91 Brick Lane,
London,
E1 6QL
0872 148 0522
The ViewLondon Review
Cafe 1001 is a coffee shop, outdoor barbeque, bar and DJ club with indoor and outdoor seating, situated right off Brick Lane in part of the old Truman Brewery.The VenueThis large, colourful mass of eclectic cosmopolitan entertainment, sprawls from the pumping dancefloor and DJ room at the back of the venue, through rooms of goggle eyed ravers, down one flight of stairs, through a cafe and finally deposits you within the gorgeous barbeque scented outside seating area. And it is here that nicotene enthusiasts puff heavily on Gauloise and other trendy continental brands.
The AtmosphereOn busy nights, Cafe 1001 is more urban carnival than club. You half expect to see fire jugglers dancing with hippies admist the smoking hordes outside, but perhaps health and safety officials have put an end to this in the past! The crowd here is fun, friendly and very international. Expect conversations to include a mix of at least three different languages and centre around European music festivals, travelling and drugs. This is perhaps the closest thing to a Full Moon Party that London can offer, if you overlook the lack of beach, sea and sun, of course!
The MusicA fine mixture of international DJs perform every night in the two DJ rooms at Cafe 1001, most commonly playing sets of minimal house, electro and beeps and breaks. Every Wednesday, crowds are treated to live jazz, with other live acts performing regularly. Sundays offer a more chilled out expereince; Reggae, funk and soul are likely to be on the bill, probably at a few less decibels than Friday or Saturday!
The FoodThe wide selection of food on offer at Cafe 1001 is made from scratch on the premises and respectfully kept away from preservatives or excess packaging. Buy cakes, pastries, pizzas, baguettes and breakfast snacks all day long, or eat at the midday-to-midnight barbeque, which serves burgers, kebabs and vegetarian treats at a better price than McDo!
The DrinkMore cafe than bar, Cafe 1001 offers a good selection of bottled beers, but a limited selection of spirits. In keeping with the hippy-raver vibe, drinks tend to be served in small, plastic glasses and the bar staff tend to speak less English than your four-month-old cousin, not that it really matters; the music is so loud and the crowd so international that the best way to communicate is the old English favourite, 'point and shout!'
The Last WordA great, lively, bustling environment where it’s easy to meet girls and boys, eat and drink at a reasonable price, and dance until 2am. Cafe 1001 is big enough to keep you entertained for a whole evening, but if you do get bored it’s central positioning means that endless restaurants, bars and clubs litter the surrounding streets in every direction!
Cafe 1001 has been reviewed by 6 users