What Makes Great Vintage Bars?

London has such a good choice of vintage bars for cocktails it can be difficult to know where to try next. Rather than simply list any establishment with retro-fittings, we look into some of the key aspects that define the best. An immersive experience? A bit of spectacle? A wide range of quality cocktails? These certainly improve upon the gimmicks of many fashionable attempts at an alternative night out. We’re not covering the original grand bars like the Rivoli or the Savoy’s American Bar that have been here decades. Instead, experience the modern revival efforts of dedicated visionaries who seek a past level of luxury.

 

Decor

It goes without saying that if a so-called retro bar has only some worn out old chairs from a skip, you will be disappointed. Fundamentally, vintage bars are all about interior design. Immersive staff in character can be hard work at times and most cocktails are ‘retro’ enough as recipes themselves. One of the outright leaders in this regard is The Bonneville Tavern. Surprisingly, their winning feature is actually the bogs. This is no back-handed criticism. The route downstairs forms an old cobbled street with smoke rising from the drains!

A strong contender is Fontaine’s in Stoke Newington that makes a true Art Deco lounge with South Pacific warmth.

While out East, try the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities’ cocktail bar. While not exactly ‘vintage’, this collection is full of taxidermy, skeletons and other unusual specimens. Try the edible insect platter!

Unfortunately, not all manage quite such architectural ornamentation. Graveney and Meadow in Tooting has worked within an existing framework that still has a Wetherspoons-style cavernous feeling. They share the Bonneville’s use of folding cinema chairs but otherwise the walls seem covered in your grandmother’s wallpaper and kitchenalia.

Going Underground

Everyone loves an underground bar. There’s something rather exclusive about descending under a street. Perhaps one of the more remarkable examples of this is 1920s Parisian-themed Brasserie Zedel in Piccadilly. This isn’t really a specifically ‘vintage bar’ to cover here, but its Bar Americain does seem to undercut a large section of central London.

Round the corner off Carnaby Street, Cahoots certainly ranks high on this factor. A relatively small space beneath Kingly Court is transformed into a 1940s tube carriage- making it a very ‘underground’ bar- with excellent decor (maybe excluding the syphilis posters in the gents…)

Equally speakeasies like Nightjar have come to form the epitome of retro glamour. The downside to all these small central spaces is an enduring popularity with long queues and booking necessary. No wonder we are favouring the Easterly favourites.

Theatre

Cahoots also features a strong effort from its period staff. This is reflected amongst a number of high-end vintage bars but can of course become tedious to the regular. However, a good atmosphere should be the combined product of decor and music, such as in Fontaine’s, that truly sends you back.

Events and performances

Plenty of these venues diversify to appeal as destinations for London’s thriving vintage scene. Fontaine’s has become a popular venue for all manner of cabaret and film nights. Graveney and Meadow compensates for its slight pub feel with a DJ on Saturday nights spinning the finest in 1930s dance music.

The Nightjar has performances on stage every night- but be warned of a complex and varying policy on music charges at around £5 per person should you decide to stay. This is of course if you get in on the door, where another fee applies.

Vintage Bars’ Menus

Choice of cocktails is a must. Without this decor is wasted. Unusual infusions from past times is always a welcoming aspect. Fontaine’s in Stoke Newington is a strong example of this, as well as being very reasonable around the £8 mark. A lengthy absinthe menu is always commendable as at Viktor Wynd.

In terms of the presentation of the menu, many fall into the category of trendy hipster bars with a page of craft beer before you realise the cocktails are more or less the same price! However, some go beyond the simple clip-board. Cahoots print their menu in the form of a newspaper. At first you glaze over the format, thinking how authentic it is to have the paper in the bar, before you realise the headlines are in fact the categories of cocktails!

 

Fine Food

For some, there are few better experiences than combining cocktails with friends with food. What you don’t want is a pile of salted peanuts to keep you buying.

Expect a range from olives and cheeseboards to full dinners. These can extend the use of vintage bar glasses to the full service- although often eclectic with quaintly mismatched pieces. It is also important that the same commitment to quality in cocktails should be reflected in food.

Ideally you don’t want to come somewhere like this only to find it yet another burger restaurant. However, labours of love like Fontaine’s and The Bonneville Tavern ensure superior genteel cuisine.

 

Addresses:

Fontaine’s- 176 Stoke Newington Rd, Hackney, London N16 7UY (bar food- or maybe a step finer with blinis)

The Bonneville Tavern- 43 Lower Clapton Rd, London E5 0NS (Dining and bar food)

Cahoots – 13 Kingly Court, Carnaby, London W1B 5PG  (bar food)

Nightjar – 129 City Road, London, EC1V 1JB  (bar food)

Graveney and Meadow- 40 Mitcham Rd, London SW17 9NA (Dining and bar food)

 

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