Why don't I go to Cargo more often? I'm pretty sure my first visit to this vibey Shoreditch club / venue was more than 5 years ago. I saw a friend perform on stage - she was ace - ate some food I thought was too expensive then went home. The second time I visited was last night, when I spent five hours sipping white wine and listening to interesting women talk about their experiences in the music industry as part of an AIM event. I didn't eat, so can't comment on the menu / pricing, but I did notice three things that made me regret my lack of additional trips to Cargo over the years: 1) really yummy house white wine 2) really attractive male bartenders and 3) really lovely benches outside for summer evening drinking of aforementioned white wine. Cargo - I will be back! read more

We stayed in London for a night, so we decided to visit Cargo on a Tuesday night. If you go here, find out what the drink specials are BEFORE you order. We ordered 2 ordinary drinks and had to pay 20 pounds--which is like $40. Later a waitress came around and offered us 2 mojitos for 10 pounds--they weren't too good--really watered down. So drinks are not great here at Cargo. The space itself is really big and there's plenty of seating. The only problem being that most of the cushions are pretty messed up and there was even one corner where someone had pissed all over the seats and floor, so that was pretty disgusting. When we were there on a Tuesday night this girl puked all over a couch. So be careful--if you haven't figured it out already, this is a place where people party to excess. The music was bumping house, the DJ couldn't beatmatch too well but she had really good tracks, so we were happy. The dance floor is a hard concrete which is hell for the knees, and its not too big which made it nice and intimate for a slow Tuesday night scene, but is probably awful for people who want to dance on a busy Friday night. The crowd was a funny mix of hipsters, young girls in cocktail dresses, business boys looking for a place to unwind after work, and random tourists who wander in. The outdoor area is AWESOME. Lots of seating, fun graffitti on the walls, open air, very chill. We had a good time here, despite the drawbacks. Go visit and see what you think if you haven't been already. read more

A nice place to have some drinks on a Saturday night. Decoration is very Londoner (in my opinion). Plan to come EARLY as the queue is always very long friends wait for 1 hour before we arrived later Free entrance when we've been there. Garden is really nice: lot of plants, chairs, large space! I wish to come back. Perhaps on summer to enjoy outside facilities. read more

Underneath the arches Love Cargo for its ecclectic mix of music, film and art with a generally unpretentious crowd and some great free nights on as well! I've seen all sorts of acts here - Akira the Don, Midnight Juggernaughts, the Mighty Boosh band as well as films and club nights - it always impresses - the food used to be decent as well but i haven't eaten there since the kitchen burnt down! read more

Cargo is a stone bunker basically, with an outer room with tables and bars, an outdoor tabled area for smokers, and an inner room with a stage for club nights and live music. It's a bit of a hipster spot, to be sure, but I find it to be on the cool side of pretentiousness. The drinks aren't cheap but watch out for specials. Haven't eaten here. It is a good spot for the occasional up-and-coming musical act, though. I've seen Canadian psychedelic rockers Black Mountain there, as well as Saul Williams and Dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip as part of the London Word Festival. It's a neat place to meet if you happen to be in Shoreditch. read more

I went to this club Friday and my opinion is mixed. In the one hand, the place is good, big and there is good music. We enjoyed the time staying here. In the other hand, the doors man are aggressive, unhappy. One of my friend was so happy and they didn't like that and we had to explain that it was his birthday to calm them. Besides, drinks are very expensive. But you should try it read more

Cargo puts and keeps live gigs with about to break acts and DJ's on the map. Free Fridays which ran through the worst part of this year of the great recession made things all the better. With art exhibits as well as an OK dining menu which the portions are a bit small. I went to DJ Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space set here and got my rocks off. read more

Friendly people, good music, nice garden, not too many girls in short skirts with their fannys hanging out (but a couple). All round great place, I would go here again. My friend booked a big table outside for her birthday which worked so well. Queues at the bar not too long and everyone else had v tasty looking food. Drinks a bit expensive though and I didn't stay to dance, but others had much fun. read more

