Electric Cinema Portobello: The Bar Closes When the Film Starts

The bar shuts the moment the film begins. At the cinema most famous for drinking in an armchair.

“All features start 20 minutes after the advertised programme time, with the bar closing at the start of the feature presentation.”

So you have those twenty minutes and no more. There is no slipping out for another during the second act, and no round ordered as the lights go down. Buy what you intend to drink before the feature starts.

The door closes shortly after. “Late-comers can spoil the enjoyment of others and are therefore only admitted up to 15 minutes after the feature starts.”

Put the three numbers together and an advertised 8pm screening means: feature at 8.20pm, bar closed at 8.20pm, no admission after 8.35pm.

A non-member pays £25 for the seat a member pays £15 for

The Electric publishes its full grid, which almost no London cinema does, and the gap is the widest in the city.

Armchair, members: £15 Tuesday to Sunday. £13 Monday from 5pm. £10 Monday to Friday before 5pm.

Armchair, non-members: £25 Friday from 5pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. £20 Monday to Thursday from 5pm. £15 Monday to Friday before 5pm.

Read across and the same armchair on a Saturday night is £15 to a member and £25 to everyone else, a 67 per cent premium. The cheapest non-member price, £15, is what a member pays at peak.

Membership here is not a cinema card. It is Soho House, Every House or Soho Friends, so the discount comes attached to a club.

The front row is beds, and they cost £40

The Electric’s two-person seats are the reason to come, and they are priced as pairs rather than per head.

Front Row Bed, for two: members £25, £20 before 5pm, £20 on Monday from 5pm. Non-members £40 at peak, £35 Monday to Thursday evenings, £30 before 5pm.

Back Row Sofa, for two: members £30 at peak, £26 Monday from 5pm, £20 before 5pm. Non-members £50 at peak, £45 Monday to Thursday evenings, £40 before 5pm.

The arithmetic that matters: a back row sofa for two at peak is £50 for non-members, or £25 a head, which is the same as two armchairs. The sofa costs nothing extra. The bed at £40 for two is £20 a head, which is cheaper than two armchairs.

So at peak, the two-person seats are the better value, not the splurge. That inverts before 5pm, where two armchairs are £30 and a bed is still £30, making it a draw.

Children pay £10 whoever you are

The only line on the grid where membership buys nothing.

Children 14 and under: £10, members and non-members alike. Armchairs only; children are not priced for the beds or sofas.

Electric Parent & Baby: £5 members, £10 non-members in an armchair, and £10 against £20 for a bed or sofa.

So a non-member parent at a Parent & Baby screening pays £10, the same as their 14 year old would, and half what they would pay for an evening armchair.

Under 27s get £10, but only in person

A good discount with an awkward condition, and the same trap the Prince Charles sets with its concession membership.

U27 members pay £10 for an armchair and £20 for a bed or sofa, on Mondays only.

“U27 prices not available online or over the phone. Please visit the box office to purchase tickets at this price.”

So the cheapest ticket in the building cannot be booked in advance by any remote method. You turn up at 191 Portobello Road and buy it at the counter, on a Monday, with an Under 27 Soho House membership.

No cash, and no refunds

“We do not accept cash transactions at Electric Portobello.”

The box office takes physical cards, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Nothing else.

“All ticket purchases are final and non-refundable.”

That puts it with Curzon and Everyman rather than Picturehouse, which lets you cancel your own booking up to two hours before.

Wheelchair seats are Row F, 5 and 6, and must be booked by phone

Specific enough to be genuinely useful, which is rare.

Two wheelchair spaces, Row F numbers 5 and 6, bookable in advance.

A companion ticket is free with the purchase of a wheelchair user’s ticket, and these can only be booked by calling the box office on 020 7908 9696.

Accessible ramps are fitted during your visit for access to the toilets from inside the auditorium. Ring the bell by the main entrance on arrival and the team will set up.

CEA card holders get a free carer or companion ticket with their own, obtainable in person, by email to the box office or by phone, quoting the card number. The booking name must match the card. Email bookings are paid for at the box office on collection.

Subtitled performances of new releases run every Monday afternoon, with times subject to change. Audio description is available on most performances with a supplied headset.

Where it is, and the hours

191 Portobello Road, London W11 2ED.

Notting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove are the stations. Parking near the cinema cannot be guaranteed.

Box office open 9am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 10pm Sunday. Telephone 020 7908 9696, option 3.

