Listen to live music at these London restaurants
A good soundtrack (and crucially, at the right volume) can really elevate a meal at a restaurant into an experience. Anyone can get a Spotify playlist going over the Sonos but there are several London spots that are taking things up a notch by bringing music to you live. You may think a pianist or a house band in a restaurant is a bit formal, a bit old-school, but a couple of the hottest new openings in town are proving that it’s a tradition worth bringing back.
Whether you want to hear the tinkle of jazz from a piano as you tuck into scallops and sip champagne, or you like your dinner and a show combos to be a little more lively, these are the best London restaurants with live music.
One Club Row
As well as classic martinis, burger au poivre and lobster tagliatelle, NYC-inspired restaurant One Club Row, opening above hot Shoreditch pub the Knave of Clubs this April, will also have a house pianist playing every weekend, monthly late performances and jazz artists passing through.
La Môme
Restaurateurs Ugo and Antoine Lecorché have brought the French Riviera to London with La Môme at The Berkeley. Like its sister restaurant in Cannes, La Môme London is serving a Mediterranean menu, with plenty of tableside preparations. And that’s not the only thing to keep you entertained during your dinner as there’s a live singer and pianist playing every night.
Plaquemine Lock
Run by Jacob Kenedy of Bocca di Lupo, Plaquemine Lock brings the bayou to the Regent’s Canal. As well as a food menu of cajun and creole dishes, like sugar bacon beignets, oysters rockefeller, duck & sausage jambalaya, and fried green tomatoes, the pub hosts regular live blues and jazz nights too.
Dishoom Kensington
Dishoom probably isn’t one of the first places that comes to mind when you think of live music but that’s exactly what you get at the Kensington restaurant, because this branch, with its Art Deco decor, takes inspo from the 1940s Bombay jazz scene. A resident pianist plays every Wednesday night, and on Thursday and Friday evenings, house band the Marine Liners (Dom James on clarinet, Nick Costley-White on guitar, Sam Watts on piano and Dave Ingamells on drums) take to the stage.
Oriole
At its new Covent Garden home, award-winning speakeasy Oriole is shaking up killer cocktails, like the Belle Mare, a take on a martini that comes in a shell-like glass, and the candyfloss-topped Aomori, and serving a Latin American-inspired food menu. There’s also live music every Wednesday to Saturday, and if you wanna eat while they play, there are various dinner and a show packages that guarantee you a seat in full view of the band.
The Ned
With seven restaurants and three bars on its ground floor, The Ned has you well covered for food and drinks. Want live music too? You got it, just head to the Nickel Bar. Here you can get lobster rolls and Manhattans whilst enjoying live jazz and blues performances from the Nickel Stage, with emerging artists playing on New Music Mondays.
Brasserie Zédel
Be transported to Paris right in the heart of Piccadilly at Brasserie Zédel. As well as keeping you well fed with classic French fare at great value prices, this grand brasserie keeps you entertained too with live music from the house bands every night of the week (plus lunchtimes at the weekends). And if you want even more action, you can head downstairs to its cabaret venue Crazy Coqs, which hosts everything from jazz to swing to magic.
Bistrotheque
Dinner at Bethnal Green institution Bistrotheque is always a lot of fun but you can take things up a notch by heading down into The Cockatoo. The bar hosts a range of shows, including drag, cabaret and piano singalongs, many of which you can enjoy with dinner.
“Mu”
Music is an integral part of the “Mu” experience. Not only is the restaurant named after Don Cherry’s 1969 album of the same name, there’s live music every night, with two performances from a rotating selection of residents and guests. Expect everything from jazz to world music to piano to soundtrack your evening as you tuck into the Japanese menu.
The Dorchester
The Artists’ Bar, at the far end of the ground floor of The Dorchester, is one of the most opulent bars in town. As well large artworks from artists working in Britain, including a mother-of-pearl postage stamp portrait of the Queen, adorning the walls, there’s mirrored ceilings, Lalique crystal and Liberace’s mirrored piano adding to the sparkle. The piano isn’t just for show, with a resident pianist playing regularly.
Quaglino’s
A St James’s stalwart, Quaglino’s (which was founded in 1929) has welcomed celebs, politicians, writers and royals over the decades and has been offering live music for just as long. There’s entertainment every night of the week, with the programme spanning soul, blues, jazz, swing and more.
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