Urgh. Don't do it. I've given this place many chances and every time I hate it more. Generic music, too many people, expensive entry and drinks. No, just no. read more

Good vibe, fun people, nice outside terrace. I had great time. 3 stars because a bit pricey. read more

Cargo bar is a great club to jam in, always hosting great music as well as supporting UK artists on monthly hip hop nights makes Cargo a cool hangout, the club has 2 rooms which are open plan, the first room is good for chilling with a few drinks and ordering yummy finger food, there is also picnic benches under cover giving it a slight out side street feel. The main room which is small is where all the DJs rappers and acts take place, the size makes for a more intimate rappor between the artist and the crowd. Great location for bar hopping as it is situated around plenty of night life read more

Cargo has managed to establish itself into the Shoreditch music scene with aplomb, never easy for a live music venue to achieve. Placed as it is in the heart of the Shoreditch area, it's easily accessable and has good links for transport. Inside is a vast roomy area, with two main rooms and an outdoors drinking space. Beers are pricey, as you would expect and not the best quality either, but the food is good and honest. As for the music programme it fluctuates from the sublime to the tedious, but it's not so easy to fill a place of this size. Dance music is most prevalent here, though having said that, jazz, choirs, rock and allsorts have and continue to grace the stage . If you are looking to see a live band, check the details first and if you like it, then it is a great place to see them play. read more

Where do I start with this place? Really expensive, aggressive door staff and the only club in Shoreditch to shut by 3am. Not that they tell you that before you pay £15 to get in at 1am, of course. Oh - and I saw a rat near the toilets. Classy. read more

Always liked to go to cargo. good music, events and the barbecue in the beer garden was splendid. hope they do this again. Now the new photo booth is installed you can even take a few silly pictures with your mates. Awesome! read more

Cargo - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

I go to cargo quite a bit. LAst night We had a friend birthday party. I don't think they deserve as many bad comments as they get. So the drinks are pricey.. ........ thats not just Cargo- thats London. Im always in there for the live shows and have a good time - great sound quality and an excellent concert venue! read more

We managed to get free entrance but I would definitely not have paid £20 to enter. The music was so-so, the air conditioning was minimal, and the outdoors were great for plenty of second hand smoking. Appreciated the bartenders providing free water though! read more

We were here for Gospeloke and safe to say we will not be spending our money here again. If having slow and surly bar staff serve you overpriced drinks is what you are after (£6 for a 400ml can of lager), then this is your place! read more

Nice place BUT unpleasant door staff, unnecessary long queues and completely overpriced. Good dance music though From what I can gather from people its gone downhill since changing management in the last year or so and they are still living off its name read more

I was out in Shoreditch on Saturday 20th 2015. Me and a friend of mine during our awesome night out walked past Cargo and as it seemed quite lively we decided to check it out. Now there was people in front of us in the queue that were simply being checked for ID and then entering the premises without a hitch. As it came to me and my friend the bouncer simply asked us to come out of the queue. Now myself and my friend were respectably presented, still quite sober and didn't have a problem getting in anywhere else. So as you can imagine I was confused. So when I asked the doorman why? He had no reason whatsoever for me? It wasn't because they had reached capacity because there was people behind us getting in and there was no guest list, so I was like?????? Then he asked us to stand at the adjacent wall and a bouncer would come and talk to me? After waiting 10 minutes some bouncer finally rocked up and didn't have a reason for us either. Me and my friend were extremely disheartened, as we both knew that reason why they couldn't give an answer, as this day and age, it's too stupid to say out aloud. But we refused to let this ruin our night so we just walked away and not let their ignorance effect us. Later on that night we walked past the venue again and our suspicions were justified, when we saw another group of black guys being culled into the same process. After reading a few reviews on this site I see that I am not alone on this one. It is honestly heartbreaking to realise that in 2015 in the UK places like this exist, and after being born, raised and living in London for 30 years this is the very first time I have experienced and witnessed such discrimination from any venue. Really disappointing, oh well, great place if you support that kind of thing : / read more

