55-61 Tabernacle Street,
Shoreditch,
London,
EC2A 4AA
(020) 7036 9229
The ViewLondon Review
Slick, stylish and suave, McQueen, a bar-club and soon to be restaurant inspired by the screen legend Steve McQueen, is set to put Tabernacle Street on the map as the place to rub shoulders with East London’s high rollers.
The Venue
On the corner of Tabernacle and Leonard Street, and just a couple of minutes walk away from Old Street tube, McQueen, on the former site of The Tabernacle, brings the lustre of high-end West End venues to an area more traditionally known for its creative arty dive bars, credible music venues and run-of-the-mill old-man boozers.
Inside its gaping windows, it’s a tale of 3 distinct areas: firstly, the main bar has polished woods, exposed brickwork, a central performance-strip-cum-catwalk, chocolate leather sofas and banquettes and raven-colour chandeliers; secondly, a side room, previously used as a dining area with a galley-style kitchen, is currently playing host to VIPs but will resume as a restaurant; finally, downstairs, the basement has been transformed from its previous incarnation complete with cheesy multi-colour LED dance floor into a dark and mysterious room with reflective wall panels, sultry lighting, covetable leather booths and a tiny stage area for live acts.
Prints of the venue’s obvious inspiration, the screen legend Steve McQueen, greet you as your eyes adjust to the vampish lighting on the stairwell, and as you roam around the venue you’re left with the overwhelming feeling that a fair whack has been invested into its fixtures and fittings.
The Atmosphere
A visual feast awaits at McQueen and there’s definitely a predilection for all things burlesque and theatrical. Pretty young things in tasselled traffic-stopping outfits take it in turns to sway back and forth on a swing attached to the ceiling in the main bar, whilst a bevy of girls stand around in cabaret costumes that make them look like they’ve just stepped off the stage of Chicago the musical. Local eccentrics, Bangers and Mash, are in charge of Fridays and the Crazed Cabaret is hell-bent on mixing genre-defying DJ sets with bizarre live performance.
McQueen’s arrival is evidently a big deal round these parts: well-groomed guys and girls are out in force, and everywhere you look there are statements being made in outlandish outfits, bespoke specs, desirable handbags and designer shoes.
The Music
DJs drop a crowd-pleasing mix of Ray Charles, Elvis, Grace Jones, The Beatles, Blondie and Otis Redding, which is definitely in tune with the venue’s retro styling. With guest sets from celebrity-circuit favourites like Jade Jagger and Jodie Harsh you can be sure that the venue is going to get a lot of love from the incestuous circles that frequent London’s most trend-conscious entertainment venues. The basement, with its capacity of a couple of hundred people and its tight little stage area, is sure to play host to some intriguing acts, and don’t rule out the possibility of seeing a household name doing a rare, intimate gig, just for the hell of it.
The Drink
This is a joint that takes its cocktails very seriously and the list is sure to please connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts alike. There are around 25 in total, with martinis, sours, shorts and Champagne concoctions all well represented. Each drink is accompanied by snappy descriptions and many are inspired by some of the earliest cocktail recipes, such as The Fish House Punch which apparently dates back to 1732, or the world of film – the career of Steve McQueen is again immortalised in the Bullitt, a mix of dark rum, Licor 43, lime juice, bitters and ginger ale. Expect to pay £7.50 and upwards for cocktails.
House wine is priced at £4 a glass or £15 a bottle with the most expensive bottles levelling out around the £30 mark. Draught beer costs £3.70 a pint and a comprehensive selection of premium spirits are available in double measures only and, as a result, cost a minimum of £6.75.
The Last Word
McQueen brings a taste of the high life to this part of the capital and, if they program the right sort of events and attract the right type of clientele, the circus of paps and celebrities, a common sight in Central London, may well be heading east.
McQueen has been reviewed by 40 users