This secreted away, cosy taste of Scandinavia lies – perhaps surprisingly – in the very heart of Central London. A winter wonderland at any time of year, it’s enough to charm the woolly socks off the hardiest Grinch.

The Venue
Located on Newman Street, a short walk from both Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street stations, Nordic Bar can be a little hard to find. However, it’s worth persevering as down a short stairway lays an achingly charming world of Scandinavian touches that makes every day seem like Christmas.

Upon entering, you’ll find yourself in a slightly narrowed area by the lengthy bar. The furnishings here are all dark, allowing the dimmed lighting emitting cosy purple and green hues to shine. Several attractive black leather high stools line the bar with a shelf running the wall behind with yet more high stools. This is the area to sit in if you’re serious about your drinking and don’t want to be too far from reach of the gleaming, seemingly endless bottles of intriguing spirits behind the bar. The bar itself is pleasantly decorated with blue fairy lights.

However, push past this space and the venue opens up to reveal more of its secrets. Tables more suited to dining, in similar dark wood as the bar, offer seating for groups of people indulging in the menu, whilst comfortable fur rug covered leather sofas and low tables with cute stools allow drinkers to settle in for the evening. The biggest highlight of the venue, however, is the plethora of little touches that keep you gawking throughout your visit. A reindeer head hangs regally from the wall (Rudolph’s friend, perhaps?), surrounded by fir trees covered in sparkling lights. Furs (fake, of course), are hung across the walls interspersed by pictures of reindeers and wintry Scandinavian scenes. In contrast, an inconspicuous disco ball turns on the ceiling and one wall depicts a suited man downing a shot in a ‘how to’ fashion. The bizarre mix of cleverly put together touches makes this an intriguing place that’s hard not to fall for.

The Atmosphere
Even on a blistering hot summer’s day it’s hard to come into Nordic Bar and not get swept away by The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe winter styling. It’s an utterly charming place that’s especially enjoyable in the winter when the furs and reindeers make you feel festive, even in the long month of January.

Although it has an enviably central location, its off the beaten track positioning makes the bar pleasantly low on tourists. In the know drinkers, Scandinavian visitors and local office workers tend to fill the space with a skew towards the media professionals that work in the area. The crowd is quite young and thankfully friendly in their attitude. As you’d expect, the space starts to fill at the weekends and the wait at the bar increases. Their propensity to offer cocktails makes that wait even longer. However, the friendly staff are efficient and do spare some time for banter, so it’s hard to be too annoyed at having to wait your turn.

The Food
Although primarily a bar, Nordic Bar does offer a decent menu of Scandinavian dishes, sourced direct from Scandinavia or using traditional recipes. A lunchtime menu runs Monday-Friday 12pm-3pm and offers such unusual options as deep fried Norwegian cheese with Lingonberry jam, pyt y panna (£5.95 for a Swedish all day breakfast that includes hash of sauteed potatoes, bacon and sausage topped with a fried egg served with pickles and beetroot), and Swedish meatballs with mash and jam. However, it’s worth trying their Smorgasbord – meaning bread and butter table, consisting of a selection of meat, cheese, fish and bread for £7.50.

A similar evening menu is also available here from 5.30pm-10pm when you can buy Scandinavian twists on the usual bar food, such as the hamburger Lindstrom (£7.95 for a home made burger made with finely chopped capers and beetroot, served on a bun with fat chips and salad) or the Viking sausage and mash (£6.50), which comes with rosemary and red onion gravy served with Lingonberry jam.

The Drink
The cocktails are definitely the main draw of Nordic Bar, with a nice range of inventive themed cocktails that won’t blow your budget. They have twists on everything from Champagne cocktails to shooters. Recommended is the Longberry (muddled blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, Finlandia lime vodka, Lapponia blueberry liqueur, sugar and fresh lemon topped with Lingonberry juice, and finished with Creme De Mure), which is a complex cocktail with a delicate berry flavour for £6.95. Alternatively, the Snow Cone (two whole fresh passion fruits, mixed with pineapple and passion syrups, peach schnapps and peach puree with apple vodka and fresh lime) shows how Nordic Bar doesn’t skimp on real fruit and quality ingredients. If you prefer martinis then the Xtreme Chill (fresh crushed chilli and passionfruit with passion syrup, together with a large Reyka vodka mixed with orange and pineapple juice) is sure to heat up your evening.

If you’re brave enough to try out the shooters, then the amusingly named Norway Am I Drinking That! should be given a go. Alternatively, as bizarre as it sounds, sample the Scandinavian Cereal Killer (peach Schnapps, Reyka vodka, passion syrup, cream and Rice Crispies). Rice Crispies in a shooter? Really.

If you’re not a cocktail drinker then they have three Nordic draughts in the form of Carlsberg, Carlsberg Export and Tuborg. They also have several bottled beers like Lapin Kulta, Stockholm, Elephant, Crocodile, Tuborg, Jacobsen (Saaz Blonde) and Jacobsen (Bramley Wit) as well as some varieties of Kopparberg. There are also several red, white and rose wines to choose from.

The Last Word
Nordic Bar is a heart-warming place that melts away the outside world for a few hours. The cocktails alone are worth adding it to your must visit list.

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