I have been to Cargo a few times and had some good times there, however last Friday I was charged £20 as an entrance fee, which I think is a bit excessive. It was a few minutes after midnight and after having to cue for over 30 minutes. The place was packed and quite dirty, especially the courtyard space. I feel that the drinks are a bit expensive for what they are and I find it strange that one of the rooms does not allow guests to carry handbags. In addition, I find the bouncers there a bit forceful and blunt, having seen them treat some guests as if they were criminals. On a positive note, it is a spacious venue (when not so packed) and the music can be really good. I go out in that area quite often but I am not sure if I will be visiting Cargo again any time soon. read more

£20 entry and too restrictive. They would force you to leave your coat in the cloakroom so that you have to pay an extra £3. In addition, drinks are too expensive as well (3 double gin tonic for £45). Worst place I have ever been in London read more

Holy man alive, this place is expensive. My most recent (and no doubt final) trip to Cargo took place last month, the night after my office Christmas party. Keen to show willingness (and stay awake), I ordered a double vodka and Red Bull. It cost £10. Did you read that? TEN ENGLISH POUNDS. It pains me to pay that much if I'm getting a fancy-pants cocktail which involves fresh fruit, ten minutes shaking, three different kinds of gin and a stirrer shaped like a flamingo. But 50ml of vodka poured into a glass, topped off with half a can of energy drink? Do me a favour! I'm used to London prices but this takes the super-pricey biscuit. It used to be cutting-edge cool, Cargo. I remember going some years back and being totally in awe of the beautiful (identikit, vacuous) Hoxton trendies. But a few years can change everything, and now it's populated mostly with tourists and chavs. Admittedly east London is only a stone's throw from Essex but even so, I couldn't quite believe the amount of fake tan and spray-on dresses wobbling past. Their door policy leaves an awful lot to be desired. The doormen are ignorant, nasty thugs who apparently assume that everybody stepping foot inside is doing so with the intention of blowing up the venue. Unsurprisingly, I resent being treated as if simply because I am attending a club, I must be a drug-peddling, glass-smashing, alcohol-intolerant bozo screaming for a fight. Plus, I am *paying* for the right to be there, so I would rather be treated with a modicum of dignity and respect. It's not like there aren't other clubs in London I could - and rather would - be patronising. I do appreciate the warren-like layout and the loos are plentiful and pleasantly spacious. They open late, the music isn't bad and they have a decent beer garden. But then so do lots of places, quite frankly. And that isn't enough to make up for the appalling reception and astronomical prices. Never again, Cargo. Never again. read more

Horrible staff and horrible entry experience - with a £20 entrance fee (rip off.) I was absolutely shocked by the service and attitude received from the staff at the entrance of Cargo... aggressive, rude and argumentative. I just paid £20 to get in - I waited for a receipt for proof but wasn't given one by an already rude girl at the entrance / transactions desk who was hurrying me along. I had to come back out briefly to speak to half of my friend group who were deciding they didn't want to go in. Before walking out, I asked one of the bouncers 'Is it okay if I can go out quickly speak to my friends and come back in?' He said it was fine. What a mistake... When I returned back another bouncer didn't believed I paid, I tried to prove to him and remind him it was me with what I showed him in my bag during the entry search.... he just automatically said 'well you still have to pay again if you left' - I calmly explained I asked if it was okay to come back, I have paid and I have the card I paid with - all of them seemed to not want to listen to me but wanted me to 'pay again!' forcefully. I realised I could just use my banking app to show the receipt of cargo as proof to them and the rude girl at the front who was taking transactions (In the meantime, this girl was swearing at me and throwing me nasty looks.) Once I found the receipt and showed it to them saying 'Look I have paid...' The guy just ignored me and was annoyed I showed he was wrong. Once I showed the girl at the front and proved to her I paid with my receipt, she responded by telling to me to 'F*** off' ... wow. In the end, I decided this place was a waste of time and I left in shock of how the staff are there - I understand it's there job and they face this kind of drunk / argumentative environment all the time. But even as a calm, paying customer - I cannot believe the kind of service and attitude I got there. Cargo was a nice place years ago... and has gone downhill since, including the staff there... Will never even consider going back to this place. read more

