Space Talk is a hifi bar that’s been specifically designed to perfectly complement the listening experience.
But it’s very easy on the eyes, too.
It opened quietly in May 2024 just across the road from Smithfield Market in Farringdon (thus instantly becoming your go-to before, or after, dinner at Brutto, St. John or Luca). And not one minor detail has been overlooked when it comes to the concept of this bar – everything from the design, to the drinks, to the service has been elevated to its platonic ideal. Put simply, it’s cool, but not self-consciously: the staff will want to get on first name terms with you as soon as you melt into the bar’s sinuous banquette seating.
Ollie Tomlinson
The place is atmosphere incarnate, divvied up into different areas depending on what you’re after. Vintage designer furnishings create a dining area at the front, with textured walls that turn out to be acoustic panelling to soften background noise. Lining one side is a sleek, curving bar that looks like it was crafted from the beaten hull of a spaceship. And at the back of the space is a lounge lined with bespoke wood panelling and curving benches, suffused with soft, golden lighting that slowly shifts to red as the night wears on. The whole place feels like a retro-futuristic space station as imagined by the Barbican.
The literal and spiritual heart of the whole operation, though, is the vinyl station: a sunken, semi-circular DJ booth. That’s hooked up to a custom-made stereo system that pipes out anything from Chinese erhu music to ambient electronica, according to the particular tastes of that evening’s guest record selector.
Alongside all these tactile, audio and visual delights, your tastebuds are more than adequately catered for, too. The drinks menu is led by a polished and inventive selection of house signatures. Try the Fig, made with fig leaves foraged from Victoria Park, rum, vermouth and pet nat; or the Beetroot, an earthy take on a Vieux Carré made with a home-made beetroot and cacao-infused vermouth. There are a pair of equally impressive non-alcoholic cocktails on offer, too; a tight selection of wine and sake; and a wider range of whiskies, tequila and amaro. And if you get peckish? The menu of freshly prepared maki and nigiri sushi should hit the spot.
Listening bars are cropping up everywhere at the moment, but Space Talk’s dedication to the genre is next level.
They’re really changing the record.
NOTE: Space Talk is open Tuesday – Sunday evenings from 6pm. There are no reservations; just turn up. You can find out more on the Space Talk website.
Space Talk | 18-20 St. John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Making a night of it? Check out the area’s best restaurants in our Farringdon guide