Claustrophobic place with really bad food & the owner who has an over inflated ego. Really awful evening. Would not recommend & a waste of money.

First of all, this place is not a club. We expected it to be more of a jazz lounge type place, but it was an extremely small cafe type place with no room to swing a cat. There were no paintings of Winehouse when we visited on 27/08 - apparently they have all been stolen. Food was okay. Wine was not pleasant, we paid £17.00 for a bottle of wine that clearly cost about £3.00 from France. We expected them to play jazz music throughout the evening (not all live), but it was N-Dubz the whole time we were there. The band arrived and began setting up, they looked like they had just come from a hard days graft on a farm. We left before the band even began because the drinks are too expensive. We went there as fans of Amy Winehouse, it was disappointing to be honest. There was a VIP section down some stairs but we didn't go down there because the waiter said it was for people who spend more than £60 each. We saw Sam Shaker, he was quiet and did not appear to be overly customer orientated. Not what we expected, left feeling deflated and let down. I really find it hard to believe the gleamingly positive reviews here are written by genuine customers. It was not my perception of what a jazz club should represent. It is nothing more than a small cafe with no room to move or dance - how people say they have danced in there is beyond me?? I would have liked to have seen the VIP area as it intrigues me why people would be attracted to return to this place. We made the error of going somewhere based on the fact that famous musicians we liked had been there, admittedly. Overall it was okay, but next time I'm going to try Ronnie Scotts.

The food and drinks are reasonably priced. The service is satisfactory. Staff are polite enough although they could get a bit pushy when it comes to drinks. The food is ok (but the salmon that I had seemed a little bit dry). I do like the ambiance. It's a tiny restaurant with a very small stage and quirky decoration (there are Amy Winehouse's paintings everywhere which could be a bit creepy given the fact that she just passed away). Very good music, even though the musicians took a couple of breaks which lasted for over 30 min and that seemed a bit too long. Overall it was a good night out.

We were very disapointed it was small, dingy the food was such bad quality not fresh at all, staff were not friendly, asked to speak to the manager and she couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge us, the band were disorganized and were late starting, certainly not worth the entrance fee,,, STAY AWAY

Ohhhh I love Jazz After Dark! Its been a institutuion for music lovers around Soho for years. I have been going here for a long time and have seen some really really great live acts. It never fails to have a great atmosphere and the cocktails are to die for. The best thing about it though is that it has go so much character and the staff are great. This is a bar that helped launch the music careers of people like Amy Winehouse and Peter Doherty and countless other talented artists and musicians over the years hence why it has got such a legendary reputation for platforming great live music in Soho. There is even a collection of amazing paintings that the owner paints himself and press clippings of some of the stars that have frequented Jazz After Dark in the past , so your always looking out to see if you will be sitting next to Kevin Spacey, Kate Moss or any other famous fans that frequent Jazz After Dark. One of the press clippings on the wall for a major newspaper is of a story that Pete Doherty once came in and paid £5000 for a picture of Kate Moss painted by the owner that used to hang on the wall! Jazz After Dark gets five stars from me - Food is great and cheap, Cocktails are amazing - But its the music, astmosphere and history of Jazz After Dark that make it so legendary :) .

Went to Jazz after dark last week on Thursday night, we were a group of 10 celebrating a friends birthday, it was an amazing night.
They had 2 bands playing first one was jazz / funk with a great female vocalist she had us all up dancing. After that they had a blues band playing it was a really good funky blues band which was great value for only £5 admission.
We had the Set Menu @ £12.95 for 3 courses great value, the food was really good.
I cannot understand the negative reviews mabye its hard to please some people.
However Jazz after dark is well worth a visit and we are already planning our next night out.

I really dont understand any negative comments here. I have been going to this place for years and really love it .... The owners are amazing people the bands are great and the food and drink are good as well ... I have worked as a reviewer for bars before on a major magazine title and know what Im talking about ... Its a small and cosy place that is just brilliant . Anyone who is a music lover should go there at two or three times and see the showcases that they put on.... A gem of a Soho bar ... Go see it for yourself ;)

