Other
Dick Bradsell
World's 50 Best Bars
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Late in his early career, Dick Bradsell worked as a runner and barback at Zanzibar Club in London. That role put him inside the pace of service before he was running it, learning the room from the floor up: how to move, when to reset, where attention breaks, and how anticipation keeps a bar working. It was training in timing, pressure, and observation as much as in drinks.
The Climb
The foundation of the work was built in service roles. Dick Bradsell began as butler at Naval and Military Club (the In & Out) in St James's, London, then continued as butler in London. Those posts demanded the habits that carry through hospitality: composure, discretion, and exact timing. The later move to runner and barback at Zanzibar Club in London brought him closer to the operational core, where the rhythm of a venue is felt first in the hands and feet. The shift into bar manager/owner at Fred's Bar in Soho, London marked the point where Dick Bradsell was shaping the room rather than only supporting it. From there, he moved through bar manager/owner roles at Quo Vadis in London, Detroit Bar in London, Pharmacy in London, El Camion in London, and Atlantic Bar and Grill in London. Taken together, those appointments show a career built step by step through London hospitality, with each room adding another layer of judgment, speed, and control. The arc reads as a progression from service floor to decision-making: butler, then runner and barback, then bar manager/owner. In Bradsell’s case, the result was a career grounded in the mechanics of service.
Today
Today, Dick Bradsell’s career is remembered for his early hospitality work and his connection to Zanzibar Club in London. That association holds because it marks a formative point in the work: a London bar scene where the standard was set nightly, and where craft was learned by being in the middle of it. The remembered path is one of steady ascent through a series of London venues, each role part of the same education in service.
Signature
Dick's signature dishes include Espresso Martini, Treacle, Russian Spring Punch, and Bramble. The names are direct, and that directness is part of their force: each one reads like a finished piece of bar craft, stripped to what needs to be remembered. In a working bar, that kind of signature does more than identify a drink — it becomes part of a bartender’s professional record.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Dick
Where did Dick Bradsell work before?
Dick Bradsell's earlier career included Naval and Military Club (the In & Out), Zanzibar Club, and Fred's Bar.
