Welcome to The Nightjar... or not

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Last Wednesday I headed to The Nightjar, which is on City Road just off the Old Street roundabout and had recently been called one of the top ten bars in the world.

It's supposed to be hard to find.


Just a doorway between two cafes. You've got to watch out for the sign.



But I'd found it! That was a good start. So I headed down the stairs into the "speakeasy" - and it looked OK. A bit less spacious than I was expecting from the photos on the website but I had a chance to look around, take in the surroundings and find a table: there were two spare and a seat by the bar.

I sat down to wait for my friend, who was coming straight from work, and opened the drinks menu....

At which point a waitress came over and told me that they were fully booked and there was no point staying any longer. There were no "reservation" signs out and she wasn't especially apologetic or polite.

It advises on the website "Thurs-Sat reservations highly recommended". As I say, it was a Wednesday, so their website clearly needs updating.

I'm not sure I'll be going back...

We had a lovely evening at The Shoreditch instead, on Shoreditch High Street, which comes highly recommended. The staff are really friendly and the drinks are cheaper. Much cheaper.

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