The Cocoanut has all the makings of a hipster house party: stupidly cheap drink, the best crowd on the indie and alternative music scene, and way too much student fun by candlelight. This is the place to launch your night - if you can find it, that is.

The Venue
Finding The Cocoanut is a task in itself. It’s situated in the most unlikely of places down residential Mill Street (a short walk from Kingston’s hub). It’s a surprise to see the shabby premises hold a decent crowd of young hipsters, spilling over battered leather sofas and sitting on each others’ laps for lack of space. The Cocoanut is one of those cool, grimy pubs comprising beaten wooden tables and chairs alongside old upholstered armchairs and couches splattered with dried wax from the many surrounding candles, with your typical square bar manning the middle.

Apart from the main space, around the far side of the bar is a smaller, more private sitting area, although everyone’s eye is on it. Everything is maroon, from the velvet cushioned stools to the old carpeting, the walls and the bleeding candles in empty Stoli bottles guarding the fireplace. Fascinatingly awkward creatures made from twisted bits of metal and hub caps adorn the ceiling and one of the walls, one looking very much like part of the cast of Alien, and the other a sea horse.

A pool table gets use at the back of the first section of the pub, and behind it is a door leading out into their pleasant back garden. Very nicely done up with bird houses, lanterns, wooden decking, a thatched and plant covered trellis and thriving potted and toilet-bowled greenery everywhere, summer evenings knocking back Sol on their picnic tables is to be relished.

The Atmosphere
Without a doubt, the decor at The Cocoanut indicates that it’s fast on the heels of the cheap and cheerful trend. Also, because it’s smack bang in the middle of a residential area, you get the sense that you’re at a grungy house party and any minute your mum’s nosey neighbour is going to come round and bang on the bay window with her broomstick about the racket.

Artsy, fashion-forward students from Kingston University haunt the joint in the early evening, drinking cheap drinks before heading off to parties. Or they might pop in during the afternoon after class for a burger whilst lazily flipping through the meagre book collection on offer in their BBC Raw Book Swap corner.

The Music
You’ll hear music from the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend, the White Stripes - you get the idea. Shotgun on Thursdays features everything from reggae and ska to electro, punk and soul. Saturdays is Sound, a mash-up of the latest indie and alternative tracks. DJs spin nightly, busting out just about everything missing from the sets at Oceana down the street.

The Food
Served until 5pm, they offer a simple yet appetising menu of mostly sandwich-type options (bagels, burgers, paninis and bloopers), as well as some salads. They boost themselves up from other bar food menus by throwing some interesting ingredients into the mix like Greek feta in their Papa Harry burger, Reggae Reggae and Peri Peri chicken, Normandy brie, tangy chutney and pineapple. Their most popular burger seems to be The Elvis (a classic with West Country cheddar and smoked streaky bacon at 5.75), but the majority of the items are under a fiver.

The Drink
Not many students these days are consulting the wine menu (or even asking for a menu at all) so their bar isn’t one to impress, as all most customers are downing is Grolsch, Snakebite and shots (only £2-£2.50). A few cheap wines and your basic spirit and mixer options are on offer, with a single going for £2. The young, trendy staff are good at suggesting odd concoctions from their limited range that will ‘get you there’ faster.

The Last Word
Too cool for school. If the indie kids in the area aren’t attending classes at Kingston University, this is where you’ll find them. The Cocoanut is an ideal student hideaway from the stresses of college life. Just be careful not to wake the neighbours.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (2)