In the middle of Denmark Street is 12 Bar Cafe, an all out rocker’s bar, cafe and live music venue.

The Venue
With its location planted firmly in the middle of London’s notorious Denmark Street, 12 Bar Cafe could only take the shape of one image and it has done so without pulling any punches. It feels like walking into an old dingy basement with an aroma of a builders cafe. That’s because you’ll find three or four tables with people tucking into some cheap grub as you walk through the front door. The black ceiling is low, the walls are heavily coated in red paint and coloured fairy lights are casually draped around the walls and front door. A little DJ booth is tucked away in the corner and decorated with A4 posters of various rock stars of past and present. Similarly, the walls are adorned in front covers of various music magazines including Rolling Stone and NME. One thing can be said for certain, it’s cramped and the cafe area is the only room with windows so once inside the 12 Bar Cafe your best friend almost immediately becomes the artificial lighting.

Step through the open doorway and you’re into the bar area. Decorated in the same manner as the cafe area it feels dark and anti-authoritarian. From the bar there are two other rooms you can venture into. One is painted entirely black and has an elevated section in the corner that looks like a block. That’s where you’ll find the band in the evenings. The other room is the games room consisting of a pool table, a fruit machine, a quiz machine and a couple of the popular classic 1980s tables that double-up as arcade games.

The Atmosphere
There’s no doubting that this is a rock house - punk, metal you name it but there is a distinct ‘us and them’ feeling about the place. Unless you’ve turned up looking like Slash or Zakk Wylde then you’ll be made to feel like an outsider. The service isn’t great during the day either as the staff would rather be chummy with their pals than do their jobs. The music coming from the DJ booth is Denmark Street through and through. Expect a lot of guitars and drums, some epic solos and serious attitude.

Live music comes to you seven nights a week with an aim of getting around four acts to perform every night. Although you’ll find a very diverse range of sounds at here, according to their recent lineup acoustic songwriters are probably featured more regularly. An open mic and stage night takes place every Sunday from 5pm till 8pm and will cost you £3 to watch.

The Food
If you’re lucky enough to grab a table then the menu offers a variety of cheap dishes from 9am till 9pm. A panini with chips and salad costs £4.50 whilst a jacket potato comes in at £4.50 with various fillings. The homemade meat and veggie burgers come with fries and salad and are each named after a music genre. The list includes Rock n’ Roll, Reggae, Folk, Jazz, Blues, Metal and Punk amongst others and a taste of each genre will cost you £5.95. Other dishes include pasta penne, chilli con carne, sausage and mash and omelettes.

The Drink
The café serves a selection of coffees and soft drinks whilst the bar offers Red Stripe, Spitfire Kentish Ale, Guinness, Fosters and your usual vodka mixes. For that quick kick you’ll pleased to heat that Snakebites are also sold here.

The Last Word
12 Bar Cafe is a great choice for a bite before a cheap night of live music in London if you don’t mind the cramped conditions.

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