Lab

Conveniently placed in the heart of Soho, Lab was once a mainly gay bar, nowadays attracting a mostly straight crowd which can get a bit raucous on Fridays when both floors are flooded with suits straight out of the office.

The size of the venue makes finding seats after 7pm unlikely unless you’ve booked in advance; reserving does also give you the benefit of table service therefore avoiding the hassle of queuing for eternities on busy nights. However you might miss the cocktail makers at work, as this is the kind of bar where the barmen will show off their skills to an impressionable (read inebriated) audience.

The cocktails themselves are either extremely good or disappointingly poor, depending on who’s behind the bar on the night, and with an extensive menu of drinks priced at around £7 it can lead to a very expensive way of finding out.

The music level does go up many notches early on and chatter with friends inevitably becomes shouting as there is nowhere to dance. Happily the cheesy pop of neighbouring G.A.Y. is bypassed in favour of slightly less commercial house and electro, however the lack of a dancefloor and crammed conditions make this an ideal place to start the night before venturing off to somewhere larger (and cheaper!).

For those keen to experience life on the other side of the bar Lab also offer 1 day intensive bartending courses, but at £175 they are possibly only for those serious about their mixing.