The Best London Restaurants with Live Music | They’ve Got A Lot Of Soul
Back in the day, a little jazz with your meal was only to be expected.
Sadly, it seems a lot of restaurants have dropped their standards.
But if you’re set on a little musical accompaniment to your meal, fear not – you won’t be forced to sing for your supper. Because London is still home to a number of excellent dining establishments where you can score a samba with your sambal. So behold; the best London restaurants with live music – from jazz, to classical, to 1940s gypsy folk…
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Brasserie Zédel | Soho
Not content with hosting one of the West End’s ritziest cabaret and music venues, The Crazy Coqs, Brasserie Zédel’s musical offerings spill into their grand, marble-clad dining room where live musicians play every night of the week. The bands come in for week-long residencies and blast out everything from Parisian folk music to vintage tango.
When to catch it: Mon-Wed from 7pm; Thurs, Fri & Sat from 8pm; Fri, Sat & Sun 12.30-3.30pm; Sun from 6pm | Cover charge? No | Book Brasserie Zédel
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Dishoom | Kensington
Inspired by the art deco style of 1940s Bombay, Dishoom’s elegant Kensington branch goes all out with the music to match. Playing up on the mezzanine from Wednesday – Friday evenings, lively jazz trio The Marine Liners keep the place swinging while you feast on Dishoom classics like gunpowder potatoes and the inimitable house black daal (plus a couple of Chai Punches, just like the good old days).
When to catch it: Thurs-Fri evenings from 7.15pm | Cover charge? None | Dinner walk-in only
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J. Sheekey | Leicester Square
Sheekey’s is a glamorously old-school seafood restaurant hiding down the alleyways of London’s Theatreland. In a land of crisp tablecloths, smartly jacketed waiters and conviviality emanating from every corner, a little live jazz fits in like a fish takes to water. Find the musicians in residence every Sunday afternoon – during which time you can also take advantage of Sheekey’s highly reasonable set lunch menu.
When to catch it: Sundays 1-4pm | Cover charge? None | Book J. Sheekey
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The Blues Kitchen | Brixton, Camden & Shoreditch
The Blues Kitchen does exactly what it says on the tin, delivering live R’n’B, blues and soul alongside excellent Southern BBQ fixings. Which means you no longer have to visit three different places for the world’s strongest beer (a sociable 67.5%), pan-fried catfish, and live music seven nights a week.
When to catch it: Every night plus weekend brunches, see what’s on here | Cover charge? Free entry but often ticketed Fri/Sat | Book The Blues Kitchen
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Quaglino’s | St James’s
Quaglino’s has sat in St James’s since 1929. So it has an Art Deco look because it was built in the Art Deco era. And it feels like restaurant royalty because it literally entertained royalty. But they’ve moved with the times, keeping the good bits from their storied history (the glamour) and updating the stuff that ought to be updated (the menu). And part of that old school vibe is the live music, which fills their centrepiece stage every night. You’ll find upbeat brass bands, toe-tapping jazz, catchy swing music and more from an array of top-shelf acts. And being a D&D restaurant, they’ve made sure the food & the cocktails are its equal in every way too…
When to catch it: Seven days a week, typically from 7pm | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Quaglino’s
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Voodoo Ray’s | Peckham
Patrick Gunning
Live jazz and pizza? Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? It’s great news then that this extremely appealing combination exists at Voodoo Ray’s Peckham branch where, on a Sunday evening, you can come for a slice or two of some of the best pizza in London, and stay for live music from The Rachael Cohen Quartet. And then maybe more pizza.
When to catch it: Every Sunday from 6-9pm | Cover charge? No | Book Voodoo Ray’s
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28-50 By Night | Marylebone
28°-50° By Night made a name for themselves in the restaurant game thanks to their top-shelf wine list – the place is even named after the latitudes that grow the best wine grapes – but now they’ve added another string to their bow: live music. Their moody dining space plays host to high-calibre live jazz acts every night… and the wine is absolutely stellar.
When to catch it: Thurs-Sat, 8pm-2am – see what’s on here | Cover charge? No | Book 28-50
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Cafe KOKO | Camden
Cafe KOKO was made for music. As in, the building it’s in was literally a piano factory, and as in it’s attached to the KOKO – you know, the same KOKO that’s over a 120 years old, and which has been host to the greatest names in entertainment throughout its entire tenure, from Charlie Chaplin, to Ed Sheeran, to everyone else in between. So, in short, they take their live acts relatively seriously. You’ll find them playing every Tuesday night, and you can score an excellent pizza & some cocktails while you listen.
When to catch it: Tuesdays from 7pm | Cover charge? No | See what’s on & book a table
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Mu | Dalston
Mu is from the folk at Brilliant Corners, who know their music thanks to the vast back-catalogue of vinyl that soundtracks their cocktail bar & Japanese eatery. So they’re not the worst people in the world to transfer all that knowledge to a second branch a few doors down, specialising in cocktails, Japanese food… and live music.
