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The Institute Bar & Kitchen is UCLs high-flying postgraduate bar, popular with the more seasoned crowd and a great place to stop by after work or studies. It has everything you need for a great night! Come and try a cocktail or two from our menu all available at a fraction of the price of bars on the high street. We have cocktail deals on every weekday and a great pizza menu with a huge range of meat-free options.

Our outside terrace is the perfect place to sip a glass of wine and chill out. If you're feeling more lively, why not challenge your friends to a match at one of our pool tables? By day, The Institute is a great place to grab some lunch, get some work done and meet up for a study session, boasting seriously comfy sofas and an enviable playlist. In the evenings, we've got a range of events on offer to keep you entertained. Make sure you don't miss our weekly live music nights, held by the UCL Jazz and UCL Live Music societies every Monday evening. Or, why not test your brain power at our weekly Postgraduate Pub Quiz, every Wednesday evening?

Check out our drinks menu here

Sit back and relax as we bring you our exclusive summer cocktail menu! Don't know what's for you find the 'fool-proof' method of finding your new fav on our blog.

Bookings & hire

The Institute Bar & Kitchen is available to hire on weekends only. To enquire or book an event. Please complete the Institute Bar Request Form and the Manager will send you a quote.

Please note we do not accept table reservations or private event bookings on weekdays in order to guarantee an accessible space for students to study and socialise.

Pizza kitchen

Kitchen Open: Monday to Friday - 17:00 to 22:00.

Our kitchen is meat-free, and our 12" pizzas have a wide range of vegetarian and Vegan options available.

Term time opening hours

From Monday 23 September our regular term time hours are:

Monday: 12:00-23:00
Tuesday: 12:00-23:00
Wednesday: 12:00-23:00
Thursday: 12:00-00:00
Friday: 12:00-00:00

Closed on weekends and bank holidays.

Closing times fall to the discretion of management. Institute Bar operates last orders for drinks half hour before closing time.

Out of term time opening hours

Monday: 16:00 - 22:00
Tuesday - Thursday: 16:00 - 23:00
Friday: 16:00 - 00:00
Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Address: 

The Institute Bar, 20 Bedford Way - Level 4, WC1H 0AL (Access at rear of building on Thornhaugh Street, up the stairs to the roof terrace)

Bar entry policy and safety

If you're visiting one of our bars, familiarise yourself with our bar entry policy, designed to keep us all safe.

We want you to feel comfortable, safe, and at home when you're spending time in our bars or event spaces which is why we uphold a number of safety initiatives in all our bars including specific measures against spiking and harassment. All our bar staff have also undertaken Drink Spiking Awareness and Active Bystander training.

What's on at the Institute?

Winter Union Bar Crawl
06/12/2024 | 18:00 - 20:30
You loved it during welcome and now it's back for a one-time winter special! Led by fellow UCL students our Union bar crawl will give you a chance to have some festive fun with your fellow students and visit each of your Students' Union Bars - where there may or may not be some festive prizes you can win.  The night promises to be lots of fun so grab some friends or make some new ones…
Bars
Winter Union Bar Crawl
06/12/2024 | 18:00 - 20:30
You loved it during welcome and now it's back for a one-time winter special! Led by fellow UCL students our Union bar crawl will give you a chance to have some festive fun with your fellow students and visit each of your Students' Union Bars - where there may or may not be some festive prizes you can win.  The night promises to be lots of fun so grab some friends or make some new ones…