BYO. Three little letters that, to the thrifty drinker, spell “bargain”. They are a licence to “bring your own” booze and circumvent the hefty mark-ups on wine lists that make dining out so costly. Alas, it is not so straightforward. Trade publication The Drinks Business reports that the average corkage fee – the amount charged to a customer who wishes to consume their own drinks on a venue’s premises – is now £13.50 and rising.
Which is positively restrained by comparison with some London restaurants, like Dorian in Notting Hill, where corkage has climbed to an eye-watering £100, twice the price of the cheapest bottle from its wine list. That might suit ultra-high net worth individuals bringing their own Château Lafite, but it’s not so great for us normies clutching a bottle of “Chicken Wine”.
Restaurants set corkage fees to make up for lost revenue on beverage sales (where they make their money) and offset the rising cost of doing business. The fee usually approximates the margin they would make on their cheapest bottle.
Sparkling wines and large format bottles, such as magnums, often command a higher fee, while beer – if permitted – may cost just a couple of quid. In fine-dining restaurants, where the corkage fee is higher, you’re paying for the full white glove service.
Matilda di Cecio, head sommelier at Chez Bruce in Wandsworth, where corkage is waived on Sunday evenings, says: “It doesn’t make any difference whether it’s our bottle or their bottle, I still serve it and take care of it and make sure it’s in good condition.” This service can involve correcting the temperature, tasting for faults, preparing glassware, decanting – or even double-decanting – the wine.
Low corkage fees aren’t just good for the customer; they are good for business. Dinings SW3, a swish Japanese restaurant in Chelsea, introduced free corkage on Mondays to bring people in. They found it’s one of their busiest days, so have extended the offer to Sundays too.
“It’s almost like a little club,” says general manager Daniel Alvarado. “You see the regulars’ names on the booking and you think ‘let’s see what they’re bringing this week’. It’s fun!”
Whether you’re drinking plonk or Pétrus, bear in mind that corkage is a privilege not a right. There is an unwritten etiquette around it. You should consider informing the restaurant in advance (you can make a note in your online reservation); always offer the sommelier a taste if it’s a special drop; take your second bottle (if you’re having one) from the restaurant’s own list; and don’t be a cheapskate. “Don’t just order a plate of cheese,” says fine wine collector and BYO old hand Queena Wong.
At unlicensed restaurants or places that offer free or cheap BYO as standard, anything goes. It’s not on, however, to rock up at a Michelin-starred restaurant, as one customer at The Sportsman at Seasalter did, with a half dozen bottles of £4.99 Aldi rosé. “That’s not what it’s for,” says co-owner Phil Harris, who charges a more than fair £15 flat fee for corkage.
“For any reason other than just to save a few quid, I’m happy to do it.” So don’t feel you have to take an expensive bottle to a fancy restaurant; but a wine with a story – perhaps from your birth year or your honeymoon – will always be welcome.
“If you’re going to bother to bring a bottle from outside, make sure it’s something decent, not just your entry level wine that’s going to be a pop and pull,” advises Wong. It’s pointless, she says, to pay £15 corkage on a £10 bottle when there’s probably an equivalent already on the list at £25.
A retail price of between £15 and £20 is “a lovely sweet spot”. “Go to a specialist wine shop,” she says. “Drink something you wouldn’t normally drink. Have fun with it.”
Restaurants with low or no corkage fees
10 Greek Street, Soho, London
Here’s a good central London option: a modern European bistro that offers corkage at £5 at lunchtime on Fridays (and £20 the rest of the time). 10greekstreet.com
Blacklock, branches in London and Manchester
At popular chop house group Blacklock, whose Manchester restaurant officially opens on September 27, corkage is a nice and easy £10 for any bottle, any time. theblacklock.com
Chez Bruce, Wandsworth, London
Chez Bruce is beloved of collectors, sommeliers, and wine industry folk alike. Every Sunday evening, the Michelin one star waives its usual £40 corkage, and allows guests to bring a maximum of four bottles per table with no charge. chezbruce.co.uk
The Coal Shed, Brighton, East Sussex
This live fire restaurant has just relocated to a swish new site on North Street. Regulars rejoice, it will be resurrecting its £5 corkage night on Tuesdays once it’s settled into its new home. coalshed-restaurant.co.uk
The Company Shed, Mersea Island, Essex
This little wooden hut is the place to eat fresh oysters and crab. It’s known for being BYOB twice over: you can bring your own bottle and bread. Corkage, £6. the-company-shed.com
Cornus, Belgravia, London
This ambitious newcomer from the team behind Medlar in Chelsea welcomes the wine crowd with corkage fees set at £20 at lunch every day (it’s £40 at dinner). cornusrestaurant.co.uk
Dinings SW3, Chelsea, London
Masayaki Sugisaki’s modern Japanese cuisine is supremely wine-friendly. Such has been the success of Dinings’ “no-corkage Mondays”, it has extended the offer to Sundays. Kanpai! diningssw3.co.uk
Hawksmoor, branches in London, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester
Roll up to any of Hawksmoor’s 10 award-winnning UK restaurants on a Monday and you can bring your own bottle for just £5 corkage (the rest of the week, it’s £25). What you save on wine, you can spend on steak. thehawksmoor.com
Quality Wines, Clerkenwell, London
The shelves at this tiny Clerkenwell wine shop and restaurant are stacked with great bottles from Sussex to Slovenia, Bordeaux to Barossa. Add £15 to the retail price if you want to drink in. qualitywinesfarringdon.com
Salt Yard, Fitzrovia; Opera Tavern, Covent Garden; Ember Yard, Soho
Italian-slash-Spanish tapas restaurant Salt Yard in Fitzrovia, and its sister restaurants Opera Tavern in Covent Garden and Ember Yard in Soho all offer free corkage on a Monday. saltyardgroup.co.uk
Singburi, Leytonstone, London
This family-run Thai restaurant in Leytonstone has a cult following. If you can get in (walk-ins are your best bet), know that it’s cash-only and BYOB. Order everything on the blackboard. @singburi_E11
The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent
Another Michelin-starred restaurant with a commendably friendly corkage policy: owner Stephen Harris levies a fee of just £15 per bottle. thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk
Tayyabs, Whitechapel, London
This treasured Punjabi diner is one of London’s iconic free BYO venues, even if the sizzling lamb chops and garlic naan arguably go better with cold beer or mango lassi. Pro tip: decent bottle shops are thin on the ground nearby, so come prepared. tayyabs.co.uk
The Wine Loft, Brixham, Devon
This friendly little wine shop and tapas bar, just up from Brixham harbour, charges £13 for corkage so the pricier the bottle, the better value you get. wineloftbrixham.co.uk
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