The Kings Head and Dive Bar, Chinatown

Okay look, I feel guilty about withholding the name of the 'secret' bar, especially as anyone still visiting this page is obviously alright as they're a die-hard Dive Bar devotee (we should get over it and get lives...).

It's the New Evaristo Club at 57 Greek Street. There's no sign outside, just an anonymous doorway and some dingy carpeted stairs leading down to the basement. There you'll find a tiny bar that looks like a throwback to illicit 1950s Soho, with the atmosphere of a prohibition-era speakeasy.

Visit during the day and you'll most likely find mafioso-style old men sitting around and playing cards on big baize-covered tables. On Friday and Saturday nights there's generally music, though the schedule is pretty inconsistent. Recently Saturdays have generally been laid-back jazz. Best night i had was a Friday, when there was a four-piece, bluesy, rockabilly band on with the most extraordinary, tiny frontwoman, who jumped up on tables with her guitar, and the whole tiny place was rammed, sweaty and jumping - and utterly free of attitude, clique or aggression.

Just as with the lamented Dive Bar, no one will ever just stumble on this place off the street, so everyone is there because they have been shown it by a mate, so you have that old Dive Bar feeling of owning a little piece of it. If that sounds elitist, well hell, that's what made Dive Bar great.

This place won't be for everyone, but it certainly helped with my withdrawal symptoms. Just don't go blabbing to everyone about it, because it's already a fire hazard with the number of oddballs swigging whisky in its single, shoebox-sized room.

10 Feb 2006 14:55

The Blue Posts, Piccadilly

Very nice to hear that the Dive Bar lot have found a new place to play. Haven't been in yet, but if it's anything like Dive Bar it'll have bags of charm, eccentricity and Nina Simone on the speakers on week nights. Will visit very soon.

25 Aug 2005 16:17