Ever since some vibe-curious caveman first started slapping out a beat on a hollow log while pounding shots of fermented fruit, bars have had music.
But it’s only in the last few years that bar owners have decided that the music itself should be the main attraction – where it isn’t just background noise, where it’s treated with a near-monastic reverence, and where the guy who requests “Wonderwall” is politely shown the door.
Thus, the birth of the listening bar.
The heart of each of them is the record player, and its intimidatingly well-curated stacks of vintage & rare vinyl. And yes, they are extremely vulnerable to piss-taking – that’s just what happens when your collection includes deep cuts of Serbian turbo-folk and ’70s Ethiopian hip-hop – but as it turns out, a lot of that music is actually really, really good. And with the warm crackle of the needle, the frequently exquisite cocktails, and the appropriately moody atmosphere, these temples of sound make for some of the best bars in the capital full stop. Here are a few of our favourites…
Equal Parts | Hackney
Equal Parts comes to us from Michael Sager, who decided to pivot away from London wine bars (which he helped to find their peak with Sager + Wilde) by trying his hand at London listening bars. Turns out, he’s quite good at that too, because Equal Parts is much like its drinks: simple, understated, and extremely well-executed. On any given evening, you’ll hear the space filled with the mellifluous cadence of anything from salsa, to ’60s Italian crooners, to Colombian folk music, to Otis Redding, depending on what the barkeep decides to sling on the turntable…
Address: 245 Hackney Road, E2 8NA | Book here
Hausu | Peckham
The great thing about Hausu is that it isn’t just a listening bar, it’s a listening restaurant too. You’ll find it right in the beating heart of Peckham (it’s almost inside the station), and it takes its food just as seriously as its music & booze. Expect a menu of Italian & Asian plates washed down with bergamot negronis, coconut daiquiris, and plum and rhubarb sours. And yes, technically everything they play here is Hausu music.
Address: 11a Station Way, SE15 4RX | Book here
Goodbye Horses | Islington
If you don’t live next to it, Goodbye Horses isn’t exactly easy to get to. But even if it were in Zone 12, it would be worth it. The place is basically obsessed with three things: vinyl, wine, and food, and it does each of them ridiculously well. It’s almost become a victim of its own success, in fact, and they’ve had to open a second wine bar next door just to handle the overspill of people looking for a table. The music is what we’re concerned with today, but the place is generally known for its amazing food and natural wines, and justifiably so…
Address: 21 Halliford St, N1 3HB | Book here
Bambi | London Fields
Bambi is a place that people fawn over. Yes, pun intended, deerly. And right from the outset, you can see why it’s one of the best listening bars in London. The place is bathed in the warm glow of atmosphere, with candlelit tables throwing flickering light onto the huge speakers built into the walls. Despite their size though, the volume is kept to a thoroughly reasonable you-can-still-talk-without-shouting-at-eachother volume. And the food & drink aren’t afterthoughts either, with a natural & low-intervention wine list ably matched by eminently talented chef Dan Chambers.
Address: 1 Westgate Street, E8 3RL | Book here
Bruno | Hackney
Another Michael Sager joint, and another Michael Sager slam-dunk, Bruno is a quintessential example of his talents, with its cosy, atmospheric, near-perfection. It’s a teeny little converted stable in Victoria Park Village, whose double doors open into an intimate & convivial space with whitewashed walls, an ancient teak bar, and bottles of wine lining shelves lit by the glow of candles & vintage lights. And apart from the clink of glasses and the low hum of chatter, it’s all underscored by the crackle of music from the vinyl player in the corner, and its wonderful collection of records.
Address: 211a Victoria Park Road, E9 7JN | Book here
Mad Cats | Shoreditch
All these places have sound systems, yes. But instead of making do with a bluetooth puck, Mad Cats went and strapped their venue with 22 speakers, which are all placed at strategically optimised areas around the bar so as to absolutely drench the place in perfectly balanced sound. They don’t just play music here; they worship it. And they managed to seal the deal by doing the other bits well too: the food is great, the cocktails are even better, and the place turns into a dancefloor when it gets late.
Address: 107 Redchurch St, E2 7DL | Book here
Space Talk | Farringdon
You know when you walk into a bar, and get the immediate impression that everyone in there (including the staff) is achingly, unapologetically cool? Imagine that, only it’s not intimidating, but actually quite welcoming. That’s the experience at Space Talk. A bar that gets everything right, from the design, to the drinks, to the service, but without being even a shade snooty or self-conscious about it. The design is like a retro-futuristic space station as imagined by the Barbican. They have a custom-made stereo system that pipes out anything from Chinese erhu music to ambient electronica. The drinks include ingredients like fig leaves foraged from Victoria Park, or house-made beetroot & cacao-infused vermouth. And yet, they pull this all off without seeming one bit pretentious. It’s easily among the best listening bars in London.
Address: 18-20 St. John Street, EC1M 4AY | Walk-ins only
Jazu | Deptford
You’ll find Jazu at the top of Deptford High Street, unless you don’t happen to live near Deptford High Street, in which case it’s unlikely you’ll find Jazu at all. This would be a mistake. Because this is a bar worth travelling across town for. It’s independently run, there’s a well-stocked booze collection, a colossal library of records, and a top-quality vintage sound system hooked up to the walls. They host regular popups & residencies from some of the best up & coming chefs in town, and when one of the DJs is marshalling the records, it’s absolutely sublime.
Address: 2 Deptford High Street, SE8 4AF | Book here
Brilliant Corners | Dalston
There may be nowhere else in London that takes its vinyl as seriously as Brilliant Corners. That’s a big statement, we know, and it’s not a hill we’re willing to die on or anything – but the fact is that these guys have huge, beautiful, vintage wooden Klipsch speakers sitting in each corner of the room, flanked by glowing McIntosh amps, and all leading to a one-of-a-kind DJ setup. And there’s always a DJ too, never a multi-tasking barman casually slapping down another record. And on top of that, they have frequent live jazz as well.
Address: 470 Kingsland Road, E8 4AE | Book here
Jumbi | Peckham
Jumbi comes to us from the wonderfully named Bradley Zero (which is his real, given name), and it’s a venue that’s built almost entirely around its music set up. The space is a huge, brick-walled church of music, with a double-height ceiling and a vaulted roof stretching up to the heavens. It’s got scattered chairs, sofas, and a long bar along the side, as well as a terrace spinning out at the front. But sitting in the place of the altar at the front of the place is a giant wall of vinyl, stacked with 12″ records almost to the rafters (apparently it’s literally Bradley’s entire music collection). And the kicker is that this is one of those bars that frequently becomes more dancefloor than bar.
Address: Unit 4.1 Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, SE15 3SN | Book here
Want to take things up a notch? Here are London’s best bars with live music…
