Night-time hotspots
can be found across the city, although there is a concentration
in the West End, where Soho is
still the coolest place to drink, although it remains seedy along
the edges. Soho is also the best place for gay bars and clubs. Two
hip areas in which to drink are the perennially cool Notting
Hill/Ladbroke Grove area in the west and the now very up-and-coming
Old Street/Shoreditch area in the east. Many local
areas, such as Camden and Angel
in the north, Brixton and Clapham
in the south, have great local pubs and bars and remain the areas
where the best of the established gastropubs can be found.
The legal drinking age is 18 years and almost all
of the clubs exact an admission price (often increasing after 23:00
or 24:00), which can be pricey, particularly in the West End. Dress
codes vary depending on the calibre of the club but it
may be wise to leave the trainers at home.
Drink prices are exorbitant in London and can vary from pub to pub
and club to club. A pint will cost anything from £2.50 upwards
and will be much more like £3 in the West End.
The best way to keep abreast of goings-on is to check out the
listings in the weekly Time
Out magazine.
Bars
If a traditional English pub is what you are
after, try the 17th-century George Inn, 77 Borough
High Street, SE1 – the only surviving example of a galleried
coaching inn in London. Nearby, a popular watering hole for patrons
of the Globe Theatre, tourists and locals is
The Anchor, Bankside, SE1. This 17th-century
haunt is quaint and quirky, while its Thames-side terrace is a
delight on sunny days. Alternatively, the Nell Gwynne,
1-2 Bull Inn Court, just off the Strand, WC2, is one of the smallest
and most endearing of the central, old-fashioned pubs, while the
hugely popular 17th-century Lamb and Flag, 33
Rose Street, WC2, offers two floors connected by a rickety staircase
and an outdoor area in summer. For ornate Victorian interiors,
The Salisbury, 90 St Martins Lane, WC2, with
its gin palace atmosphere, is unbeatable. No less popular is the
Lamb, 94 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1.
As for bars, many of the best in Soho are members
only but Yo!Below, in the basement of Yo!Sushi,
52 Poland Street, W1, is far more egalitarian, featuring Japanese
cartoons, Karaoke-singing staff, self-service beer dispensers
and masseuses. For a chilled scruffy kind of Soho cool, try Two
Floors, Kingly Street, W1; it doesn’t have the
name above the door but you can tell it by the sofas in the window
and the green walls. For stylish trendy bars that stay open past
2300 and do not require a membership card, Amber,
6 Poland Street, W1, is one of the nicest, while Akbar,
77 Dean Street, has exotic decor.
The beautiful people go to The West Bar at Sketch,
9 Conduit Street, W1 (see Restaurants). Point 101,
101 New Oxford Street, WC1, is a late-night West End bar that
defies the archaic drinking laws with DJs and an up-for-it clientele.
Almost all of the Old Compton Street pubs, bars,
cafés and restaurants are gay or very gay-friendly. A popular
one is G.A.Y. Bar, 30 Old Compton Street, W1,
run by the unstoppable club night, G.A.Y. (see Clubs below). Off
Old Compton Street, two well-established male favourites are The
Edge, 11 Soho Square, W1, and The Yard,
57 Rupert Street, W1. For women, the choice is much more limited;
the best by far is The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle
Street, W1.
Further west, in Notting Hill, one of the best bars in the area
is Under the Westway Bar and Restaurant,
Westbourne Studios, 242 Acklam Road, W10. Portobello Gold,
95-97 Portobello Road, W11, and one of the trendiest pubs in the
area The Westbourne, 101 Westbourne Park Villas,
W2.
Heading east, Vertigo, Level 42, Tower 42, 25
Old Broad Street, EC2, at 180m or 590ft above the ground, is one
of the UK’s highest bars and boasts stunning views across
the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows, although it is only
open on weeknights, as it is in the business-orientated City of
London.
For pubs in the Old Street area, The Bricklayers,
63 Charlotte Road, EC2, is as reliable for a pint and a possible
glimpse of a famous artist, while for kitsch cool, the George
and Dragon, 2 Hackney Road, E1, is your best bet. Table
football is the focus of the Brazilian-style Kick Bar,
127 Shoreditch High Street, E1. For a more of a designer bar,
the place to go for DJs is the Medicine Bar,
89 Great Eastern Street, EC2, or for food is Grand Central,
91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2, possibly the most beautiful bar-restaurant
in London.
Casinos
There are over 20 casinos in London. For details and other information,
refer to the British
Casino Association, 38 Grosvenor Gardens, SW1 (telephone:
(020) 7730 1055; fax: (020) 7730 1050). By law, only members and
their guests over the age of 18 years can enter a British casino;
membership takes 24 hours.
Clubs
The world-famous super-club Ministry
of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1, is still going a decade on,
with its stunning sound system pumping out popular house and garage.
Its big rivals are the more underground Fabric,
77A Charterhouse Street, EC1, Pacha,
Terminus Place, Victoria, SW1 , which has brought a touch of Balearic
glamour to Victoria, and The
End, a stylish club at 18A West Central Street, WC1.
Although the east is running away with things at the moment, the
west’s Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting
Hill Gate, W11, is always worth checking out, for its eclectic
nights famous for Latin nights.
South of the river, Brixton’s reputation for nightlife remains
unscathed with The Fridge, Town Hall Parade,
SW2, a long-time favourite, and Substation South,
9 Brighton Terrace, SW9, the original and still the best cruisey
gay nightclub. The most popular gay night is back in Soho, G.A.Y.
at The Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2.
Comedy
The
Comedy Store, Haymarket House, 1A Oxendon Street, SW1 (telephone:
(020) 7344 0234), still offers the best comedy in town. Jongleurs
comedy and cabaret clubs are based in Battersea, Camden and Bow.
Live music
International acts play at Earl’s
Court Exhibition Centre, Warwick Road, Earl’s Court,
SW5 (telephone: 0871 871 9809 for bookings), and Wembley
Arena, Lakeside Way, Wembley, HA9 (telephone: 0870 060 0870).
Mainstream pop stars can be heard at the London
Arena, Limeharbour, E14 (telephone: 020 7538 1212 or 08705
12 12 12). For a more unique atmosphere, try The
Astoria (LA1), 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2 (telephone: 020
7434 0403), or the Brixton
Academy, 211 Stockwell Road, SW9 (telephone: 020 7771 3000).
The Shepherd’s
Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green, W12 (telephone: 020 8354
3300), and the Forum, 9-17 Highgate Road, NW5
(telephone: 020 7284 1001 or 020 7344 0044 for bookings), draw
medium-sized acts. New and exciting indie acts usually play the
Barfly Camden, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 (telephone:
020 7691 4244), on their way up, while pubs with regular, often
unsigned live music include the Hope and Anchor,
207 Upper Street, N1 (telephone: 020 7354 1312), Camden’s
famous Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, NW1, (telephone:
020 7485 1773) and the Swan, 215 Clapham Road,
SW9 (telephone: 020 7978 9778).
For jazz, head to the Jazz
Café (telephone: 0870 150 0044 for bookings), 5 Parkway,
NW1, or to Ronnie
Scott’s Jazz Club, 47 Frith Street, W1 (telephone: 020
7439 0747) a legendary venue in the heart of Soho. Tickets for
most gigs and concerts are available from ticketmaster
(telephone: 0870 534 4444), or contact the venues direct. |
