Brick Lane and its subsidiaries are teaming with bars but none of them have the longevity in the area that the Vibe Bar has gained in its home amongst the old Truman Brewery buildings. In reviewing the bar itself it’s impossible to talk about the interior without first mentioning the huge terrace that hosts its own cookouts and an army of picnic benches with space for a hundred different types of people. Not that the inside is secondary or somehow lacking, just, everyone loves a terrace and on Brick Lane in particular this is the place for the summer sun, or perhaps just the humidity and drizzle that’s replaced it- but let’s not dwell on the weather. The décor in the dimly lit bar is exactly what you’d expect in this area, however the exposed brickwork, worn in chesterfields and warehouse chic is the original and much plagiarised look that spread from this style pool. The mood is always fun and the mixed clientele is one of the bar’s most appealing attractions and the tourists, locals and hipsters mix well. Club nights are backed up with live shows and there’s a second floor to the bar that hosts a mixed genre of events. There’s draught beer on tap plus a small wine list and prices are respectable for the area so make the most of it before the weather means wrapping up to bear the patio.
The lively Vibe Bar in Shoreditch gets full to the brim with a mixture of sightseers wandering down Brick Lane, trendy Hoxtonites and clubbers nursing a hangover. Housed within the Old Truman Brewery, it really comes into its own in the summer due to its large courtyard, and at chillier times heaters make things bearable for those wanting to smoke.
DJ’s or live music feature each night; anything goes from jazz bands to rare groove and lover’s rock, hip hop and dubstep. There’s food too, many turn up for a weekend barbecue or others choose jerk chicken or ribs from the ‘canapé menu’. But more than anything Vibe is where people come to socialise – it gets extremely busy on Fridays and Saturdays, and they have a tendency to stop serving pints in a bid to save time – or to chill out on a Sunday.
The courtyard is an ideal place to peoplewatch – particularly to observe the revellers queuing up for Sunday afterhours club Fuse at 93 Feet East. Once inside, the red décor gives the bar a warmth that sets it apart from the flashiness of other venues, and the toilets quite bemusedly feature a male figure on the door to the ladies and a female on the gents’, so naturally I very nearly ended up with an eyeful as I walked into the wrong one.
The bar doesn’t accept card payments for orders under £10 so I ended up walking back to my table with two pints of gin and tonic. The barman had poured our doubles into plastic pint glasses with a liberal hand, never a bad thing in my book. A large G&T, cigarette in hand, and an endless array of characters to study as they saunter past, what more could you ask of a Sunday afternoon?
