Yay for translate. This place is awesome in the day, and A-OK late at night. My friends and I stayed in the hostel next door, so after we arrived (quite late on a Friday night) it seemed like a good idea to pop in here for a dance. Lovely things at night: - Happy cheesy music - The bar tender made me a free cocktail (as it was my hen night) ...that was really sweet of him (and I appreciated it) but the cocktail itself was pretty rubbish. I suppose it might have had some kind of essence of alcohol...but it just tasted like pineapple juice. Less lovely: - It is quite a small space, but there were sooo many people squished in. It was pretty steamy... - The loos were gross in the evening...and some weird ladies have kissed the loo walls(!?) The next morning we wandered in here for tea/ recovery juice and it was like a different world! Chilled, relaxed vibe and the loos were clean again... The staff were a bit dappy and slow in the morning, but that's fair enough - it was the morning!! *If you are staying in the hostel next door, tell them and you get a discount. read more

Booked this bar for my birthday for a party of 20 people- can't praise the place highly enough. The table was decked out nicely and I got a special card and cake from them, the staff were excellent, the drinks were delicious and well priced and the music was super for a good Friday night boogey- delighted with the whole thing- thanks guys:) read more

Translate - Birthday cake - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

I had bookmarked this place on Yelp after reading about it from another review (I swear there was another review, but it seems to have disappeared!) I had forgotten about it until I happened to walk past it yesterday and couldn't resist a swift drink to check it out. The venue has a lovely light and airy feel. We popped in at around 5pm for a quick beer and every table had someone on it. Most tables are communal, so we could have shared, but the two very comfy (padded!) bar stools looked too inviting. There was a nice selection of draft beer to choose from, which did look a little out of place, as at 5pm on a Wednesday evening this place has much more of a coffee shop feel. In fact there were several people tapping away on their laptops. It feels like a very relaxed, fairly creative place with high ceilings, plastic chairs and no judgement. read more

After wandering by several times I finally went in and loved it so much I asked the owner if I could run an open mic night there (I already host a highly successful open mic night at inSpiral Lounge, on the high street in Camden). Everything about the place is welcoming. Greta bar staff, comfy couches, very spacious. So far the open mic is going great, with a highly talented array of artists. What I also love about the place is that it's right next door to the Dictionary Hostel, so there are always travellers passing through, which gives great opportunities for meeting interesting new people. Details of open mic: http://natemaingard.com/london-open-mic-nights/ read more

I recently discovered this place and the first thing I noticed was the happy hour EVERYDAY from 4pm to 9pm which is so so rare in London !! Other than that very cosy and welcoming with good music and amazing cocktails ! The decoration is very homy as well ! A must see in Shoreditch ! read more

We came here to get some drinks before heading to dinner nearby. The service is a bit slow, as our drinks took ages to come out. They did apologize as apparently they are training new staff, but we watched the guy who apologize make our drinks, so who knows what was going on behind the bar. We didn't eat anything, but they do burgers and American style food. And when I checked in they had a 20% off burger deal, so that's kind of incentive to go back. They also do Happy Hour from 5-9. Which sounds great, except the drinks that were on Happy Hour seemed kind of boring and generic, so we went for their cucumber-y tonic drink. That turned out to be insanely sweet. I'm not sure what was in it to make it so sweet, unless they use some sort of ridiculously sweet grapefruit juice. We were thinking about having a second drink, but then open mic night started, so we skedattled before being subjected to something that could have been quite horrible. Plus the first drink didn't wow us enough to sit through what could possibly be something torturous. The venue is cool (if not loud), and the people who work there are really friendly though. read more

Don't be nervous that this coffee shop is the connecting thoroughfare between a hostel and a night club. This coffee is good. Real good. A nutty, creamy roast. Definitely a takeaway spot as it's super small but there are four or so chairs to sit on whilst you wait and I think you can take your coffee in to the club part. There are some pretty simple (but I'm sure delicious) food offerings perfect for the hostel crowd too (toasted cheese sandwiches, cookies etc). Nice cheery tunes and really friendly staff too.g read more

Awesome bar. I went because I was staying at hostel, but will go again now as I live inLondon. Great atmosphere, really fun staff and loads of discounts! Good breakfast and they show sports. Plus it gets crazy later on. Thumbs up read more

After wandering into a few nice but quiet bars on a friday night we stumbled upon this one and it was a great find. It's lively and buzzing yet maintains a chilled and friendly atmosphere and although it's quirky it's not pretentious. The drinks are awesome and well executed. The bartenders are super friendly and skilled and bring a good energy to the place - especially the tall bearded one :) To top it off the music was excellent and people were dancing on tables. I would deffo go again! :)) read more

