please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Hello all...
It has come to my attention that there are reviews regarding previous managment and pubs on this profile. I will mark this profile as closed, and will open a new one where the Live Lounge can recieve a whole new rating and review board.
Thank you.
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Just to prove that I'm conceited enough to read my own reviews, I've noticed something a of a mistake. My reviews of 14th August and 24th April 2007 that are listed here (under the Live Lounge in Leeds) along with several others, are for an entirely different bar - Fifty5 in Camden. I've never been to the Live Lounge, (or Leeds for for that matter, or West Yorkshire for that matter) so I think you can probably discount my review along with most of the others.
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Upon reflection my original assessment was a bit hard. This is a quite nice bar, with skilled bar staff and quite good music. Like the previous comment, I just took exception to the amount of reviews that appeared to be written by marketing agents, Zoe Strimpel, the bar itself, or someone who's day job is to write commercial radio jingles. If the product is good then let nature take its course, and it will rise to the top. There is no need to manipulate this site as it makes a mockery of the whole point of it being here. An ok bar, so six or seven out of ten. In fairness, this place is a much more pleasant drinking experience than the Hawley Arms around the corner, which on my last visit appeared to have transformed itself from being a nice old boozer into sodom and gomorrah...
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I have now visited, and the best I can say is that it's a competent cocktail bar with fairly reasonable prices. and totally uninteresting beers. Seems slightly popular with screeching student girls but hardly worth a solid rating in the mid-sevens. I love my cocktails but this establishment did not impress me in the slightest. Certainly not worthy of compare to the top ale houses in the land and just as certainly not worth a rating of 7.3 on the beer in the evening scale. (I think I might give it a 6 on a good night. But I did not visit on a good night, just a 4/10 night).
Many of the previous comments look very much like advertising copy ("This bar has something to please everyone without failing"... "can't fail to satisfy", "totally luscious and mouthwatering experience", "greeted and treated as regular by staff and locals alike". And so on), and I'm sure few of them were written by actual customers. As this site appears to have no mechanism for dealing with shills, I felt obliged to ramble on. Sorry about that.
re yesterday's comment by "an_ecunemical_matter": the minimal impact of a low rating on a pub's overall rating is not necessarily due to ballot box stuffing, but is a straightforward consequence of the minimal impact of a single vote when a large number (here, 54) have already been registered. In this particular case, however, I have no doubt that a few people have played the system and unfairly boosted the rating with multiple votes.
Posting anonymously because I can (that's a whole 'nother issue).
anonymous - 10 Oct 2007 15:44 |
OK
If I as an honest reviewer gives this pub a ZERO,it drops from 7.4 to 7.2. Does it deserve to be here-probably not,the system has obviously been manipulated.
But I shan't descend to that level,but if others wish to do so well.................
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Interesting bar, although waiting 20 mins for five pissed up girls to decide what cocktail they want, then waiting another 20 mins for the 'fit' barman (i'm a straight man so what do I care) to make them is not my idea of fun - especially when all you want is 2 beers. I also suspect that a lot of the glowing reviews for this bar are made up by, or on behalf of the bar itself. When you click on their user profile the account has either been suspended or it is the only review they have ever left. Don't believe everything you read...
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In response to the mysterious anonymous, when I went to this place the range of beers extended to about 5 of the usual crappy bottled lagers you can get anywhere. Has this changed?
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Fifty Five is a rare place - this bar has something to please everyone without failing. From the pages of mouthwatering cocktails on the menu, mixed to perfection by the friendly and knowledgeable bartenders, to the range of beers on offer, the drinks alone can't fail to satisfy. However, Fifty Five has another trick up its sleeve; while the main bar rocks to classic tunes, the upstairs bar has been opened as a live Blues venue. Friends who consider themselves Blues oficianados have been raving about it and are more than prepared to travel from south London on a regular basis. Fifty Five is not just a great place - it is THE place.
anonymous - 10 Aug 2007 15:23 |
I'm agreeing with the bartender comment - a bit of eye-candy is never a bad thing!!
Had a good evening in there, quite a mix of different people & the general ambience makes for a very cool place to go for a few drinks.. apart from our table getting beseiged by a group of letchy West Ham fans we had a great night & will be back!
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Fifty Five - A cool mixture of sophistication and glamour, this bar is the place to be seen this summer. The cocktails are a combination of refined Bellini�s, refreshing Mojitos and delicious Cosmopolitans (from memory there are over 200 to choose from) � but be warned its highly likely that you�ll be �bullied� into the obligatory shot of J�germeister.
