Welcome to View London
sign in
join
Datebar start
The Londoner's Guide to London
21 August 2008
Datebar end
  • Home  > 
  • Clubs  > 
  • Jazz Cafe

Venue Search

advanced
search

Jazz Cafe

Venue Image
Venue Image
5-7 Parkway,
Camden Town,
London,
NW1 7PG

0872 148 2422 Calls to 0871 numbers will be charged at a fixed rate of 10p per minute (from a landline or a mobile) no matter where you are within the UK. This number is unique to viewlondon.co.uk.

Add a User Review for

Jazz Cafe
Add user review button
Add your own review of this club

Click here to add a review

Latest Reviews

User icon
StarStarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
16/04/2007
We got tired of waiting to be served and went to the famous loos. Yes they do have a quality all of their own and the seats are a good tight fit. The paper's nice and rolls off easily and the flush is definitely as good as the Toronto Jazz cafe. We found it an enjoyable and rewarding day out and I will take my new girlfriend to look at the Jazz Cafe loos. That should impress her.
User icon
StarStarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
05/04/2007
On a positive note, the music at the Jazz Cafe was fantastic, however my overall experience certainly was not. Firstly, I bought a 15 pound ticket online just to find out that the door tickets were only 10 pounds.



Secondly, there were only two incredibly slow, unmotivated bar tenders serving the entire venue, so after 25 minutes of waiting for a drink I gave up, as did many other disgruntled show goers! Such a disappointement for a potentially great night out at the Jazz Cafe!
User icon
StarStarStarStarNo Star
Reviewer bob252
02/04/2007
As most people regard the Jazz Cafe toilets as a visit in themselves, me and my wife had a look at our respective loos. Good facilities and reasonably clean, but we wouldn't want to eat our dinners off the floor. Perhaps the taps could have been more visitor friendly too. The flush was as good as Ronnie Scotts but not as good as Kaseys Jazz bar.



The Jazz Cafe gets a good score though.
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer decent cove
21/03/2007
Well, I went to the Jazz Cafe toilets and me and my buddy both examined them to see the standard that they were. The paper was quite good, strong and thick and pretty absorbent. The seats were strongly fixed to the lavatory bowls and there was good flow of water into the cistern.



All in all, a good result and we were delighted to find there was live music at the Jazz Cafe as well.
User icon
StarStarStarStarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
24/01/2007
Jazz Cafe is good. I have been three times but it lacks human comforts. There are dark grainy areas that seem okay, but when you see the toilets which are grim, you wonder what is happening elsewhere in the place. Jazz Cafe sort out your toilets, it is 2007 not 0007!
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer Anonymous
20/01/2007
What is the obsession with the Jazz Cafe toilets? I, like others before me, arrived with intrepidation expecting to have to cross my legs all night and they aren't that bad! However, the venue is great! Despite arriving early the atmosphere soon hotted up.


The DJ played some great music both before and after the gig and Ron Ayers was brilliant. The bars are really efficient and not that expensive and everyone was very friendly and keen to have a great time. Ignore all the toilet comments and give Jazz Cafe a go!
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer Hannah466
09/01/2007
Having read some of the reviews of the Jazz Cafe, I was really nervous about booking tickets for my boyfriend's Christmas present. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised! Even though the act we booked to see was cancelled the live band we saw were fantastic and the place had a wonderful vibe.


As for the toilets, I went in expecting a rotting hole having read some of the reviews but there was nothing wrong with them. OK, so they're not to the standard of the Ritz by any means, but I didn't leave feeling like I'd caught anything! If you want a fun night with fantastic music, you really should go to the Jazz Cafe.
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer Ania544
04/01/2007
Jazz Cafe is class but why would someone go there to just to check on the toilets? Just stay home instead. Why bother?!
User icon
StarStarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
27/11/2006
We went to the Jazz Cafe, had a good look at the toilets and agree that they were not as nice as they should be, but we have seen worse. The soap needed to be replenished. The seats were quite warm and comfortable and the paper was sufficient. But I would like to see the hand dryers at the Jazz Cafe more efficient.
User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
22/11/2006
The toilets at the Jazz Cafe were very poor and the water on the floor was flooding them. The paper in the toilets was not nice and the colour of the toilets is not nice either. The people using the toilets were very unhelpful and I was scared to use them. The music at the Jazz Cafe was good though.
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
08/11/2006
My boyfriend took me to the Jazz Cafe on the 12th September for my birthday as a surprise. Lemar was there and it was fantastic - such an intimate gig. I had such a fantastic evening, and we are looking at going back to the Jazz Cafe for New Years eve hopefully!
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer rob wheatley
24/08/2006
Went to the Jazz Cafe last night to see Candy Staton. Having read the latest reviews of the venue I was expecting a very poor, low class venue, but this was most definately not the case. The door staff were friendly and efficient. Ok so the food at Jazz Cafe was a little on the cold side and was probably a bit overpriced, but this is London, so paying £18 for a steak while you watch an amazing gig is not that big a deal.
Candy was fantastic. The club is small, but this is definately a positive. You are so much closer to the artists and the sound system. The crowd were a mix of all kinds of people and the vibe was incredible.