A 9am box office is unusual for a cinema and worth knowing: you can buy a Monday U27 ticket first thing on your way past.

There is a second Electric at White City, and the Portobello site can be hired privately.

How to plan it

Buy your drinks in the twenty minutes before the feature. The bar closes when the film starts.

Arriving late: fifteen minutes after the feature, and no later.

Not a member, going at peak: take the bed or the sofa. At £40 and £50 for two they cost the same per head as armchairs, or less.

Cheapest non-member ticket: before 5pm Monday to Friday, at £15 an armchair.

Under 27 with a Soho House membership: Monday, at the box office, for £10. It cannot be bought online.

Bringing a child: £10 flat, membership or not.

Wheelchair user: ring 020 7908 9696. Row F seats 5 and 6, companion free, phone only.

Bring a card. No cash is taken at all.

Electric Cinema Portobello

Address

191 Portobello Road, London W11 2ED

Nearest

Notting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove

Hours

Box office 9am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 10pm Sunday. Features start 20 minutes after the advertised programme time

Booking

Secure online booking for all performances, or at the box office on 020 7908 9696. All purchases are final and non-refundable. No cash accepted. CEA and wheelchair bookings by phone or email only

Price

Armchairs 15 pounds Tuesday to Sunday for members and 25 for non-members at peak, falling to 10 and 15 before 5pm weekdays. Front row beds for two 25 members and 40 non-members at peak. Back row sofas for two 30 and 50. Children 14 and under 10 pounds for everyone. U27 members 10 pounds on Mondays, box office only

Standing

A 1911 cinema on Portobello Road with leather armchairs, two-person front row beds and back row sofas, run by Soho House. Members are Soho House, Every House or Soho Friends

How to get in

The bar closes at the start of the feature presentation, so drinks must be bought in the 20 minutes beforehand. Latecomers are only admitted up to 15 minutes after the feature starts. At peak a two-person bed at 40 pounds or sofa at 50 costs the same per head as two armchairs or less, so the pair seats are the better value rather than the splurge. The U27 Monday price of 10 pounds cannot be bought online or by phone. Wheelchair spaces are Row F seats 5 and 6 with a free companion ticket, bookable only by calling the box office.

Where to go next

Notting Hill covers Portobello Road and what else is on it, and the market runs a different stall mix every day.

Picturehouse Central, Curzon and Everyman are the chains to compare on membership and refunds.

Questions we get asked

What time does the film actually start at the Electric Cinema?

Twenty minutes after the advertised programme time. The bar closes at the start of the feature presentation, so drinks have to be bought in that twenty minute window, and latecomers are only admitted up to 15 minutes after the feature begins. An advertised 8pm screening means a feature at 8.20pm and no entry after 8.35pm.

How much is the Electric Cinema Portobello?

For non-members an armchair is £25 at peak, meaning Friday from 5pm and all weekend, £20 Monday to Thursday from 5pm and £15 before 5pm on weekdays. Members pay £15, £13 and £10 for the same seats. A front row bed for two is £40 for non-members and £25 for members at peak, and a back row sofa for two is £50 and £30.

Are the Electric Cinema beds worth it?

At peak, yes, because they cost no more per head. A two-person bed at £40 is £20 each and a back row sofa at £50 is £25 each, against £25 for a single armchair. Before 5pm the maths evens out, with two armchairs at £30 and a bed also at £30.

Who counts as a member at the Electric Cinema?

Soho House, Every House and Soho Friends members, since the cinema is run by Soho House. They get discounted ticket prices all week and access to exclusive members' screenings booked through the Soho House members' site. Under 27 members get a further discount on Mondays.

How do you get the Under 27 price at the Electric?

In person at the box office only. U27 members pay £10 for an armchair and £20 for a bed or sofa, on Mondays, and the Electric states these prices are not available online or over the phone. The box office opens at 9am Monday to Saturday.

Does the Electric Cinema take cash?

No. Electric Portobello does not accept cash transactions at all. The box office takes physical cards and contactless payments, and tickets can be booked using Apple Pay or Google Pay. All purchases are final and non-refundable.

Is the Electric Cinema Portobello wheelchair accessible?

Yes. There are two wheelchair spaces, Row F seats 5 and 6, bookable in advance by calling the box office on 020 7908 9696, and a companion ticket is free with a wheelchair user's ticket. Accessible ramps are fitted during the visit for toilet access from inside the auditorium, and you ring the bell by the main entrance on arrival.