In summary a totally luscious and mouthwatering experience, and that�s just the bartenders�
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You can't help but like this place - great atmosphere great drinks great staff great prices
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i have one thing to say to armchair critics who imagine a place that they haven't been to is, get up, turn off the computer, leave your front door and visit this bar as i did (upon recommendation from this website) and you'll be greeted and treated as regular by staff and locals alike..
as i sat there enjoying a "beer in the evening" with my friends whilst jimi hendrix played we commented on the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. So when i was asked "anything else?"
I replied "Peroni please"
fifty-Five, a great find in an eclectic part of London
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OK. Here's the deal. Amazingly made cocktails in a relativly ponce and nonce free bar. It's a small but perfectly decorated bar in a side street of Camden.
The guys behind the bar seriously know their stuff.
And, yes they do sell bottled beer so stop having a spaz out boys! The sub line to B.I.T.E. is "pubs, BARS, drinking...."
My gripes about the place on my visit is that with skill and know-how comes a distinct bravado & arrogance from the staff - esp the owner. This can come across as quiet rude and dismissive.
Whilst waiting for my cocktails (20 mins on a quiet early Sat evening) I was treated to great displays of bar magic but also had glass chipped in my face from over zealous glass stacking and thank Christ I didn't wear a white shirt considering all the ingredients I got splashed with.
The music was excellent but about 5 notches too loud. I felt like my hard of hearing Dad and deaf Uncle at family get-togethers struggling to hear any of the conversation. Just getting old I guess.
All in all a positive experience and muchos kudos for the cocktail knowledge. Good but not yet great. 7/10.
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Have been in here quite a few times and every one of those has been an amazing (drunken) evening. I agree the music can be a little loud, but they do play a great mix of the old classics! Their cocktails are legendary and well worth two for one! The bar staff are very friendly and welcoming, a rarity in London! Well worth a visit!
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Lets be honest, the cocktail menu isn't about 200 pages long, its about 15 or 20 which still leaves plenty of choice. Anyways, I was here at the weekend and thought the place was okay. The cocktails were good and reasonably priced (it was happy hour), but the toilets were a bit grotty and the music was waaay too loud to have any kind of conversation.
To be fair to Fifty Five, the place obviously isn't aimed at the likes of me and the staff seemed friendly enough. (Well, that last bit is a guess - the barmen could have been insulting my mother and I wouldn't have been able to tell thanks to the 'background' music, but lets not split hairs). If you've got trendy hair and aren't really interested in what you're friends are saying I'm sure you'll love it.
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Without a doubt the best bar in London (if not the world!)These guys can probably make any cocktail on earth and if you can't decide what you want from the cocktail menu (which is about 200 pages long!) they will make one up for you!
If you get bored with your mates conversation you can spend many hours watching the guys behind the bar throwing bottles in the air and doing fantastic bar tricks (Stu and Frankie - we still can't work out the one with the limes and the cocktail shakers!)
A brilliant atmosphere and great vibe any night of the week - this bar makes drinking in Camden fun again.
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I had a really good time here the other weekend, I booked an area for my birthday and it was an awsome night, great tunes amazing drinks = massive party. Thanks to the boys that worked that night.
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Loved it from the moment I walked in to the moment I stumbled back out. A truely great night out, for once the hype is true.
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One, if not the, best bar I have ever been too. A relaxed atmosphere at the start of the night slowly builds into a huge party vibe (with alot of credit to the the excellent music selections) that really doesn't want to end when midnight rolls around. The bar staff are confident, funny and know their stuff and do an astounding job in turning out consistantly brilliant cocktails even when the bars 6 deep across.
Go THERE NOW!!
anonymous - 9 Apr 2007 13:41 |
love it! go tonight! its my happy place. i was contemplating suicide because of the lack of decent bars in Camden until this place opened. its incredible.
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Good atmosphere, good crowd, great drinks. No waiting for ages for a cocktail here (try the two for one) and flare coming out of the ying yang, Friendly and professional team behind the bar.
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well wot can i say about this place...wen i walked in on friday at around 7.30 the place was buzzing, there were people everywhere...my first thoughts were how the heck am i gonna get served b4 the happy hour ended at 8...i stood at the bar and watched the 3 bartenders at work...wow!!!!they had a load of glasses infront of them and moving with some speed and entertaining the crowd as well as having time to have a laugh between them...i can honestly say i've never seen anything like it...wen it was my turn to get served i still didn't know wot i wanted so the bartender threw away the menu and asked me wot my favourite spririt was then fruit then sweet or sour...then he came up with the Bramble...strong but so amazing its my new cocktail to start the weekend with....Thankyou to my new local 55 for entertaining me and my mates with laughter a bit of banter great music and cocktails....
