Charlotte Street Blues

Bar in Fitzrovia
Charlotte Street Blues image

7 / 10 from 1 review
Address
74 Charlotte Sreet
Fitzrovia
London
W1T 4QH
Map
Telephone
020 7580 0113
Region
Fitzrovia
Nearest Station
Goodge Street
0.08 miles
Category
Bars
Venue Facilities

Smoking Area

Food Served

Credit Cards Accepted

Music Played

Live Music Played

Outdoor Area

Located at the end of a strip of restaurants in Charlotte Street, Charlotte Street Blues is a captivating bar hosting blues, rock and soul nights 7 days a week. Live Bands and Jam Sessions running Mondays and Wednesdays provide for a new experience every visit!

All In London Review

A beautiful venue – but will it fade away into corporate Fitzrovia?

Housed in a Georgian Townhouse bang in the middle of Fitzrovia, Charlotte Street Blues is not going to have it easy. The area is peppered with media office workers by day and gourmet diners in its many restaurants by night. It is not an are known for its music.

Presenting itself as London’s largest blues venue it will face some stiff competition from smaller, more established venues such as Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, however I am assured the two cannot be compared. This is true, as Ain’t Nothin’ does not attract big names, while Charlotte Street on the other hand reads like a who’s who of blues - I was lucky enough to catch John Lee Hooker Jr. the night I attended. But there is a price for such things, and tonight’s was £25.

The venue itself is intelligently laid out, and very attractive. The tables and chairs on the ground floor almost reach the beginning of the stage, giving the place a very New York speakeasy feel. There is some very decent food on the menu to be enjoyed before or during the performance - I had a delicious squid salad with grated cashew and carrot dressing for only £5.

Down the piano-style stairs is a room with a jukebox and pool table called The Green Room; it is also possible to dump bags and valuables in the lockers provided here. Up the stairs to the first floor is The Parlour, a wood panelled room with artwork on the walls currently provided by drum & bass DJ Goldie, which I must say surpassed my expectations.

This level also contains Mook’s Bourbon Bar, which boasts 80 different varieties. Service at this bar was pleasant, in comparison to the ground floor bar where I was treated a little abruptly. Whilst I understand the intense frustration a barman must feel after he’s completed rigorous training and has to deal with bourbon novices, part of his role is to advise the inexperienced surely?

Stepping out of the bar I landed on The Porch, a beautiful conservatory-like mezzanine level from where you can see the stage perfectly. Tables and chairs are laid out allowing you to enjoy a meal and drinks whilst watching the performance, and a staircase to the right leads directly to the dancefloor. It seems like an ideal setting for their weekly Sunday buffet & gospel sessions.

In contrast to the calming surroundings there was an office party in full swing going on, and I fear that the location and prices of Charlotte Street Blues may turn this into another corporate favourite. It’s a lush venue with great attention paid to detail; it just remains to be seen whether the owners care about the money, or the blues.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Jul 22, 2009


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