Our mission

Create unique and
memorable experiences

Inception Group is a fun, creative and dynamic company founded in 2009 by entrepreneurs Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling. The company operates a group of unique bar, restaurant and club concepts in South West and central London.

OUR AWARDS

OUR HISTORY

2009: February

Inception Group is born as Barts opens

We open our first bar: ‘Barts’- London’s first speakeasy hidden within a Chelsea apartment block. It’s the height of the recession with 50 pubs a week closing in the UK and many would argue the worst possible time to launch, especially with no street presence at all! However, the opening generates a huge buzz, especially thanks to Twitter which has just launched. Barts quickly develops a loyal regular following.

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2010: april

‘The 80s are back’

Maggie’s is born. We open a 1980s themed club on London’s Fulham Road, named after 80s icon, Maggie Thatcher. As ever our tongue is firmly in cheek as we set about launching a club playing exclusively 80s music with Rubik’s cube tables and extremely kitsch cocktails. There seem to be more 80s fanatics than we could have imagined which keeps Maggie’s bustling throughout the week.

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bunga_battersea

2011: september

We launch an ‘Englishman’s Italian’ (now sadly closed)…

Our first restaurant opening, we felt Londoners were spoilt for choice when it came to fine dining options but there weren’t enough fun and lively alternatives. Our answer, Bunga Bunga – an Englishman’s Italian, somewhere you can eat, drink and be entertained under one roof from the early evening until the early morning. After 11 wonderful years, we have now permanently closed, focusing on our newer Bunga Bunga site in Covent Garden…

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2013: May

Mr Fogg’s: our first central London adventure

Mr Fogg’s Residence is our first opening in central London, housed down a small back-street behind Berkeley Square in Mayfair. This eccentric bar packed full of Victorian memorabilia imagines the house of the fictional adventurer, Phileas Fogg. We develop a high-end cocktail led offering and a small snack menu. It’s great to see people walking back in time and embracing the concept.

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2015: March

The Station Opens

Cahoots, Soho’s new underground home, where the spirits are high and the drinks never run dry, launched on the eve of Thursday 5th March. What-ho! The venue recreates a post-war abandoned underground station, that was used as an air raid shelter during the Blitz. After the war, scoundrels made it their new home from home and features dazzling cocktails, swing dancing and sing-a-longs around an old piano.

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2015: october

Mr Fogg’s opens its second site

In mid-October we opened Mr Fogg’s Tavern in the heart of theatreland on St Martin’s Lane. A traditional Victorian tavern, which features period-authentic entertainment, alongside fantastic home brewed-ales, seasonal cocktails and hearty roasts.

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gin-parlour

2015: october

…with two floors, each unique

In October, we also opened Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour. Located upstairs, the Gin Parlour houses a huge collection of gins, both well-known and rare. Serving delicious cocktails, fine wine and champagne, the parlour also plays host to its very own twist on the infamous Tipsy Tea -‘G&Tea’.

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2016: october

The Bunga family grows

In early October we continued expansion in Covent Garden opening BungaTINI on Drury Lane. Inspired by a neighborhood back-street Italian bar & pizzeria, BungaTINI serves a delicious range of home-made pastries, pizzas and classically simple regional dishes available to eat in or take away.

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2017: january

Enter through the meatlocker…

Five years after the original in Battersea, we opened a far bigger and bolder version in the heart of theatreland offering a fully immersive dining experience. The underground lair of la famiglia Bunga, Bunga Bunga Covent Garden, is accessed only through the meat locker of BungaTINI.

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2018: JULY

Mr Fogg’s next venture blooms

2018 was the year of Fogg’s and it started with the first of three new Fogg’s sites – Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals. Located right in the heart of Fitzrovia, the House of Botanicals is light and airy, filled with flora and fauna collected from Fogg’s travels, as well as featuring a botanically-inspired menu.

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2018: SEPTEMBER

Pushing the boundaries of the ordinary…

One month later – not a stone’s throw away from Charing Cross station – another Mr Fogg’s opened. Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration boasts wood-panelled walls, warm leather seating and shelves laden with eccentric artefacts. Inside, you’ll find the Map Room, a place for explorers to share tales of their travels and plan future endeavours. Next to it sits the Orient Express, a life-size model of a Victorian train carriage complete with brass lamps and windows overlooking the bar area. With quirky areas and a beautiful marble-fitted bar, it’s an excellent addition to the Fogg’s Collection.