Hi! We are from Belgium, so please excuse our English ;) My girlfriend and I went to Jazz After Dark on Fri 21/1/2011, during our city trip in London. We were very disappointed, because we are Jazz lovers, and Jazz After Dark is far far away from the "jazz spirit" that we were searching.- Staff and waiters very rude and unfriendly. They act as if they were in Carnegie Hall.- Prices are too expensive for this poor quality- They promise us a table in front of the stage into the hour, because it was not the crowd. After an hour and half, we could see from the bar where we were sitting that there were at least 5 chairs free. I have asked "why we can't sit there" and the waiter lied to us saying it was full! I ask upset to another server, who "by chance" this time find us a place (of course, just a couple and 5 chairs free in the room, we are lucky that he has found a place for us.)- The guy who paints Amy is very strange and eccentric, not commercial at all- You pay for a concert, and you couldn't hear anything because the cocktail blender/mixer makes more noise than a Boeing 747so, never again. Just a thank you to the big man who has played Saxo (but, I don't know if he is part of the business) , he was very cool. Ty Mister "five Years" full of surprising ;) Vince - Brussels

A dingy, creepy place, which in itself is not a bad attraction seeing as it is a 'traditional' Soho venue.

I was hungry, and decided to check this place out, and fancied fish and chips. The waiter came, gave me the bill, and asked for the money in advance of me eating (did I look suspicious? don't think so)
I foolishly paid in advance, as I was so hungry, and put their behaviour down to eccentricity on behalf of the owner, but in retrospect I should have just walked out staight away. Anyhow, the food was rubbish.

Can't comment on the live music, as it was not happening whilst
I was there, but on hearing that these skinflint owners only pay
the musicians £15 a night each, I can imagine that the musicians use the place as a rehearsal opportunity.
No, I am not one of the disgruntled musicians, but think it a disgrace that such exploitation of musicians by the club owners takes place.
Absolutely no respect for the performing artists. It seems thatsSelf esteem within the music world is generally very low in this country.

If you wish to save your money, and temper, then I highly recommend that you avoid this horrible dive like the plaque.

Jazz After Dark is a joke! I had a terrible time there last Saturday, the equipment wasn't working hence the band started late, if it's a music venue why can't they get their equipment sorted!? Later that evening after it was looking that everything will be fine after they got it working but Amy Winehouse's dad turned up with bunch of drunk friends and overtook the stage making it feel like some downtown karaoke place! What a waste of time and money. My advice: don't go there!

We went last night, paying £15 for music-only tickets. The band were due to play from 10.30-2.30. Brilliant, we thought - we can get in 1.5 hours of music before we have to get the tube home.

Well - the band didn't show up until 10.40. At 10.45 we heard them tell the owner one of the amps was broken. The owner just casually said it had been broken by the band the night before and to fiddle around with the jacks. They did, but couldn't get all players and the vocalist heard. Their singer headed off to find new equipment and around 11pm they played their first song, without the singer. She returned 10 mins later with a new mic. At 11.20 they played their first song as a group, and her mic was still not working - we were at a table at the back and couldn't hear anything.

At this point I told the manager we wanted to leave, and wanted our £15 back, as the band were almost an hour late starting, we could only stay another 30 mins, and we couldn't even hear them. She eventually agreed to give us £10 each, and we asked the doorman for the money as we left. He said she had told him we could have £5 each - it took a lot of fuss to get her to agree to this again. The cheek of it - we should have had all £15 back given what we actually got to see!

Also we ordered a jug of cocktail which at £17.95 was small, half empty and very watered down. We didnt eat but food looked awful and I heard 2 other tables complaining about various things while there. The owners oil paintings of Amy Winehouse are disturbing - its like a shrine in there!!

Overall - poorly organised, badly run, rude owners and overpriced drink. Go to the upstairs room at Ronnie Scotts down the road - £10 for a brilliant night.

I've got to hand it to this place, as far as music it is second to none. I bought tickets to see a jazz funk band play here despite all the one-star reviews because they all seemed to slate the service, not the music. I thought to myself that if I prepared myself for awful service then perhaps the music would come through and the night would be a success - as it turns out I was right!

My girlfriend, best friend and I all love jazz music and as big fans of Ronnie Scotts we were looking for a good atmosphere and great music. We booked early (£15 each) and secured stage-side tables (on the promise that we would be eating as only those who eat get the best tables), and arrived around ten.

