One Two Five Church Street

A relatively new opening on Stoke Newington’s Church Street, the appeal of Bar 125 is likely to be dependent on your mood. If you want a hollowed out shop front transformed with the tried and tested London interior tropes of dangly filament bulbs, white tiles and exposed brick, then you’re going to like what you see should you roll up here in search of food, drinks and good times. Should you be the type who bemoans the more sterile side of the London bar scene, then, well, you’re not going to like Bar 125 quite so much. Maybe even at all. But we like it and we’re the type of fence sitter who likes a little bit of each depending on our mood.

Serving up a range of toasties with fillings a little more exotic than your average homemade cheese and ham special, we give the food a go. Sampling the Reuben – salt beef, melted cheese and pickles – we’d award an underwhelming two out of five for the fact that while we can find satisfaction in the chunky nature of the sanger, the bland combination of meat and cheese does nothing for us – and a Rueben usually does a whole lot for us. The drinks are much better. Much, much better. Excelling with a wide range of local craft beer, Bar 125 drags itself back into our good books after the middling meal. Pressure Drop, Crate Brewery and Beavertown all make an appearance on the pumps and if alcohol’s not your thing, then be pleased that the excellent coffee here is not an afterthought.

Hosting parties (some private, some not) in the basement, as well as the odd table tennis session (there’s a table) and with a sizeable terrace outback, Bar 125 has some handy extra spaces offering the appeal of subterranean fun versus sunshine vibes. We mentioned sterile, new build bars but this is not one of them. The smart space is a subtle, stylish little gem that actually, isn’t that little at all.

One Two Five Church Street

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