When to catch it: Wed-Sun at 7.30pm & 9pm | Cover charge? Recommended £8 | Book a table at Mu
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Darby’s | Vauxhall
Darby’s is named after chef-owner Robin Gill’s father, who played the jazz clubs of Manhattan in the 50s and 60s. So it almost feels necessary for this restaurant to have a little live music too. You can catch live bands alongside your roast every Sunday afternoon, or swing by for a nightcap when the restaurant hosts late night blues alongside a happy hour when you actually want it – 9-11pm.
When to catch it: Sunday afternoons & Saturday nights | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Darby’s
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100 Wardour St | Soho
Built on the very site where the Rolling Stones played their first gig, 100 Wardour St hopes that you can always get what you want, with a nightly changing line-up of live music. Plus, there’s a full dinner menu available until 11pm.
When to catch it: Tues-Sat evenings | Cover charge? No | Book a table at 100 Wardour Street
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Sarastro | Covent Garden
The fact that almost every surface is swathed in gold isn’t the most unusual thing about this restaurant – and neither is the fact that some of the seating is arranged in theatre-style boxes. If anything, it all starts to make sense in the evening when performers – from Thursday to Sunday – start belting out anything from Motown to opera. It’s a hoot.
When to catch it: Thursday – Sunday from 8.30pm (9pm Sat), more details here | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Sarastro
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Café Bohème | Soho
A Soho institution, Café Bohème has all the great hallmarks of French authenticity (despite actually being owned by Soho House) – cosy, Belle Epoque décor; a menu of hearty French fare; and live jazz every afternoon that seems to make the seafood taste that bit better.
Maybe it’s a mussel relaxant.
When to catch it: Daily 3-5.30pm | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Cafe Boheme
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The Ned | The City
Soho House’s grandest opening yet, The Ned makes its home in a former bank building in, well, Bank. And inside the majestic, marble clad ground-floor atrium, you’ll find no fewer than seven restaurants, three bars, and a central bandstand, from which you’ll be treated to live music daily – from roaring jazz to acoustic sets from up-and-coming artists.
When to catch it: Daily | Cover charge? No | Book a table at The Ned
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The Parlour | The City
They say intimate live jazz and five-piece bands are best enjoyed with caviar, lobster thermidor and racks of well-sourced lamb (‘they’ being ‘us’), and such a pairing can be actualised nightly at The Ned’s subterranean velvety lair of luxury, The Parlour. Expect live jazz, soul and Motown on weeknights, and on Saturdays, the stage is reserved for Black Cat Cabaret’s sensational High Society show where singers, comics and dancers provide your dinner entertainment.
When to catch it: Wednesday – Saturday nights | Cover charge? £20pp | Book a table at The Parlour
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Sketch | Mayfair
Edmund Dabney
If live music’s your cup of tea, you can combine it with an actual cup of tea in the flamboyantly eclectic Gallery at Sketch. You won’t find a more beautiful afternoon tea in London, one where string quartets will bow their way through classical pieces and the occasional pop arrangement as you plunder the Victorian sponge trolley…
When to catch it: During afternoon tea, daily | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Sketch
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Le Café du Marché | Smithfield
If a child drew a (very accomplished) picture of a French restaurant, this is how it would look – hidden down a cobbled alleyway, with vintage posters on the walls, candlelight and tablecloths, little curtains at the windows, and a nonchalant pair of musicians providing a little background jazz on double bass and piano.
When to catch it: Tuesday – Saturday evenings | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Le Café du Marché
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Kahani | Chelsea
Much like the bottomless brunch that runs here four days a week, Kahani’s live jazz nights seem almost too good to be true – for £65 you’ll get four courses of chef Peter Joseph’s acclaimed Indian cooking, plus some mellifluous live music to go with your meal. Oh, and it all kicks off with a Lychee Bellini so delicious you’ll be asking for 1, 2, 3, 4…
When to catch it: Thursday evenings | Cover charge? No | Book a table at Kahani
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Toulouse Lautrec | Kennington
The attic jazz bar at Toulouse Lautrec is like something out of a film – crooners and quartets take to the stage at the back, while lovers share steak tartares and crème brûlées at marble-topped, cabaret-style tables with Bentwood chairs. If you’re after a really substantial meal, though, book a table on the first floor where you’ll be serenaded to the tune of a glossy white grand piano. The atmosphere’s romantic, the music’s great and the food is classically, fantastically French.
When to catch it: Thurs-Sun from 7pm | Cover charge? Upstairs Jazz Club events are ticketed – see what’s on | Book a table at Toulouse Lautrec
Just after a drink? Take a look at these fantastic bars with live music