Boogaloo was opened at Christmas 2002 by Jazzman entertainment. The people behind Jazzman, John Keane and Gerry O'Boyle, shared a vision and desire to create a bar that would establish itself amongst great rock n' roll bars of its time, their aim being to create a bar known for 'good drink, good music, and good atmosphere'.
The Boogaloo
Bar in Highgate
Opening Times
Monday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Tuesday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Wednesday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Thursday
Opens 17:00 - Closes 01:00
Friday
Opens 16:00 - Closes 02:00
Saturday
Opens 12:30 - Closes 02:00
Sunday
Opens 12:30 - Closes 00:00
Visit for the DJs and the vinyl-only jukebox at the out of the way music pub.
The Boogaloo Picture Gallery
All In London Review
A Vinyl jukebox and an excellent quiz night...
Music is still good here. DJs play throughout the week, live bands play throughout the week and dancing naturally comes along with it. What’s not to like? Think 60’s garage, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, funk and anything else loosely based around guitars playing on the sound system. Drinks could be better – the paucity of craft beers here would send the more picky ale fan running – with a few generic lagers only. The hot toddy was a pleasant surprise on our last visit though. Boogaloo also hosts the Who Killed Bambi music quiz, one of London’s longest running (and toughest) music quizzes, which is always a challenge worth meeting. Open late and with a beer garden out back, this has to remain one of our favourite dancing spots. Some talk of surly staff, we don’t even notice because we’re too busy simultaneously sipping hot toddy, dancing and clearing up our head cold.
Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Jan 24, 2014
Best For
Top venues for Indie fans
London is the UK's indie hotbed - Manchester and Liverpool will try and lay claim but purists know the truth... it's London, baby.
Get ready to pose, pose and pose some more. Up in Highgate at the Boogaloo Bar everyone looks the part. And if they look indie and they act indie then they must be indie. You’ll always find a ramshackle night of action here and in truth the atmosphere is some kind of fun. There’s a handy terrace at the rear too.
London's best venues to hear live music
Crowd-surfing anyone?
From the murals in the back yard to the dive bar interior, everything about The Boogaloo screams authenticity. And while the phrase ‘too cool for school’ gets muttered about the inhabitants on occasions, well maybe that’s just because they were too cool to go to school? And they can’t help that. It remains a great North London spot for thrashing rock and jingly jangly guitars.
Best bars with a jukebox in London
Choose wisely...
If you know the Boogaloo’s history then you’ll know that this was quite the popular pub for the hip and the musically famous to come and drink at. As such, the jukebox here is second to none. And there are even playlists curated by some of the more illustrious visitors from the past.
London's hardest pub quizzes
C'mon smartypants...
Every Tuesday this Archway pub runs a music quiz called Who Killed Bambi, however it’s their film quiz on the second Wednesday of every month that has movie buffs banging their heads together. The Slightly Bigger Picture is perfect for cinema fanatics, plus if you like jukeboxes and rock’n’roll this may well be your heaven.
User Reviews
sandra
from wood green
from wood green
Aug 2, 2014
fabulous place, great music , small enough to be fun, a lively funky crowd
T.A.O
Nov 13, 2013
This place has definitely lost a little bit of its cool over the last six years or so but it's still a good little juke-joint. Good music (generally) and a late license make it a dive bar worth travelling to.
rick1980
Jun 8, 2008
A disappointing experience. The manager was extremely rude, the doorman was clearly under his heel (as I guess it should be, but still dishartening to see how much of a sycophant a respectable person can be), everything was blamed on the mysterious 'manager' who must be sleeping with the disgustingly fat and bald owner to have so much power over him. The crowd was outside of the M25 and the drinks were overpriced. Unclear why anyone would go here.
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