London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [161]
Dance Clubs
Fodor’s Choice | Vendome Mayfair.
This classy club draws a trendy crowd for house music, colorful furnishings, and futuristic designs with ’70s retro disco decor. The revolving DJ booth at the center of the club, the Renaissance-like entrance, the individually themed booths, and the faux snakeskin banisters shout out pure decadence. | 85 Piccadilly, Mayfair | W1J 7NB | 020/495–2595 | www.vendomemayfair.com | £20 | Mon., Tues., and Thurs. 10 pm–3 am, Fri. and Sat. 10 pm–4 am.
Jazz and Blues
Dover Street Restaurant & Jazz Bar.
Put on your blue-suede shoes and prepare to dance the night away—that is, after you’ve feasted from the French Mediterranean menu. Fun for dates as well as groups, Dover Street Restaurant has three bars, a DJ, and a stage with the latest live bands performing everything from jazz to soul to R&B, all this encircling linen-covered tables with a friendly staff catering to your every whim. | 8–10 Dover St., Mayfair | WIS 4LQ | 020/7491–7509 | www.doverst.co.uk | Free–£15 | Mon.–Thurs. noon–3 pm and 5:30 pm–3 am, Fri. noon–3 pm and 7 pm–3 am, Sat. 7 pm–3 am | Green Park.
ST. JAMES’S
Bars
American Bar.
Festooned with a chin-dropping array of club ties, signed celebrity photographs, sporting mementos, and baseball caps, this sensational hotel cocktail bar has superb martinis. TIP Jacket required. | Stafford Hotel,16–18 St. James’s Pl., St. James’s | SW1A 1NJ | 020/518–1253 | www.thestaffordhotel.co.uk | Weekdays 11:30–11, weekends noon–11 | Green Park.
BRIXTON
Bars
Dogstar.
This popular South London hangout is frequented by local hipsters and counterculture types. It was the first DJ bar in the world and has since enjoyed a fabulous reputation. The vibe at this “surrealist boudoir” is unpretentious, with top-name DJs playing cutting-edge sounds every night (free Tuesday–Thursday). | 389 Coldharbour La., Brixton | SW9 8LQ | 020/7733–7515 | www.antic-ltd.com/dogstar | Free–£8 | Tues.–Thurs. 4 pm–2 am, Fri. 4 pm–4 am, Sat. noon–4 am, Sun. noon–2 am | Brixton.
Dance Clubs
Mass.
In what was previously St. Matthew’s Church (whose crypt holds the Babalou bar), Mass is an atmospheric club with Gothic overtones. Winding stone steps lead to the main room where an extended balcony hangs over the dance floor. An unpretentious and friendly crowd dances, on rotating club nights, to reggae, drum ’n’ bass, and R&B. | Brixton Hill, St. Matthew’s Church, Brixton | SW2 1JF | 020/7738–7875 | www.mass-club.com | £5–£20 | Wed. and Thurs. 10 pm–2 am, Fri. and Sat. 9 pm–6 am | Brixton.
Eclectic Music
Fodor’s Choice | O2 Academy Brixton.
This legendary Brixton venue has seen it all—mods and rockers, hippies and punks. Despite a capacity for almost 5,000 people, this refurbished Victorian hall with original Art Deco fixtures retains a clublike charm; it has plenty of bars and upstairs seating. | 211 Stockwell Rd., Brixton | SW9 9SL | 020/7771–3000 | www.brixton-academy.co.uk | £10–£50 | Opening hrs vary | Brixton.
SOUTH BANK
Dance Clubs
Ministry of Sound.
It’s more of an industry than a club, with its own record label, online radio station, and international DJs. The stripped-down warehouse-style club has a super sound system and pulls in the world’s most legendary names in dance. There are chill-out rooms, two bars, and three dance floors. | 103 Gaunt St., South Bank | SE1 6DP | 020/740–8600 | www.ministryofsound.com | £15–£23 | Fri. 10:30 pm–6 am, Sat. 11 pm–7 am | Elephant & Castle.
LEICESTER SQUARE
Bars
Le Beaujolais.
Around 60 lovingly selected French wines are available here, where you can snack on olives, charcuterie, and homemade croque monsieur (grilled ham and cheese) sandwiches while snug and warm under the bottle-laden ceiling as a