London’s NoMad Hotel has a Side Hustle.
Only for them, a mere ‘side hustle’ really means ‘a vibrant cocktail bar nestled inside a palatially elegant grade II-listed building, which just landed at No.75 on the list of the World’s 100 Best Bars, and which also serves up stellar Latin American food to go with its world-class cocktails.’
You’ll find it perched appropriately on the side of the grand building itself, in what used to be an old police station. Find your way to the rather discreet door, and inside, it’s a stately blend of both old-school wood-panelled grandeur, with a sleek modern polish of marble & brass, with vintage drinks cabinets and an eclectic gallery of photographs strung up around the walls.
Both the dining and cocktail menu at Side Hustle are inspired by the ‘diverse cultural influences’ on Southern California – which translates to a lot of Mexican dishes and agave-based cocktails.
The drinks are the province of Liana Oster, who headed up NYC’s multi-award-winning Dante when it was crowned World’s Best Bar a few years ago – so suffice to say, she’s a dab hand at mixing a decent drink. Her menu encompasses high-end takes on the classics (like a Michelada made with Scotch Bonnet, white miso, and NoMad’s own Mexican Sour beer, brewed in collaboration with Two Tribes) as well as signatures like the cachaça & coriander-laced Sergeant Pepper, and the eyebrow-raising collection of ‘Cocktail Explosions’ designed for eight to share. There’s even a couple of well-crafted non-alcoholic options in there, like the intriguing Agua Fresca Verde, combining sheep’s milk yoghurt with cucumber and sencha tea.
Meanwhile, the Latin American-styled dining menu is pitched as a more casual counterpart to the NoMad’s main (and show-stoppingly beautiful) dining room. That said, the pricing still reminds you that you’re, well, at the NoMad. You can tuck into elegant portions of fish carnitas tlayuda and tuna crudo tostadas; oysters with watermelon granita; and a hefty rib-eye steak of British grass-fed beef to share – or just order a little chicharrón y caviar (a combination of fried pork with Imperial Oscietra Caviar, avocado, jalapeño and yuzu) to go with your drinks.
At weekends they serve brunch, and the menu spans the likes of tender lamb birri with corn tortillas; a shiitake tamal with black mole, onion and créme fraîche; and an encebollado of yellowfin tuna with a bright & zesty aguachile sauce. And the desserts? They include an ice cream sandwich that infuses cafe de olla (spiced coffee) with tonka bean…
As brunches go, it risks turning from side hustle to main event.
NOTE: Side Hustle is open weekdays from 5pm, and weekends from 11am till late. You can make a booking and find out more HERE.
Side Hustle | NoMad London, 28 Bow Street, WC2E 7AW
Making a night of it? Swing by one of these excellent restaurants in Covent Garden