Ok the toilets are a bit of a trek and not that inviting, but how much time do you really want to spend in them anyway!
I would certainly visit the club again. Hopefully in Feb to see de la soul.

Dont believe what these other people have said, sounds to me like they're a buch of miserable g*ts!!!

User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer S Parkinson
09/05/2006
The toilets at the Jazz Cafe were totally prehistoric with water on the floor, outside the main building, with no hand drier. I didn't know whether to hold my trousers off the floor or try and squat without touching the seat.



My food was luke warm and I had to pay a £4.00 service charge when I had already paid for the meal, and the entry fee. The sound guy needs shooting. It was my second time at the Jazz Cafe and you can only hear the instruments not the vocals.



The main act was not on for very long and I didn't pay £29.50 for that. It was double the price of last show and half the duration! The tickets promoted a show that was on until 11pm, I was at home in bed at that time watching TV!!
User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
28/02/2006
The landlord of the Jazz Cafe should invest so as not to shame the name of "Jazz". When I went to the gents, I thought I was in a punk rock club, it was so garbage. Then there's the fact that everything is over priced. It should have been called : "Punk Cafe".



I say "NO", you can spend £40 for a performance and be treated like that in an East London pub. I don't care about the programme, I'm not reviewing the artists but the place. Jazz Cafe is just marketing. Lots of ads, that's all, the customer service is bad as well. At least, you should hire hooter girls or hire very very friendly people to make us accept the price of your drinks.

User icon
StarStarStarStarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
28/02/2006
Only been to Jazz Cafe once but really enjoyed what I saw! Combined bar and concert vibe, not at all pretentious as I thought it would be. Laid back and fun. The only thing that let the Jazz Cafe down were the toilets...a nasty affair indeed!
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer Tony81
21/02/2006
I've got to say I love the Jazz Cafe. I've been in the business for about 10 years (restaurants, bars and clubs) and have high standards on food, staff and atmosphere. I spent last Saturday at the Jazz Cafe for dinner, drinks and dancing, and I had a great time.



Ok, the toilets are appalling and the place is busy, but with the line up they offer of cracking musicians, what do you expect?



On Saturday it took a while for our main meal to arrive, but the staff were attentive and apologetic (which is all I ask for) and when the food arrived, it was divine. A nice choice on wine which was not overpriced (I can't speak for the other drinks) and good service at the bar. We danced for the remainder of the evening and found the band and the people great. I'm a huge fan. Overall Jazz Cafe is a comfortable club where you can let your hair down.

User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
01/02/2006
I went to Jazz Cafe last weekend full of anticipation and excitement but I was totally disappointed. The toilets are the worst I've ever had the misfortune to use, I felt really sorry for the ladies.

Drinks/ food were over-priced. Poor service. Cold staff. Poorly visible fire exits and queues right down the stairs all night.


All in all a very unpleasant evening was had at Jazz Cafe and I think you can guess I won't be recommending this over-hyped dive.

User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer ELLA VINE
01/02/2006
I have been to many jazz cafes. Some of the best are in Belgium. This Jazz Cafe is the worst. It's a very unwelcoming place. Spend your money on a club that cares about their customers, not at the Jazz Cafe.
User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
30/01/2006
Do not go to the Jazz Cafe. Overpriced drinks and food, rude restaurant staff and the worst, most filthy and disgusting toilets I've seen anywhere.


We arrived at the Jazz Cafe at 7.30pm and all the toilets were full to the brim. Stay away!