We stayed at 50 meters from Cargo, so we decided to go there as a before party. We arrived at 7:30pm on a saturday night, and the place was already filled with some people, quite young and hipsters. Good music, beer or coktails, and a space outside which is really cool. We did not try the place in "club mode" but I heard it is good too. read more

I think cargo has a really nice, grungy, east london feel to it and the location is great. They have a club downstairs as far as i know and the little side room is cool for concerts at it is very small and intimate. They also have a great bar and a little restaurant. What i like most though is the outside area with all the graffiti and the photobooth! Great place to hang out,m specially in the summer! read more

Such an overpriced place (£20 entry which is like Mayfair). Rude and unprofessional bouncers. Long queue for the cloakroom. Outside area is nice, but I once got my hair pulled by a totally drunk girl there (she mistook me for someone else). Minimum card spend is £20 and the drinks are average. Not going to Cargo again anytime soon. read more

I am giving them 1 star because I am not able to give them 0 I can only talk about the restaurant, we book a table for 10 people for saturday dinner. I was a bit surprised we had to pay 50 pound to book the table (never ever had in a london restaurant) all "good" up to here. We arrived on time (8.30) and we were asked to queue because the place was holding a gig in the attached space. The problem is that the queue they told us to be was a guest list queue for the concert, for people who booked tables in the bar not the restaurant. We weren't warned to come in advance because of this and actually 4 of our friends were inside because they came earlier. In the end after 45 minutes waiting they tell us that because it's after 9 we had to pay 15 pounds each to get inside! what!!!!! Guys, this thing you got restaurant/bar/club/"we are cool you have to wait" stinks Seriously! I am now trying to get the booking money back because we left really mad. I think this behaviour should be reported to the citizen's advice office. Having a trendy place doesn't mean you can ride roughshod over all customers wrights. read more

Great music! Alcohol is the average price for London. I definitely recommend.

I was at Cargo last night for a birthday party, and I don't see myself going back. £15 entry is a lot for what this place is, and the drinks are pretty overpriced - £10 for a single vodka and Boost is a bit of a joke. But the worst thing about Cargo is its bouncers. Me and a friend were made to leave by a bouncer. While trying to get from the main dancefloor to the outdoor area, my friend was pushed hard from behind by a bouncer, which made him collide with a group of strangers. He asked the bouncer to not do that, the bouncer got angry and kicked him out. I asked the bouncer why my friend was kicked out, and he reacted angrily, saying "Don't test me, I'm an angry man", before grabbing my drink, throwing it onto the ground and making me leave the club. I asked other bouncers outside the club what this bouncer's name was, and unsurprisingly they refused to tell me. I asked to speak to the manager, and unsurprisingly he did not show up. While I and my friend were waiting outside for our friends to pass us our coats, we saw a steady stream of people being chucked out of the club - far more than would be expected. One person was complaining that his glasses were still inside the club. Clearly, chucking people out is something the bouncers really enjoy doing. In summary, there are much, much better places out there, with less overpriced drinks and, more importantly, better staff. read more

20£ for a crowded club with mediocre music, and over-crowded cloakroom and expensive (weak) drinks? There are easily better places in London to spend your Friday night. read more

