please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
If a place has bouncers on the door it should alert you to what is coming. Two floors of smarming dim birds in their early 20s trying to look cool and in the basement (where else?) mutton dressed as lamb. It was better to laugh at the whole situation rather than despair.
To amend Julius Caesar's quote: "Veni, Vidi, ibam"
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Really arrogant management & very unfriendly bar staff with a music policy on Fridays that avoids any R&B or Dance Music. There are much better places than this so avoid.
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Most of the beer was off when I went here on a recent weeknight, so the pair of us ordered two large gin and tonics and were charged �18. Fortunately this stupidity looks to have paid off as there were only a handful of insensibly-drunk city morons in the whole place so, with a bit of further luck, this pit of pretension will soon go bust and be replaced with something better.
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average. full of people who either have too much money in their pocket, of people who save up their measly wages so they can pretend to be in that situation!
still, I've heard there are quite a few easy-lay hounds that frequent there... not everyone's cup o', but I'm sure a lot of blokes think "urrr nurrrt"
I wouldn't give it more than 4/10.
toodle
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destination for gelled wide boys and a few local geezers, for their big night out.
Great if your idea of culture is 'Nuts' magazine.
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to busy and up its own arse on thursday and friday but reasonable for a late one earlier in the weeek. its a girls bar really and bit of a meat market. there are worst bars around to be fair but not really a place for the pro drinker
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Typical night out for the younger city type, bit of a meet-market. Can't say much about the self-aggrandising doormen, dining out on the fact they bounce a bar in the city. Much better off getting down the Walkabout, cheaper with the same vibe.
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This bar is great!
Went there with some girlfriends straight after work on Thursday to take advantage of Happy Hour - excellent value!
Food is cheap/tasty and the cocktails are great too.
Club opens downstairs later for those who want to dance the night away...
Will certainly be coming back
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I think the reason that many of the previous people were generally concerned about the pints is beacause this site is called beer in the evening. We want to know where to get a decent pint, not a cheap ogle. Perhaps you should go to throwcoldwateroverme.com. Abacus was definately made for you.
anonymous - 20 Feb 2007 15:43 |
Arrived first time at Abacus a couple of weeks ago,for a birthday, man, the time was around 9pm and this place had a queue outside!!
Got in the club in about 15mins. The place was packed with stylish people(thank God no trainers and tracksuits)the ladies in there were phenomenal!Kidding aside, it was like 6o% females, fantastic! The area we reserved was in the bar with the DJ, the selection of food my mate ordered was great and my Jacks & cola was around �3-4(too pissed to remember!)
The music was quite commercial radio hits like and housey electro but many tunes to remind me of the good old party days!!
Reading the other comment listed here made me laugh, the main concern of one or two of them were the pints!!Why dont you go to a pub instead then? Leave all the sexy ladies to me ;-)
Party on Abacus - my new favourite nightclub in the City!!
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Crowded on thu and fri nights, reasonable prices tough. Went there with some mates from work, last week, good selection of cocktails and wine for the girls and happy hour on wine, not on beer, damn!
Arrive early if you want to grab a seat, there are some sofas and food tables. Altough I wasn't there for food we had a couple of really tasty platters. I might be lucky as they're serving draught that night - Heineken, Stella, Amstel. Even missing my Kronnie I'd definetly come back, had good fun downstairs and have no idea how I got home. Great eve.
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Can't think of a better name for the place.....as an Abacus is simply a load of balls.
The previous reviews are all true. No draught beers on Friday nights. Oh......they've got the taps.......and the beer......they just won't sell it to you. Now, I don't exactly hold a PhD in Customer Service, but I know that bars need customers to survive, and denying a customer a product they want, simply because you decide you don't want to sell it, isn't exactly going to help business.
Note to managers (because I presume this is a snobbish policy): Selling draught beer won't make the place unclassy. Your music policy, decor, and catering to lecherous city workers on the other hand..........
The only reason I went to Abacus was for someone's leaving do (seems to be the reason for most of the reviewing patrons), and it's a good thing they left, because they would have never heard the end of it on Monday morning. Avoid.
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Cattle market, I went there and was really drunk and lots of the men thought they could take advantage of a drunk young lady, I even sat down on the settees and some dirty horrid bloke came pushed me down and tried to lay on top of me and didnt get off even though I kicked hit and punched him and I had to be rescued my a male friend, so girls dont go there alone, coz that nite I got hit on loads of times, also the dj plays the same music over and over again all nite, good tunes the first couple of times not after about 10 times.
anonymous - 12 Dec 2006 14:53 |
Went in there last night for a leaving do and the place is totally rubbish. No beer on tap on a Friday night apart from Guinness. The first time I went to the bar I ordered amongst other drinks a large house wine. My friend stated later that he thought the glass was to small for a large so I went to the bar to be told that they didnt actually have any large glasses even though they offer them on the menu and also charged me for one! This place is overpriced enough without me getting skanked at the bar. I will never darken its doors again.
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About as good as a bar that doesn't sell pints can be. 5/10.
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I don't agree with these reviews at all!! Abacus is my favourite after work haunt in the whole of the City. Realy friendly, competent bar staff...a great selection of reasonably priced pub food, and a great atmosphere in every section! (bar/club/restaurant)
Go there!!
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Diabolical blight on the City. Full of aspirational clowns who consider Footballers Wives the height of sophistication. Avoid like the plague.
If you are after a late drink, take a trip to Apt off Bow Lane. Much less pond-life in attendance at Apt.
anonymous - 15 Mar 2006 13:57 |
I dont know what Abacus in Bank the people below have been to but its obviously not the same bar/club as me!!
Ill summarise shall I? good lighting chilled out upstairs, amazing food stupidly cheap ranging between �3.00 - �6.00 a dish, good wine etc etc.