Sure enough there is an overwhelming pressure to a) buy the not-so-good food and b) consume more alcohol, and the owners seem blissfully unaware that this pressure might in some way take away from customer's evenings. That said - if you are expecting it and make sure you choose wisely from the menu (we ate early then just grabbed light snack type dishes for minimal cost) then your night is sure to be a great one. Cocktails are average fare and there's no draught beer but that aside the atmosphere from the other clientellle in this tiny place more than makes up for it.

Overall I would recommend but purely for the high-class jazz and atmosphere. Most definitely not for service and quality of cuisine!

If only the management would read the overwhelming amount of poor reviews on here and make some basic changes...

Went there on a Sat night. Was a total disaster! Ticket costs £15, which is a reasonable price for a jazz club in Soho.

But the service is rubbish! We arrived there 9.30pm and the band starts at 10.30. The two girls sitting next to us were there for dinner and later on bought a drink.

At around 10.30, the owner came to ask them to leave as they didn't buy jazz tickets, which is reasonable.

But the owner came across really agressively and demanding to start with, which made the girls very angry as well.

They argued that they asked the waitress if they have enough time to have a drink and the waitress said yes.

Now they were asked to leave even though they haven't finished the drinks and spent quite a lot on food already. As an outside, I'd be angry as well if I were them.

The way the owner and waitresses did come across very money driven and don't care about customer service.

As we arrived early when people were still having dinner, we sat at the very back of the bar.

Later on as people left for the meal, there are plenty of seats empty at the front. The owner invited some customers to move to the front but completely forgot about us sitting at the back!

I asked the waitress if she can move us as well. She said there are no seats available. I had to raise my voice and argue with her that it's not fair we had to compromise sitting at the back and couldn't see anything just because she forgot about us.

She then asked 4 customers to squeeze on one bench and empty 2 seats for us. Don't think the customers were happy either!

Overall, the message is DO NOT EVER GO TO THIS CLUB! Music is average, and service is very poor and you'd better spend £15 each somewhere else and enjoy more!

A typical tourist trap. Extortionate entrance charges, abysmal pay for bands whom play here, dingy (but not in the cosy way) décor, and over-priced cheaply-sourced food.

The venues’ ‘reputation’ appears to rely solely on the claim that Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty are ‘regulars’, whereas appearances by both could undoubtedly be counted on one hand.

Indeed, this claim is perhaps indicative of the demographics of whom the venue is aimed towards; those desperate to be associated with celebrity chic, and those whom knowledge of music - or indeed what actually constitutes as ‘jazz’ - is minimal.

Avoid.

I'm something of a regular to this Bar. To be honest the portraits on the wall and seeing the odd celeb there (I have seen may here!) is part of its quirky charm in an age of theme bars/pubs.

I will admit tho the standard of the live music is quite variable. By far the best night I have been to is a Thursday.

There is a band who play that night each week who are way better than most of the bands I have seen there.

They are called Bluesmix....quite a well known band in London blues circles. Fantastic stuff....blues with a funk edge.

And they have a guest band play later too. Its a great night out. So my advice...stick to the tapas food (its very nice and way better than the other dishes), go on Thursday night, let down your hair and have a great time! Joe

Never Again! We went to spend New Years Eve at jazz after dark encouraged by their website saying "Celebrate New Years Eve Here with band playing an up-tempo selection of covers & originals, making this the place to be".

We now wish we read the reviews on View London. The band was completely disorganised. At 22:15 the CDs were stopped and band supposed to start playing ..we think. We were waiting for 45 minutes in silence for any kind of noise!

Well – we could hear the cocktail blenders!! Neither manager nor staff noticed anything. At 23:00 the band started playing. After 1st track they stopped playing for 5 minutes, so after the 2nd and 2 more.

Around 23:15 they probably needed a break because they stopped playing completely which was good in a way and Cds were back on but also stopped and changed few times. A! forgot the Jazz! Dirty Dancing songs went on around midnight. We noticed the New Year started just because of noise from the street outside!!!

I went to Jazz after Dark on Saturday night with three friends having pre-booked. First of all pre-booked is supposed to be £10 but they charged us £15 when entering. Secondly they placed us at a table where we could neither see nor hear the band properly; it was merely like weak background music. They had booked in a private party in the area where the band plays so we could not even go to see the band. We were utterly disappointed with our night after paying £60 entry between us to get in for what was basically a birds nesting table between 4 of us and no real sense of a jazz club at all. I did go up and gatecrash the party in the end to listen to the music I had paid for and it was most definitely average when it comes to jazz! The Blues Bar on Kingley Street is way above this place in standard of music, staff and atmosphere.
Also the place was a homage to Amy Whinehouse, Kate and Pete, with terrible portraits of them all over the walls and a random one of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Please give me a bucket!
This is the worst overrated tourist trap. Of that there is no doubt!

