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The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Hard Rock Cafe

clock Mon - Thurs: 11:30AM to 12:30AM

clock Fri: 11:30AM to 1:00AM

clock Sat: 11:00AM to 1:00AM

clock Sun: 11:30AM to 10:30PM

wait Time Needed: 2,5 hours

Price: £25 - £30

With over 200 locations in 68 different countries, the Hard Rock Cafe is more than just a place to dine on Americana cuisine and drool over music memorabilia. It’s also a highly-popular brand that has been expanded to include cafes, hotels, casinos and even live concert venues, and many music fanatics visit a Hard Rock Cafe in several different cities just for sheer bragging rights.

But believe it or not, London's Hard Rock Cafe is actually the original among all the Hard Rock Cafes around the world, and for that reason alone, any visitor in London should check out the Hard Rock Cafe at some point or another – whether it's to enjoy a refreshment after a free walking tour or even just to snap a photo of it.

London’s Hard Rock Cafe has been located in Old Park Lane since opening in 1971, and is housed in an old Coutts Bank, the same building which was once used to protect the Queen’s coffers – and even rumoured to be where Princess Diana kept her wedding dress and jewellery as well!

The building also has three different bars where visitors can sip on specialty cocktails. One of the bars (the purpley-decorated Rock Room Bar) is lined with all types of rock ‘n roll memorabilia any music fan will certainly appreciate, and the Cafe Bar has televisions showing classic rock music performances.

The Hard Rock Cafe also has its own shop, and in its basement tourists can check out The Vault which is decorated with even more music memorabilia from some of the most famous artists in the world.

Hard Rock Cafe Highlights

Besides munching down on Americana cuisine and sipping on belly-warming cocktails, some people visit London’s Hard Rock Cafe just to marvel over its massive music memorabilia displays. With instruments donated by the likes of Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend of The Who, to even personal items once used by Madonna, Janis Joplin and John Lennon, one could easily spend hours upon hours glancing over all the memorabilia lining its walls.

Some of the many fascinating memorabilia items you can expect to see during your visit to London’s Hard Rock Cafe and its Vault include:

  • Slash’s costume and guitar from the classic “November Rain” music video (circa 1991)
  • Guitars once used, owned or played by Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Keith Richards, Steve Vai, John Entwistle and Joe Satriani
  • One of Keith Moon’s shirts (circa 1970)
  • Eric Clapton’s Fender Lead II red axe guitar
  • Chris Daughtry’s stage outfit (of American Idol fame)
  • Elvis Presley’s red coat and cape (circa mid-1970s)
  • John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “War Is Over!” postcards
  • Pete Townshend’s modified Gibson Les Paul (which he used while performing onstage)
  • One of Janis Joplin’s stage outfits
  • Jimi Hendrix’s Flying V Gibson guitar
  • The same harpsichord used by The Beatles to record “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds” and “All You Need Is Love” (circa 1967)
  • The first guitar ever owned by Glen Matlock (the original Sex Pistols’ bassist) which he used to write the riff for “Anarchy In The UK”
  • John Lennon’s piano, glasses and hand-written lyrics
  • An antique chair once owned by Freddie Mercury
  • Madonna’s bustier which she wore on her 1990 Blond Ambition tour
  • A guitar once owned by Jeff Beck (which was also played by Jimmy Page)
  • A variety of Who memorabilia including stage outfits, instruments and hand-written lyrics
  • A Bob Dylan guitar in the shape of a USA map
  • One of Madonna’s old credit cards (circa 1980s)
  • Sting’s Fender Precision bass (which he used in his “After The Rain Has Fallen” music video (circa 1999)

Special Tips

If you want to avoid the crowds, then try to visit before 4 p.m. on a weekday, or around mid-day on a weekend.

If you're visiting with kids, you may want to book online beforehand so you don't have to wait in line on the pavement next to Piccadilly which is a very busy road anytime of the day or night.

If you order a drink in a mason jar, make sure you take it home as a souvenir!

Getting There

Address: 150 Old Park Ln, Mayfair, London W1K 1QZ, United Kingdom.

By Tube: If you are travelling by tube, the nearest stations are Green Park (seven minutes walk) and Hyde Park Corner (five minutes walk).

getting there By Train: If you are travelling by train, the nearest station is Victoria Station, which is a 20-minute walk away.

By Bus: If you are travelling by bus, the Hard Rock Café can be reached by routes 2, 8, 9, 14, 16, 16, 19, 19, 22, 22, 36, 38, 38, 52, 73, 82, 148 and 436, all of which stop at Green Park.

getting there By car: If you are travelling by car, the nearest car parks are on Park Lane, Carrington Street and Audley Square.

Visiting Hard Rock Café

It is highly recommended that you book your table online beforehand, as you may have to wait outside in a queue for long periods of time. This is definitely not a great prospect after a day of sightseeing or a free tour around town! If you plan on having a meal with friends or family be aware that the restaurant can get incredibly busy especially during the weekends, and you may have to wait in queue for at least 15 minutes (on weekdays) or as long as 45 minutes (on weekends). While you’re waiting, you can sit down and have a drink at the bar next door and wait for a buzzer to ring and notify you when your table is ready.

If you plan on visiting the Hard Rock Cafe Shop, make sure you head downstairs to The Vault, which is free to enter and also hosts guided tours every twenty minutes. If you’re interested, you can even pose for a souvenir picture while holding one of the guitars in the memorabilia collection!

Photography is allowed throughout the restaurant, shop and The Vault.

When to Visit

The Hard Rock Cafe restaurant is open from:

  • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Monday to Thursday
  • 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays
  • 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturdays
  • 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sundays

The Hard Rock Cafe Rock Shop is open from:

  • 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday
  • 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays

The Vault is open from:

  • 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Monday to Sunday

Obviously, prices at the restaurant will vary depending on what menu item you order and whether you order alcoholic drinks as well; however, you can expect an average meal to cost anywhere from £25 to £30 per person. Appetizers usually cost between £8 to £10, mains cost between £14 to £20, and desserts around £5 to £6.

They also have alcoholic drinks (such as mojitos, Cosmopolitans and Long Island Ice Teas) which cost between £7 and £9, and there are free refills on any soft drinks.

Are you visiting the Hard Rock Cafe? You might also want to take a look at the free tours in London that depart daily.

Free Tours in Your Language

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