The worst place ever. This is my first bad review and all I can say is don't go to Cargo. I booked an area for 25 of my friends having to pay money per head, then when i arrived, at my birthday party, i found out that i was sharing the area with another 80 people or so, when my area could only fit 8 of my friends, even though i booked for 25. when i asked about it, they simply said they didn't think everyone would need a seat?????? it was such a ridiculous and awful night, i seriously would not recommend that place for anyone! When i then asked a member of staff, why my friends had to line up, even though they were on the guest list and already paid for, she simple shrugged and walked away. There are so many cooler and nicer places in that part of London, so just skip Cargo, until the management and staff are replaced.. Honestly, the worst place ever - no exaggeration. read more

The most incredibly overpriced place I've EVER been to in London. I actually couldn't believe it when they told me the cover charge was £20. And once you're inside the drinks are just as overpriced! £6.50 for a CAN of CARLSBERG!!!! Will never go back. Stay away! read more

I have never written a poor review for a place - ever! However I know I will be annoyed with myself if I don't this time. I had my birthday here a few weeks back, made a booking for min 15 people & paid £75. Nobody had mentioned anything about their apparent male-female ratio policy, and unfortunately when I had a male friend get to the front door he was told to leave because he wasn't with any girls. In my group inside I already had over 15 people and more girls to guys, but did that make any difference to the rude & obnoxious bouncers when we approached them about this - absolutely not. Did the girl who happily charged my card over the phone tell me about this policy of theirs - nope! Were the bouncers helpful and courteous when I asked if I could go say hello to other people who had come out of their way to attend my birthday only to be turned away at the door - of course not! Were the staff and bouncers generally rude & aggressive over the course of the night - absolutely! Did we enjoy drinking beer out of cans that we could have bought from the local off license for £2.50 less - I'm not even going to answer that. Bad staff, bad attitude, truly a joke of a night.. please do yourself a favour and choose one of the many other options in the area. I even wrote a polite email to the general manager mentioning a few things from the night - no response whatsoever. Best of luck with that spiralling reputation Cargo. read more

This is a vast bar/club underneath railway arches with an enormous patio area alongside. I went here on a Sunday and as you might expect, it was quiet, which I imagine is unusual but if you fancy a sit down and a chat over a drink rather than a noisy club night then this place is still an option, or it is on a Sunday anyway. Alternatively, you could come here with 500 of your closest friends and have the place to yourself. read more

Awesome place. Probably my favorite club in shoreditch. The place is massive, with two large rooms just for dancing. Not to mention the lounge area and outdoor patio/lounge. Great atmosphere and good music. Two dj stations. The drinks a little pricey, but that's just something you have to accept clubbing in London. Definitely recommended for the partying crowd trying to meet people. read more

WARNING!!!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PLACE!!!!!!!! WORST PLACE TO PARTY IN UK !!!! I booked this place for my birthday last Friday and i paid £150, me and my guests were 10 min late because of the tube and they made us pay £15 entrance each although its £10 after 10 according to their flayers, they were sure i wouldn't leave because of my deposit ! so my friends wanted to drink AND the minimum spent with card is £20 so basically my birthday cost around £700 which with this money i could through the biggest party somewhere else ! WASTE OF MONEY and they didn't give a rat ass that they ruined my birthday ! read more

Don't order food here.. it is disgusting .. and a rip off. Drinks are run of the mill but very expensive and get more expensive after 8pm? What is this a strip joint? Rent goes up after 8.. don't ask me but that is my que to move on. Music was the best of the generations which is fine for a friday night after work but am I going back .. no. read more

Having a drink on the xtra cool terrace, and chilling with friends while checking out the Banksy paitings on the wall... AMAZING !

Really nice venue, big outdoor area as well. Very strange 'no handbags' allowed on the dance floor rule though. Not really sure any of us understood this. Great drink offers during the week, but very pricey on the weekend. read more

Cavernous and a smallish good sized venue. I had fun people watching here and my friends and I really enjoyed the show we saw.