My first time here, came to watch a friends band. Great location for getting train (opposite) and…read moreeasy to find. On entry at 6pm the barman was welcoming and venue is quite cleverly laid out with under a of the floor space as front bar, with rest being the live music venue out back. Drinks were average for London. At some point in the night the door staff started work and made me uncomfortable by staring at me every time i moved around the venue. At times they followed me (I'm in my 50s so not a threat). By 8pm there were 4 members of staff and although I was 1 of 2 people waiting for a drink, only 1 of them was serving. 3 of them were having a lovely chat in the front bar. I made a comment to my mate and the barmaid went and told them. I then had a different barman from earlier walkover and rudely dropped the card reader in front of me on the bar to pay before serving me my drink. Didn't say please or thank you. Rude as hell. At the end of the evening I witnessed a guy with a disability having a disagreement with the door staff who showed no empathy to his well-being. The promoter in the rear was really friendly all night and the bands were all chatty. What started off as an exciting evening soon made me keen to leave. It wasn't busy with locals so maybe this is a reflection as to why. When I left after the venue, an older door supervisor was on the front entrance and was really friendly, exactly how I believe all staff should be. I'm mixed as to going back as it might have been a coincidence that the evening bar staff and inside door staff all being rude, but I won't make a point of returning over going somewhere different.

This battered old boozer still hides some charm deep within its walls. My friend and I were looking…read morefor a place to start our evening and being a sunny day my boyfriend recommended this place for its roof top bar - I was easily persuaded. Sure it's no pretty picture but it has character, the pub has a large open standing area with bar in the middle. I wouldn't say there's much seating but I don't think I'd come here to sit inside anyway. What's great is that they have a lovely, large rooftop area with plenty of seating available on large benches. There's also a BBQ serving up traditional jerk chicken and other street food type foods. We were offered a £1 off voucher for our jerk but sadly on this occasion we weren't eating here. I'd definitely come back to try it though! They staff are pleasant and attentive and we had a nice experience! I'll definitely be back over the coming summer months.

Horrible place. They will rip you off. And there were rats on the table which they ignoredread more

If modern Shoreditch myth/allegory Nathan Barley was a watering hole he would be The Old Blue Last…read more A cult pub and music venue - predictably perhaps - voted 'The Coolest Pub in the World' by similarly painfully indie music mag NME. Owned by the people who run the frequently polemic Vice Magazine, The Old Blue last is located in a beautiful if derelict Victorian building in London's East End and plays host to regular gigs by up-and-coming and firmly established artists alike. With Amy Winehouse, the Arctic Monkeys and Foals having played The Old Blue Last it's certainly earned its musical chops. For those of us who like our venues a little more polished and with a little less posturing, however, this slightly derelict if achingly hip pub leaves a little to be desired.

The Macbeth is a pub stoke club with live music, acts that have included Man Like Me and Jammer…read more The venue is Owned and run by musicians hence the need to have some form of music operating all the time whether it be live or booking in an DJ, the pub hosts a variety of club nights and gigs on each night of the week most popular being GASH club night. Tuesday nights features the in-house band and guests hosting an improvised jam session called Mum's Jam. Wednesdays are claimed by cabaret acts and performance art think Scottee, The-O, type art. Thursday through to Sunday the Macbeth features London's most exciting bands and DJs and is open until 2am. Drinks prices aren't that bad either starting from £2.00 +

Like the rebellious outcast of the trendy family, the Macbeth sits on one of Shoreditch's…read morebackstreets making a silent stand against overpriced drinks and badly dressed door whores. There is a nice smoking terrace and in the evenings there is a free BBQ if you get there early. The sound system is absolutely incredible and the line up is always festival-worthy (last time I went I saw Fake Blood, Annie Mac, Diplo and Mowgli for only £5!) A definite must if you like dirty basslines and dirty sweatboxes.

Stopped here for an unbooked Sunday lunch with my Best Friend. We sat upstairs and the service /…read moreordering process was easy. We both ordered the halloumi battered with chips and a bottle of bubbly to share. The halloumi was delicious and cooked in a way that it just melted in your mouth. Being already rich there was no sauce to accompany it but the table tomato sauce was adequate and the salad dressing was moorish. Great food and atmosphere Perfect for the Sunday catch up with Bestie.

Ahh, The Hawley Arms. We found ourselves in Camden again on a Sunday looking for a good Sunday…read moreRoast. A couple of years ago we had a great roast at the Lock Tavern nearby but when we went there, they said they stopped serving it. Not sure why. A staff member there recommended The Hawley Arms as a substitute. There is a new Amy Winehouse mural outside on the South side of the building so we took a photo there before going inside. As most places in Camden, this was busy inside. We were directed upstairs where there was a large seating area and a bar. What more do you need? This was my second Sunday Roast this time in London so I decided to try the chicken roast while my wife had the traditional beef roast My daughter had the veg roast. We also had a couple of Mochas and a Guinness. The food is delivered via an old school dumbwaiter from the kitchen. Overall, everything was great and super tasty with nice service. The Yorkshire pudding was a bit dry and not as good as others I've had but all else was great. I recommend The Hawley Arms for the historic nature of this place and some good pub grub and drinks.