I went to Jazz After Dark with some friends recently on a Saturday night - the place is small and has a great atmosphere. The Big Girls Blues Band were playing - we had never heard of them before and took a chance - they were fantastic - sang a mixture of soul, and funky songs - as the evening went on people pushed the tables back and got up and danced. The band were friendly - they even bought me a glass of wine! I took their details I will definitely be going back to see them next time they play.

I would avoid this Jazz After Dark at all costs! The food really was appalling. The barbequed mixed grill was over £10.00, came on a plate the size of a side plate, half of which was covered with salad. The chicken was raw in the middle, there was a processed chip shop style sausage and burger and about five soggy chips under the chicken!


The music was okay, but not of a Saturday night out standard. I don't know how Jazz After Dark keeps going as no one could possibly go back a second time!

I visited Jazz After Dark for New Years Eve at a cost of £45.00 including a three course meal. As soon as I stepped in the door I was disappointed as the decor and atmosphere was very basic and dated.


It was too crowded at the tables and the food was well below average. The Jazz After Dark staff were friendly but this did not make up for the atmosphere and the food.

I went to Jazz After Dark with the view that it would be a great evening for a meal and live music. Unfortunately when I went, the meal was not particularly nice and music was being delivered through a regular Hi Fi. I'm sure they have good nights at Jazz After Dark, but this wasn't one of them.

To all,

I would not go back to Jazz After Dark. We booked for a night out for someone who really likes jazz. There were 8 of us and I booked plenty of time in advance. When we arrived they had put us in the little side bit.

We were so squashed we couldn't fit the plates properly on the table. We left Jazz After Dark early as we could not enjoy the jazz. Food is okay but nothing spectacular.

I went to Jazz After Dark last night (Thursday) and loved the place. The music was fantastic. They had a blues band called BluesMix playing who were really great, which created a really nice atmosphere.

As for the Jazz After Dark bar itself... I really liked the relaxed vibe. In the window they had an advert for Pete Doherty and Babyshambles!

And guess what? Early on in the night he was sat at a corner table quiety eating dinner. Great for celeb spotting!

Nothing but good things to say about this place. Sure its a little funky and different, but the fact that it's not yet another boring All Bar One or something similar is part of its appeal to me. I would highly recommend Jazz After Dark on a Thursday, when the band I mentioned plays every week.

Jazz After Dark is a complete let down on expectations, and I would recommend anybody looking for a fun night out to avoid it as this venue is a complete rip-off. Nobody who works there seems to know what they are doing (we made a reservation which only one person knew about) and the service is possibly the worst in town.

Although I didn't get a chance to hear the music at Jazz After Dark the aggravating service is surely not worth it. Even after complaining nobody offered an apology, so we ended up leaving as it would have been better to sit at home and listen to the radio. It is definitely not worth £10.00 a head - regrettably this did not happen just to us, three other uknown couples that went out all had the same poor experience.
Good luck if you do decide to go!

I hadn't been to Jazz After Dark for a while until last Thursday. I've always liked the place, it has a quirky charm! But in the past I found the food to be a little hit and miss, the same with the bands.

This time though, Jazz After Dark was excellent!
I noticed the food was much better than before and the music was truly superb. It featured a blues band called BluesMix who created a wonderful,friendly atmosphere and played some lovely blues music. This place has to be one of the best kept secrets in Soho.

Yes, alright, the food at Jazz After Dark is not fantastic, the owners aren't particularly friendly, but the service staff are courteous and efficient and the band we saw were excellent!

Platform 4, a New Orleans funk, jazz and soul band, rocked Jazz After Dark with a tasteful covers sets, that had people mesmerised, and by the end of the night, singing and dancing!

This was the best night out I have had in a long time. Great vibes...

I have to admit that my experience of Jazz After Dark was somewhat different to those of some previous visitors’ comments. Whilst I respect that the décor and size of a restaurant are not a necessity for a good evening with friends, I do feel that the quality of the food ordered is.

The Tenor set menu at Jazz After Dark was quite poor, as someone else has said, being simply a portion from an appetiser menu, supplemented with potato wedges for sustenance. I would recommend any future visitors to request the a la carte menu.

