The cool younger brother in The Elbow Rooms chain, this place adds its own ingredients to the American pool hall formula.

The Venue
Just off Old Street down Curtain Road, the Elbow Room is on the edge of Shoreditch near the City. The pool hall inside is dark and designed like a club, creating a night time atmosphere whatever time of the day you wander in.

The decor consists mostly of leather with nice Shoreditch finishes like embroidered stools and framed street scene photographs. Obviously, the star attraction are the seven luxurious pool tables with signature purple felt, which available to hire per hour: £6 off-peak and £10 Wednesday-Saturday after 6pm. Book beforehand if you want a game in the evening or you will have to wait at least a couple of hours. You can also watch sports on the small screens and projections scattered around.

The Atmosphere
Unlike the other Elbow Room venues, the pool tables here tend to have their own area rather than being laid out in uniform rows, so you lose some of the competitive atmosphere. The knock of a new break on a table still beckons some serious pool players, but people generally come in big mixed-sex groups to drink, dance and socialise as well as shoot a few games. During the week, the City suits can dominate by booking up all the tables. The bar also brings in students and a more suburban crowd for a drink and dance come the weekends, as well as Shoreditch regulars.

The Music
The Elbow Rooms is a bit of a guilty pleasure, so after a few drinks when you can no longer handle a pool cue, it’s a fun place to let loose. There’s no main dancefloor so it’s good to have a table to give you and your group a proper area. Fridays generally offers up hip hop and soul, whilst Saturdays adds a bit of house and disco to the mix.

The Food
With American pool must come hearty, American-style burgers, cooked to your taste and loaded up with chips and salad. Reasonable at around £7 and the choice of additional toppings is endless. Other options are sandwiches, salads, wraps, and the deliciously meaty sharing platter. Vegetarians are well catered for as well, with veggie versions of the burger and platter, as well as plenty to choose from with the smaller side dishes. The quality is generally good and it’s half price on selected meals Monday-Friday lunchtimes.

The Drink
The service at the Elbow Rooms is not the quickest so easy group orders of beer are generally the way to go. The usual spirits are also on offer, with coke, Red Bull and the rest. The cocktails are passable and only £3 at happy hour, but avoidable at full price.

The Last Word
Elbow Room is always a good place to play pool - just book and get there early or you could be disappointed.

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