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This bar is top notch! The best night out I've had in years. Great cocktails and a huge choice, so if you're a cocktail novice like me it's easy to find something you like (with the help of my new mate Stuart, one of the Bartenders).
There's a real party buzz about the place and the staff give a quick and friendly service. This place could fast become my regular Friday/Saturday night out!
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This bar was wicked- just wanted to say thanks to all the guys Phil, Stuart, Frank, Ben and Dom for a wicked nite!! Keep making the cocktails!
anonymous - 12 Feb 2007 09:12 |
I stumbled across this place and was absolutely thrilled I did as I had a wonderful night there. The bar staff are skilled and very friendly and happy to stop and chat and have a laugh with you. The drinks list is absolutely astonishing (took me about half an hour to decide each time I ordered) and the staff are happy to offer advice on what's best to try. There is virtually nothing negative to say about this place apart from the toilets being downstairs (stairs have never looked scarier after five cocktails) but that's a small price to pay for such a wonderful place. I will be spending a lot of time there and I've recommended Fifty Five to everyone I know :)
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Fifty five is my happy place. The cocktails are amazing, the bartenders are skilled, well trained and all very sexy ;) They're so friendly, you can even go in there on your own and have a great night.
Best bar in London. You'll never have tasted cocktails like it till you go to fifty five.
Speedy, skillful attentive, AMAZING!
Go there. Tonight.
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Found this pub from this very website and thought I would give it a go for a first date. I hate to sound like a bit of a clone but this bar is fantastic, probably because for the five guys that stand behind it's there bread, butter and baby. I went to the bar for the drink and ended up sitting there with my date and the boys made me look and feel like a king , which obviously went down a treat with the lady I was with (thanks guys). Just to top it off Kelly Jones from the stereophonics was standing next to me ordering a beer, I left with a lot of brownie points i'll be back soon
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FiftyFive is a London gem, one of those places that you want to tell the world about because its cool, funky and fun but at the same time a small bit of selfishness wants to keep it quiet so you can enjoy the easygoing friendly but not frantic vibe that the place has got all to yourself! The staff are lovely and make you feel welcome as soon as u step in the door, by the end of the evening you will feel like youve gained some mates as well as gained a taster of some fabulous cocktails, all i might add served with fantastic style & look great, (and thats not just the cocktails)...
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The BEST bar I've ever been too...EVER!! I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my 25th birthday! The staff are wonderful, friendly and know their stuff...also the fact that all of them are insanely cute doesn't hurt!! I'm now calling FIFTY FIVE my "local" Whoo-hoo!! Love You Guys!!
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Sexy and sophisticated with a rock and roll edge that creates a wicked atmosphere. You won't find another bar like it in Camden, trust me I've looked! The cocktails are amazing, prepared by bar staff who actually know what they're talking about. The guys are really friendly and make a genuine effort to remember your name. Well worth a visit! 10/10!
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FIFTY-FIVE is fast becoming the best bar in Camden. Go there once and you'll be back soon.
Staff are spot on - friendly, chatty and super efficient - no one's kept waiting, most punters are served before they even get to the bar!
Sounds are great - atmosphere is fantastic, the guys seem to know everyone's name - and seem to be having as much fun as the guests.
Fifty-Five is proving a hit with locals as well as the not-so-locals... it's got a house party vibe going on that hits as soon as you walk in.
All drinks are made with flare and skill... bottle juggling, glass spinning, throwing and catching - and sometimes not catching! - it's as much a show as a bar.
At last someone's realised that a night out in Camden is about having a laugh - it only opened in November, but it feels like its been part of the scene for years.
Go check it out - but shhh... don't tell anyone else - I'd hate to lose my front row seat!
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This bar is by far the best in Camden, no crap old man pub pints, no dodgy Camden food and the staff are fun, friendly and most importantly ; hot. I wouldn't mind stopping in for a lock in anyday of the week ;-). Expect to be amazed in this sexy bar.
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Pretty chilled out place - not overly pretentious and normally an easy, low light spot with decent tunes.
We were a little taken aback that there wasn't a single beer on tap, and though it's a cocktail bar it just feels like it's in the wrong place or setting to be a pure upmarket cocktail bar.
Service is great though, the bartenders are friendly (they turned the music down for us so we could talk), and overall I can guarantee we'll be back.
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