I also found the entrance fee steep for early evening. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the live music as we moved on, but I’m sure this is where the magic of Jazz After Dark must lie, as it certainly was not in its food.

For all those who didn't like the live music at Jazz After Dark, I'd like to invite you on Wednesday 2nd November to listen to my gig. It's selection of blues, standard jazz and some good pop music which is played by Pierluca (an exellent guitarist)and me(singer).

I hope you'll have a chance to say that gig at Jazz After Dark was good. See you there.

To be honest, Jazz After Dark just has a better ring to it than ‘jazz at breaktime’ or 'jazz in the morning just after Trisha’. And as all the best jazz musicians free-style anyway it doesn’t matter how dark it is – ‘cos they don’t have to read any music.
Jazz After Dark makes sense in this crazy mixed up world, and I like it for that.

Jazz After Dark is a great place! How wrong can those other reviewers be? For sure Jazz After Dark is quirky but that is part of the charm. I for one am sick of the usual cattle shed type bars in central London playing drum'n'bass with people packed in like sardines. Jazz After Dark is fast turning into a cult place to go for a casual drink in a friendly atmosphere. I go pretty much every other Thursday after work. In the past I - or my mates - have seen Billie Piper, Grace Jones, Badly Drawn Boy (what's his name?) and Amy Winehouse all there sitting around drinking. The food is ok, not great though, but the real reason to go is not for a meal (eat first!) but for the atmosphere. It has quirky charm and great live blues music on Thursday nights. On other nights the music at Jazz After Dark can be hit and miss but on Thursdays it's a blues band playing a loose/improv type set of funkyish blues. It is really nice! Like the other reviewer said, Amy Winehouse got up and sang with that band. I've seen her do that twice now. She has an amazing voice! I recommend you check out Jazz After Dark on the Thursday blues night!

Jazz After Dark is horrid. This place is a non-place. Tiny, no space, no character it looks like an Eastern European bar with some objects that may recall South American style (provided you are drunk). The music before the live music starts is broadcast through a portable music device (the ones that breakdancers use on the street). Not only that the food at Jazz After Dark is bad and expensive and the live music is not music but rubbish. Guys, do not go to Jazz After Dark unless you want to suffer.

If you are into your food or atmosphere then Jazz After Dark is not for you. I am not a snob but the food tasted a little tough and the ingredients didn't seem fresh. Decor-wise, Jazz After Dark has the feel of a school cafeteria, old plastic placemats included. I wouldn't recommend going here unless you are really drunk and don't care.

I have to say I completely disagree with the other reviewers here. Maybe it depends which night of the week you go to Jazz After Dark. Me and 3 friends go to this place about once a month...always on a Thursday night when they have an excellent live blues band. I can't comment on dinner but to be honest this is more a place for having plenty of drinks in a friendly atmosphere.

And, as I say, if you like real live music of a bluesy type you really should visit on a Thursday night. The other week we were there and Amy Winehouse got up and sang with the band for a while. What a treat! And totally unexpected.

We pre-booked because we were told it was essential (although they let people come without pre-bookings) but the real horror began when we walked through the door, the place was as big as your living room and the tables and chairs were designed for toddlers! The food was awful (the Main Course was just a portion from the appetisers accompanied with potato wedges to make it look big). The band/music was awful and did no justice to Jazz.

Later on in the evening we were asked if they could “squeeze in two more people” beside us (as if we had a lot of room to breathe to begin with!). The attitude of the staff was very unfriendly (it seemed their main job for the evening was to CRAM as many people as possible rather that provide a good service). It was a WASTE OF TIME, MONEY and would I STRONGLY not recommend it to anyone. Please do yourself a favour and don't go!

Although it sounds reasonable and a cozy little place, its not really. we payed £10 each (pre booked may I add) to get there and find out that the seats are at the back of the club and we can't see the band. Staff were unfriendly and there was no space at all. People who payed £8 for dinner got the better tables and the band mainly played cover tunes no originals and they took very long breaks where we had to endure listening to Vanilla Ice! On the whole it is not worth going there for the price you pay! And definiteley not for the music.

This is a wonderful bar. A wide variety of artists play here and it's a great place to just have fun. Food and cocktails are great. The service is great: the couple who run the place are always ready to have a chat.