You know what I love about this place? It's an excellent bar with none of the attitude of an…read moreexcellent bar (I know, not direct correlation, but still...) It's subtle, and it's casual, and the bartenders know what's up. TRIPLE points for the excellent negroni that came with the *added* bonus of asking me what type of bitters I preferred (orange, please!). It's chat-friendly, and hang-around-for-a-while-friendly and, well...I'm a fan. Yelp note: on my personal negronis-in-London quest: the one at Dragon Bar is top tier. *Stay posted for further negroni developments*

Colour me impressed -- you guys were working your tails off behind those boarded up windows!…read more Three visits and approximately six cocktails later (it got fuzzy after that), it's fair to say that you've masterfully kept enough of your street art charm of the old locale, but you've upped the maturity level with the intimate new brick adorned space. I'm not sure if your license to rock was revoked, but I did see a great event space below ... granted, it was adorned with some type of antler action, but hell, Moose can rock, right? Look at you -- you're all growns' up!

I can't comment at all on the downstairs as my journey took me straight up to the top floor where…read morethe action seems to happen. I was here to watch a gig by an up and coming band and for that reason alone Barfly gets a star. It's not the nicest place in the world but it wouldn't feel right if it was. Good layout, very decent sound system and reasonable bar prices means that I'll be back here for another gig as soon as I can!

The barfly in my opinion is an awesome venue! I have had so many good nights there that I can't…read morehelp but love the place. The crowd is only midlly annoying and poserish, and some of the bands they have had on there have provided legendary nights. I used to go there a lot when I did not live in London as loads of up and coming bands would gig there. I remembering discovering Larrikin Love there (R.I.P) and having a rowdy, sweaty jig of a night. I also saw Jamie T there, when he used only play with his bass guitar and it was a brilliant night. The upstairs part where bands play is intimate and gets crowded, the atmosphere is always great, I also once went to watch a band play there at 8 a.m. That was wierd. The bar are downstairs is also tiny, prices at the bar are moderate. It is a good place to have a drink or a dance after you have watched a band play, or simply to go to as a bar. They normally have a few good DJ nights on in a week. They always have things going on, so check out the website. There is also a barfly in Manchester and in Leeds.

This pub is essentially an extension of Brick Lane, though it does have the added bonus of being a…read morerelative unknown meaning that when you come here you don't automatically feel like you've gotta have an attitude. The decor is warm and friendly, lots of rough wood and comfy chairs, and this is reflected in the staff who are pleasant and chatty. One of the best things about this place is that they often stay open until 5am so it's always a good bet when you're struggling to find a place that's open. Set over two floors the bottom is dedicated to drinking whilst the upstairs hosts the DJ and dance space. Depending on the evening you'll be treated to indie-rocky-alternative or some dirty electro. I've personally not heard much bad music here. You won't be ripped off as drinks are not overly pricey and in good quantity.

This probably sounds like another of my inexplicable comparisons but this place really feels like…read morethe kind of bar/pub you get in a youth hostel. I think this was partly to do with the people, some of whom almost looked like they were kicking back in their living room. One girl was being eaten alive by a sofa. Quite a few people seemed to locals who knew the friendly Aussie bartender. You wouldn't guess it was like this from the outside. Drinks. Apart from a scattering of bottles in the fridge there was no sign of any ale. They did have a fair few lagers. I would say more than necessary but as more than half of them were off when I visited they might need that many taps. They have regular cheap booze offers. Has a TV for sports. Not really my kind of pub. This is the bar in the area for a late one, it's open till 5 or 6 in the morning on Friday and Saturday. I'm not sure what it's like at that time of night, but I'm sure it's a preferable option to a club or sleeping on a bench in a station because you missed your last train. At that time of night there is less choice, so it would deserve a higher rating at that time probably.

A friend suggested coming here for drinks late in the afternoon. When I first got there, nobody was…read morethere... besides the bartender. We ordered a round of drinks and by the time we had our 4th or 5th round, we began to notice that the Abbey was nearly packed. Apparently, there is a really good happy hour after 5PM and everybody trickles after work to get happy with drinks that are 50% off. My friend, who used to work around this area, even said that downstairs ends up turning into a club. Overall, a very cool spot. I have no complaints and the scene is pretty nice. It's got a good atmosphere and ambiance to it. I wouldn't mind going back for some half off drinks in the evening time.

If you're a fit, young woman looking to find a sugar daddy this seems to be the place to go on a…read moreThursday or Friday night. Or if you're like me, and enjoy people watching then those nights are equally good for that. As an added bonus the happy hour prices are really decent, so judging those around you can be done in style.