I was really reluctant to give this place such a low rating but unfortunately I had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde experience in this place. I popped in on Sunday afternoon, 28th September, to have a coffee and to work on my Samsung tablet. I ordered a couple of coffees while I worked. The coffees were excellent and the staff courteous and friendly. I wiled away a pleasant few hours and had some friendly chat with the very sociable afternoon staff. Unfortunately I went back in the evening and found it is a most unwelcoming and unfriendly place. I have never been so offended in my whole life. I was passing and I thought I would pop in for a quick drink before heading in to Soho to meet a colleague for a catch up on his current projects. I was quite desperate for the loo so I headed straight towards the toilets first only to be accosted by a very unpleasant and arrogant staff member. "Are you alright there", he demanded. "Yes fine, I replied. Just heading to the loo". "It's just toilets are for customers only", he stated. Now that in itself is an unfriendly, unwelcoming and offensive policy. I am saddened if that is genuinely this establishment's position. When I ran a cafe/bar I regarded anyone that walked through my door as a potential customer and was as welcoming and friendly to them as I would be to any customer. However I was in too much of a hurry to answer my call of nature to debate at that point. "I am a customer", I replied irritated, "I was in here for 2 hours earlier", I said as I scurried towards the gents. However this reject from charm school did not leave it at that. He actually followed me into the toilets and was banging on the door the whole time asking me if I was finished and was waiting to harangue me again as I came out. Needless to say, I now did not feel like spending any more of my time or my money in such a charmless and unwelcoming establishment. I told the man how offensive I found his behaviour. I explained how pleasant I had found the staff, the coffee and the environment in the afternoon but warned him that his attitude will lose the place customers. I doubt if he cared too much as the place seems very busy so why worry about customer service? I would have been happy to recommend the place highly before that experience. I will be in that area again next time I visit London and I will call in again. But I won't be spending any money there until I have had a word with the manager and checked whether any action was taken after they read this review to address the staff training and greeting policies so that such unpleasant incidents are unlikely to happen again. read more

Definitely agree with the other reviewers about the vibe. It's very home-y and not in the Compton-sense. Manages to fit right in there with Shoreditch's general aura without taking itself too seriously. read more

Came here on vacation and stayed at the hostel next door and came here pretty much everyday for a beer during happy hour. I love it, love the vibes, love the happy hour beers ;) and the food is good too. Everyone I've encountered here was friendly as well. This is literally the spot to end my night. I will definitely come back again if I ever come back to visit London! I will miss this place when I leave! read more

Spent 45 minutes there and it's now one of my favorite little dive bars in London. Super cool bartenders, and they had a great deep/tech house DJ who created the perfect vibe on a Sunday night. read more

Delicious cocktails and good crowd. Don't normally like the Shoreditch bar/club scene but really like this place. Friendly staff and I always have a good time here. read more

Last Friday was my friend's birthday drinks and she reserved a table at Translate for the group of us. All round excellent place- staff were really nice and helpful, drinks were super tasty (they do an amazing gin cocktail, I don't even like gin usually but wow) and they have a range of good deals for groups that we took advantage of, with food platters and bulk alcohol pre-ordering. They had a DJ later on in the eve and there was room for a bit of a dance. Fun place, like the style, would go back. read more

S***iest place in London. By far. Tried to book a table: debt an email at 3pm on a Friday, still waiting for a reply. Got hassled at the door by security guard: he had a thing arty making sure we felt unwelcome. Service was incredibly slow. Ordered a cocktail firing happy hour: no sorry your cocktail doesn't get the discount - when it is on the board right under the discount section. Icing on top of the cake: the bathroom: utterly disgusting and dirty and it's only 8.30pm. Do not even bother stopping there. read more

Very different ambiances depending when you arrive. In the afternoon, it is very laid back and you can have a coffee in the huge leather coaches and have a read. In the evening, you get happy hour cocktails and the staff is very friendly. The music is super loud so don't go there if you wanna have a big conversation. After 11.00 pm, the bar turns into a dancefloor and you will hear R&B music. read more

It's the perfect place for a student night out. We had so many fun nights at Translate. The price of the drinks are descent and the staff friendly. What more to ask? read more

Cute space, great happy hour specials (goes til 9pm) and super friendly bartenders! My friends and I came back twice in the same day.

I go to Translate bar frequently on a Saturday night for drinks, so when I heard that they have just opened a kitchen and are now serving food, I had to go and see what their menu had to offer. I went last night with my boyfriend and we both went for the burger (the normal one, although the 'abnormal' double-decker burger does look immense!). I have to say, as a big burger connoisseur I am very picky about what is a 'good burger' but Translate really have it spot on. The burger was amazing, seriously tasty and served with chips in a cool retro style chip box. My boyfriend liked it so much he was tempted to order a second one. I also spotted someone eating the salt beef which looked delicious, so that might have to be my next choice. Have to agree with the other reviews, it is such a home-y and welcoming bar- definitely recommend it, for drinks and dinner! read more

Had a wonderful time here, the place really has a wonderful vibe to it. Its perfectly nestled and from the moment you walk past it, it has a certain strike to it that causes you to stop and look in. The walls have a strong quality to them that is inviting and rustic. I really dig the black radiators/ room warmers - for no apparent reason. Unlike some of the other places near by this joint has an active spirit that says work is going into it. A lot of other places round there and Bethanl Green have a apathy that says they are cool with being dank and divey but (TATD has a clean feel to it that isnt sterile and I love it! It has wonderful lighting and its vibe is super welcoming. Room for a small band or events and a great selections of wine and beers. It had a decent amount of patrons then around 9 the place really started filling in. This place is really gonna hit the map soon and in the exact right way. Stop in for a drink, I was really pleased with the barman who was all smiles and super helpful. read more