, it feels oceanic — deep blue shadows, candle flicker, the sense of time dissolving. The seating is soft enough to make you stay longer than planned, the air scented faintly with lime and woodsmoke. Staff glide through with understated elegance — knowledgeable, unhurried, confident. There’s no rush to upsell; the focus is on pairing drink and guest with precision.
Small plates echo the same narrative of travel: tacos, guacamole, citrus ceviche, tostadas with tempura vegetables. Each dish is a pause, a moment to reset between drinks. Nothing distracts from the main act — the cocktails and the conversation.
It’s tempting to call Viajante87 a cocktail bar, but that’s too narrow. It operates like a sensory salon — where taste, touch, and sound converge. It’s the kind of place you could lose hours in, only to emerge feeling you’ve crossed borders without ever leaving Notting Hill. Even its sustainability choices feel part of the aesthetic: recycled cork walls, bar mats made from offcut leather, glass repurposed from local sources. The glamour is green, not gold.
By the time you step back up to street level, the city feels louder, brighter, slightly unreal. You can still hear the echo of rhythm behind the door — that steady, syncopated heartbeat of bass and shaker. London does subterranean well, but Viajante87 feels different. It’s not about hiding; it’s about immersion. A bar that doesn’t transport you elsewhere but rather reminds you how rich the present moment can sound when you really listen.
Rafi Mercer writes about the spaces where music matters. For more stories from Tracks & Tales, subscribe, or click here to read more.
