One of the better offerings from the Late Night London chain, The Long Acre is a mix of bar and pub that should appeal to both men and women. It’s a big draw for local office workers, tourists and shoppers, based as it is on the corner of its namesake - Long Acre.

The Venue
The Long Acre is a well placed bar, located less than two minutes away from Leicester Square tube, on the corner of Long Acre - by the iconic St Martins Lane. It’s next to impossible to miss this large, gleaming building with its huge glimmering sign proclaiming, The Long Acre.

Inside, there’s much-needed (and appreciated) seating, with a range including high chairs, leather booths and circular sofas that can accommodate larger groups. These become packed very quickly on the weekends, so be sure to get there by 5.30pm or you’ll be left standing by the central bar. The huge windows, on three sides of the ground floor, allow for people watching in the evenings and plenty of light to flood in during the day, which is a real bonus. However, if the venue is too busy there’s always the lounge downstairs - the private booths are a little more intimate and a good place for a date.

The overall decor is the perfect amalgamation of bar and pub. A neutral colour scheme with plenty of wood and leather seating merges the two into one central venue, deftly walking the line to keep everyone happy.

The Atmosphere
The Long Acre misses out on the chav element that infects many of the surrounding bars of the area, instead appealing to a more upmarket, office crowd - especially after work on a Friday. The vibe is laid back and has a feel of people getting warmed up before hitting the clubs and more raucous bars nearby, rather than people out to make this the end point of their night. That doesn’t mean there’s not an underlying upbeat atmosphere here - far from it. Conversation is loud, people have fun and it’s all pretty damn good.

The staff are efficient and adept at dealing with the peak time crushes at the bar - you’ll never be left waiting too long for your bevy, important after a particularly hectic week.

The Food
The typical Late Night London menu is on offer at The Long Acre. Anyone who’s eaten at these venues will know it tends to be decent grub to line the stomach at low prices. A fish finger sandwich, for example, is just £4 and is greasy enough to get you ready for a session. Nachos are also pretty good for sharing with mates. If you want a main meal, options like pork and herb sausages with black pudding and mustard mash; beer battered fish and chips; or a range of gourmet beef burgers are on offer - all for under a tenner - so you don’t have to squander too much of your precious alcohol fund. This is made even better by the nibbles and sharers menu that becomes available from 5pm to cater for hungry groups of mates out on the lash - now they‘re talking! From platters priced at around a tenner and laden with grub, to individual nibbles of chips, wedges, mozzerella sticks and the like for just £3-£4, you‘ll definitely find something to fill a hole.

The Drink
Fitting in with the bar-meets-pub theme, there is a great combination of reasonably priced beer and cocktails on offer here, alongside a surprisingly large and impressive selection of 30 red and white wines, a handful of roses, and even Champagne. Ranging from £10 to £30 the wines are carefully described so you can select the one most suited to your tastes, and easily laid out so you can choose your favourite grape or region. A real bonus for such a bar - how many similar establishments can boast a £195 bottle of Krug vintage?

Although there aren’t a huge range of cocktails on offer, they’re decent quality and cheap, and they cover the full range of classics. At less than £6 a drink - cheaper in the happy hour - it’s almost unforgivable not to at least sample the mojito, bramble, mai tai, sex on the beach, caipirinha and such like. Especially good value for money are the Champagne cocktails at just £6 each. The Bellini is particularly good, mixing Archers and Champagne for a sparkling, fruity take on a dull glass of Champers.

The Last Word
The Late Night London chain doesn’t always get it right, but in this case they’ve hit the nail on the head, mixing bar and pub together for a venue high in atmosphere and low in price. A decent find.

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