Birthdays

Bar in Stoke Newington
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8 / 10 from 2 reviews
Address
33-35 Stoke Newington Road
Stoke Newington
London
N16 8BJ
Map
Telephone
020 7739 7033
Nearest Station
Dalston Kingsland
0.31 miles
Category
Bars
Opening Times
Monday Open 19:00 - Closes 00:00
Tuesday Open 16:00 - Closes 00:00
Wednesday Open 16:00 - Closes 00:00
Thursday Open 16:00 - Closes 00:00
Friday Open 16:00 - Closes 03:00
Saturday Open 16:00 - Closes 00:00
Sunday Open 16:00 - Closes 00:00
Venue Facilities

Food Served

Credit Cards Accepted

Music Played

Live Music Played

BIRTHDAYS is an independent bar and venue located on Dalston’s main strip, about five minutes walk from Dalston Junction and Dalston Kingsland tube stations. It’s housed in the lower levels of a faceless residential block which we’ve transformed into a two-floor fun factory with a massive sound system, a stage, pretty lights, and all the other stuff you’d expect to find at a music venue in the basement, as well as a bar with cocktails and food by Psychic Burger on the ground floor. Entry to the bar is always free, but most of the time you’ll need to pay to get into the basement. We’ll try our best to keep it cheap.

Over the past year BIRTHDAYS has hosted parties by Land of Kings, VICE, NTS Radio, Off Modern, Leisure, Vikings, GETME!, Tough Love, Trangressive and Paradyse Records; shows by Upset The Rhythm, All Tomorrows Parties, Rockfeedback, Bird On The Wire and Pink Mist; and live sets from Bloc Party, Milk Music, Cass McCombs, Male Bonding, Iggy Azalea, Hanni El Katib, Junior Boys, How to Dress Well, Theme Park, Cerebral Ballzy, Bleached, O Children, Hunx & His Punx, Young Magic, Keep Shelly In Athens and loads more. To keep up-to-date, head over to our Facebook, Twitter etc.

All In London Review

Club, bar and restaruant... and there's even a machine serving up frozen slushies!

Birthdays stands on the spot where a former greeting cards shop once traded. Hip bar replaces defunct business? Another day another new bar opening in Dalston. In fact, Birthdays isn’t actually all that new. It has already gained a following with plenty of Dalstonites (and Dalston weekenders) charmed by its pop-up dining projects and busy live music schedule. Unfortunately, the popularity of the bar leaves the chances of sitting down to a meal/cocktail immediately on arrival somewhere between slim and none. So prepare to wait for a seat.

Located to the north of Dalston, Birthdays occupies a long stretch of glass covered shop front. Inside, the bar is shallow. Booths are built in around the edges and one half is designated for dining. The décor is everything the modern Dalston bar should be – slushy machine mixing frozen cocktails, flecks of neon, bar stools etc. – a testament to the interior team who had the job of starting from scratch with an empty unit. The basement is home to a club, which is almost a venue apart. The live events have been well-received thanks to an eclectic schedule that has seen anything from Odd Future to obscure Berlin producers pack the club. Upstairs is free but downstairs will set you back at least £5 on most occasions.

The food at Birthdays in Dalston began with Rita’s but has since moved onto Psychic Burger. If you have any interest in the London food scene then you’ll know that what that means is aged chuck steak patties in glazed brioche buns. However, Psychic burger also offers the Soft Shell Crab Burger, which consists of, duh, two soft shell crabs deep-fried in a secret seasoning between brioche buns. Birthdays also run a succinct cocktail menu. We can recommend the frozen gin and lemon slushy – excellent. There are standard lagers on draught and a selection of craft beers by the bottle, including brews from the Kernel and Liberty Ale from San Francisco.

Birthdays packs in everything you need from a night out. Frozen cocktails and craft beers, greasy, gourmet eating and to top it off, a club night for dessert.

Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Jul 11, 2013


User Reviews

T.A.O

Sep 18, 2013

Frozen cocktails and a rotating menu make upstairs a good place for a drink and some good eats.

However, downstairs is the really awesome part. They book massive acts along with up-and-coming stars, which keeps it fresh. Don't bother looking what's on, just turn up. Chances are it'll probably be massive.
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