Ragedy fun

The Barfly London is split into two venues during the week, the pub part downstairs and a music venue upstairs, so if you turn up on a weekday you can have a drink without paying to see the bands. On Friday and Saturdays however, it becomes one big venue with a cover charge for the whole place, so don't get caught out if you're just looking for a place to meet friends then move on.The downstairs bar is basically a huge old pub with all the tables taken out, but other than the rather fancy branded windows it's worn and tatty, with scuffed black walls and posters for obscure bands blue tacked on every surface. It's got a lot of charm though and Matt and Greg, the managers are the type of publicans that make you want to come back time and again. The barstaff are friendly too, possibly due to aforementioned management and there's usually a healthy crowd of interesting looking alternative types hanging around. The upstairs room is less appealing, it's basically a large box of a room with nowhere to sit and nothing to look at, good if you're watching a band, but if you're looking for anything other than that, stay downstairs.Obviously, it's not a place for the beer or food connoisseur, you'll get a fizzy pint and a box of Pringles and you'll like it, but it has a licence till 3am most nights, with various clubs and DJs throughout the week. If you're looking for a che-che, uptown sort of place forget it, if you're looking for the sort of grungy dive Camden is famous for, you won't go far wrong.

A User - 11/09/2008 | report this review