User icon
StarStarStarStarNo Star
Reviewer Megan Forsey
17/01/2006
Overall I think the Jazz Cafe has it sorted. An amazing billing of varied and funky artists, really nice bar staff and a slinky venue.

Only three things serve to potentially ruin a good night out at Jazz Cafe - the cost of booze, the toilets (but holding your nose and squinting your eyes helps enormously), and the entrance to the dancefloor. A tip for any first timers to the Jazz Cafe - don't stand in this area as you will be bashed about by every person wanting to go to the bar, the toilet, the cloakroom, outside etc. After 20 minutes of getting stomped and spilled on, we gave up and watched from the other (quieter) bar area.

If you head straight for the front of the dancefloor you might be lucky and be out of the way. Worth a trip to the Jazz Cafe just for the artists, just don't take a big bag or wear nice shoes.

User icon
StarStarStarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
15/01/2006
Jazz Cafe is a good place because of the great artists it attracts. The vibe is chilled and the crowd is funky and relaxed.


However, what sickens me about the Jazz Cafe are their toilets. They are so dirty you feel like taking a shower and washing your clothes! Jazz Cafe need to spend some money sorting this out and then I would give it eight out of ten, at the moment it can only get five out of ten!

User icon
StarStarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Pandora364
21/12/2005
The plus side of Jazz Cafe is that it attracts some big names.


However, the venue itself is a disappointment. It gets very overcrowded, the drinks are overpriced and the toilets are what I can only describe as a mouldy cave!


The night we went to Jazz Cafe it also seemed to be filled with people who were completely disinterested in the music and preferred the sound of their own screeching to the performers.

User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
02/10/2005
Once, I've been to Jazz Cafe, and my ears hurt me for one or two days after the show.
User icon
StarNo StarNo StarNo StarNo Star
16/07/2005
Nothing to see at the Jazz Café, firstly, I've been there. There are two nightclubs bouncers at the entrance. They are very cold. It hurt me to see bouncers in a Jazz club. The information is minimal. I spent 20 minutes on line for a concert only for the bouncers to tell me that the concert was sold out. There were no notes. They never open on time. The sound taking is not so good. It's expensive. If you're a Jazz Lover then don't go to the Jazz Cafe.
User icon
StarStarStarStarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
29/06/2005
I have to say, I really liked the Jazz Cafe. I went there to basically see whether all of the folklore I've heard about it was true and it (on the whole) lived up to it. I've only been to Jazz Cafe once so I can't say for certain that it's always as nice as when I went but I particularly enjoyed the fact that there was such an eclectic age range there. It didn't feel pretentious or have the 'jazz-snobs' I had expected it to be infested with. One downside of the Jazz Cafe is that it definitely lost a point for the gross toilets. I did like the bar though, from where we sat we could hear and see the band we came to see whilst still being able to carry out a normal conversation without bursting each others eardrums and all in the comfort of a very cosy sofa.
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer Chloe Chapman
23/06/2005
As a hip hop and soul fan I have never had a bad night out at Jazz Café. I don't go to Jazz Cafe to look at the decor, I go for the music. So if it's chrome finishings and lots of posturing over champagne cocktails you're looking for, don't bother - it aint that kind of place. If however, you enjoy a good atmosphere and dancing the night away to some headline jazz, soul and hip hop acts, Jazz Cafe is not to be missed.
User icon
StarStarNo StarNo StarNo Star
Reviewer Anonymous
01/06/2005
When I go and see live acts I want to be able to hear the artists' talents but every time I go to the Jazz Cafe the bass is out of control (fine when you're raving etc) but not when you want to actually hear what's being said/sang. The Jazz Cafe isn't all that impressive, the stage is too small and the toilets are rank. The drinks are overpriced and the white wine is luminous yellow! What's that about! Fix up Jazzy!
User icon
StarStarStarStarStar
Reviewer chloe860
18/01/2005
Jazz cafe! I suppose it depends on who you go to see perform, but I have been around 6 times I have never been disappointed...before I went I thought it might be a bit pretentious, but I was totally wrong, everyone is there to enjoy themselves, and everyone is there for the mutual love of music. Great venue, it's intimate and lively a great night out. I'm going tomorrow night!
The views contained in these user reviews are not endorsed by Viewlondon in any way and are provided by users who wish to publish their independent views of the respective establishment.
Other Cities
Useful View London Links
Site Links
W3C Standards compliancy certificate