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2019: October

The Station expands…

In October 2019, we expanded our subterranean 1940s bar Cahoots, with two new unique spaces, located right next door on Kingly Street – Cahoots Ticket Hall & Signal Station. The Ticket Hall pays tribute to what previously lay there, with a giant station clock, old split-flap timetables and fading train maps and vintage advertisements peeling off the wall. Hidden beneath the Ticket Hall sits the Signal Station. Head down the ‘danger’ marked staircase and into what was once an ‘out-of-bounds’ area for all passengers, that has been transformed into an industrial, quirky speakeasy-style bar, perfect for entertaining and throwing illicit shindigs!

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2021: October

Taken over Soho’s iconic London Gin Club…

In October 2021, we relaunched The London Gin Club on 22 Great Chapel Street nestled in the heart of Soho, after its two-year closure and a small refurbishment. Home to a carefully-curated collection of over 100 of the finest gins, we serve the ultimate gin & tonic, an exquisitely-crafted menu of gin-based cocktails and our popular Gin Tasting Flight experiences. Still retaining its charming period features, the building’s rich heritage is proudly displayed on our walls. Dating back to 1785, a traditional tavern had traded on our site at № 22 Great Chapel Street, before Ambrose Forte took over in 1933 and, many years later in 2012, his granddaughter, Julia, established The London Gin Club.

The London Gin Club has now temporarily closed its doors for a major refurbishment, whilst maintaining the character our customers and regulars love. The venue will be back even better than before in the coming weeks. Watch this space!

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2022: June

The Mr Fogg’s Collection expands in Mayfair…

In June 2022, we opened the doors to our seventh Mr Fogg’s venue: The Apothecary! Located on Mayfair’s Brook Street opposite the iconic Claridge’s hotel, and only a stone’s throw away from the original Mr Fogg’s Residence, the elegant Victorian Apothecary is home to an adventurous collection of curative tonics, restorative remedies and compounded libations, collected by Phileas J. Fogg on his travels around the world.

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2022: October

Powering up in the iconic Battersea Power Station…

In October 2022, we launched a unique all-day bar experience in the historic Control Room B of Battersea Power Station. For the very first time in history, guests are able to sit amongst the original dials, control desks and switchgear racks of Control Room B, which once helped control one-fifth of all London’s power. Opening out onto Turbine Hall B and situated on its own private mezzanine, patrons can soak up the rich history with a selection of champagnes, coffees and light bites by day and a signature menu of high-voltage cocktails by night.

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2023: FEBRUARY

The first Mr Fogg’s site in Soho…

In February 2023, we launched our very first Mr Fogg’s site in Soho – Mr Fogg’s Pawnbrokers! Located at 50 Dean Street, this new adventurous cocktail bar is the mysterious Victorian ‘pawn shop’ of Phileas Fogg’s wayward half-brother, Frank Fogg. Made up of three spaces – The Pawnbrokers Counter, The Strong Room and The Textiles Room – this venue showcases an extraordinary display of antiques collected from around the world, along with eclectic cocktails served in a vast array of miscellaneous objects and antiques.

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2023: JULY

Mr Fogg’s expands its presence in Soho…

In July 2023, we proudly launched our second Mr Fogg’s site in Soho – Mr Fogg’s Hat Tavern & Gin Club – found opposite the renowned Henry Heath’s Hat Factory. On the ground floor sits The Hat Tavern with exquisite bar snacks, alongside an impressive selection of draught beers, ales, punches and expertly crafted cocktails. Beneath lies our secretive Gin Club, which houses Mr Fogg’s vast collection of fine gins and hats of all shapes and sizes.

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2024: JANUARY

Mr Fogg’s introduces another Tavern to the Collection..

In January 2024, we transformed Mrs Fogg’s into the all-new Mr Fogg’s City Tavern! Situated in the heart of Broadgate Circle, this eccentric Victorian-style tavern now serves draught beers, punches, expertly crafted cocktails and traditional British grub. Patrons can unwind in the elegant and cosy saloon bar, the large outdoor area, or within the hustle and bustle of the main tavern featuring high wooden tables. Complementing these libations is a delectable array of traditional British grub, featuring succulent burgers, homemade pies, open sandwiches and lighter bites.

Discover Mr Fogg's City Tavern