Downstairs bit more hectic, small dancefloor big comfy sofas, large standing area, toilets clean and tidy, ideal place to grab some food and have a boogie on a weds, thurs night. Weekends queue is very long so i dont bother, great for straight after work not somewhere you should end up and right next to tube perfect!, they do charge on fridays, no you arent allowed to wear trainers its an up market bar not an old mans pub! I cant believe it has so many neg comments ive been going here for years and its a long time favourite.
People generally city types Mon - Fri, suits etc.
Is it even open on Sats??????????????
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The doormen really do think they are god which has put me off religion. This is apparently Michelle Mcmanus' favourite bar in the city-which probably tells you all you need to know. Avoid it like the plague, unless you don't mind catching something ...
anonymous - 10 Mar 2006 01:15 |
Not allowed in wearing trainers, need I say anymore.
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I queued for an hour to get into this place on Friday night. I ended up having one of the most shite evenings I've ever had in London and I've been here for 10 years. Way too overcrowded, bad air conditioning, wide boys, Essex girls, pissed up city boys. Mid-week I would imagine it to be more tolerable but give this place a wide berth on Fri and Saturday nights. Romford-tastic.
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I can sorta agree with most of the comments made below...it certainly doesn't feel like a City bar (if that's what you're after). There seems to be a lot of wide boys and Essex girls that actually queue to get in which makes you wonder why they bother coming up to the City to somewhere that has become much like a bar in Croydon. Having said that, if you want somewhere a lot more lively than your average old man's pub, like lots of mirrors in the toilets and love dark basements, then this would hit the spot.
I wouldn't say it was the worst place in the world though, fa_tboy needs to visit Croydon or Dagenham to really experience the wonder...
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If you like vapid, shallow women who undress at the drop of a wallet...and the males who chase them...
Average city bar trying to out-punch its weight.
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You have to enjoy Abacus for what it is. Yes all the guys probably buy their pink shirts and shiny fat ties in TM Lewin and the ladies probably live in the Tanning Salon chasing that perfect orange glow and when crowded the place buzzes with hormones and desperation. But that gives it an atmosphere you won�t find in any other square mile venue. It�s the contrast of the city boys to the hard lads and the secretarys to Sharons all competing with each other that gives it the edge that makes it so compelling. Everyone is looking and wants to be seen. Shallow but so what! Music and sound system could be vastly improved though. Worth one visit in your life but door policy seems fairly strict. Three guys in front of me in the queue got politely refused cos they were�nt wearing ties but maybe it was just doormans discretion.
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Possibly the worse place in the world for so many reasons - not least that tossers like that Richy Lloyd-Graham (read the comments further down, classic city nob head) are as good as the clientele gets.
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Exactly the sort of garish City hell hole that anyone with an ounce of sense would avoid like the plague. If suited to$$ers downing Sambuka and trying to hit on overdressed Essex dollies to a soundtrack of handbag dance music sounds like your kind of place, then please, go there, stay there and keep the hell away from me.
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There is a corner of London that is forever Essex...
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went last friday and thought I fell in to an episode of Footballers Wives ... alright tracy ?
Pedro - 15 Oct 2004 13:18 |
Went there on a wednesday, it was pleasant enough. The girl I brought there was fairly pleased with it too. Sounds like a nightmare at the end of the week though.
Al - 29 Sep 2004 14:45 |
I have to say that I was not looking forward to going to Abacus after reading all the rest of the reviews. I went there last Friday and have to say I had a pretty good time. The happy hour between 5-7pm probably got things off to a good start, although I'd hardly say the price's were too 'happy'. Only contails were on offer and they were �10 a jug. Once happy hour had finished it was on to �3.25 for a bottle of beer. People headed downstairs to the dance floor around 9pm and things sort of went off from there. The ceiling is a bit low and it can get busy and hot but I certainly had a good time (although I did wake up with my suit covered in sambuca). It's true that there are loads of city backroom boys in there, their tales as wide as their footballer's tie knots, but provided you go expecting a typical City-based bar/club you should have a good time.
Nick Smith - 8 Sep 2004 11:53 |
I went friday night. Look like most girls had got dressed up for hours and travelled in....any girl who works in the city tends to get about only 5-10 to spice them selfup after work on friday before going to the pub...these girls defintly travelled in and pretended to be what ever they are...many of the blokes defintly put on suits for clubs..they don't look like suits you wear in the office! to conclude if yo uwanna pick up a girl fairly easily this is the place! the classy girls have defintly long left this place though.
Mike - 6 Sep 2004 02:02 |
Full of wide boys who pretend to work for Goldman Saks with a few average looking girls all looking for their Goldman Saks prince charming. This place is not cool but ok if you are tipsy before you go in.
Winnie - 16 Jul 2004 10:45 |
TRAGIC
The same old annoying story. A new bar opens up in the city and its great for a while. The place was trendy full of happy city workers cooling off and spending lots of money having a laugh. Then as per usual after a few months it gets plagued by muppets, people who do not work in the area but have an attitude - they seem to pretend to be Wall Street bankers but are actually back office muppets or actually travel in.
Hence you get an overly bloke filled bar, full of tesosterone scaring away all the decent women. Ladies that have gone to this bar have since departed.
A real pity. Hopefully the skint painters and decorators will clear off soon and leave the decent bars for who they were made for.
HOWEVER good mid week. Just Thursday & Friday that turns a bit... you know...
Richy Lloyd-Graham - 23 Jun 2004 18:20 |
I could not work out why I was in this bar. Companions came because there was a happy hour deal on wine. I am sure it must appeal to others for different reasons
andy - 24 May 2004 21:32 |
New ish city bar open late on fridays. competition for nylons
. - 21 May 2004 16:01 |
