96 Charing Cross Road,
Soho,
London,
WC2H 0JG
0872 148 1407
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Hi everyone! I was reading the reviews about bar salsa as we are going there tonight for a friend birthday! I born in South America and I am Married to an Albanian gentleman. I just find so offensive couple of reviews about Latin and Albanian people. All the negatives things I have read make me laugh because they are describing our immigrants very badly. Let me tell you that not everyone in Albania or South America is like that my husband and I, we both come from very educated and upper class families in our countries so we would not act like some people is describing in there comments. I think this people are generalising everyone which is really unfair and let me tell you that we have live in England for many years and we live in a very good area and even so I have found English people low class worst than Latinos or Albanias. I believe that it doesn't matter where you come from what it matters is your education and the social level that you belong to.
Estive no Bar Salsa ha duas semanas e fiquei impressionado com a vibe do lugar. Me senti em casa. A caipirinha estava em promocao (2.50) e era otima. Certamente voltarei para provar a comida que me pareceu bem boa.
It is fun place to dance, but DO NOT put anything valuable in the coat check! When I got my purse at the end of the night from the coat check yesterday, the zipper pocket was open and £20 was missing!!! I went back today to talk to the management and they were very rude and unaccommodating. I hope no one else has to experience this...
Bar salsa used to be one of the best venues in London for food and salsa. Since the new management and refurbishment the venue has declined in quality and good members.
Bar salsa is now a place for tourist and students only. So if you love nasty and greasy food, cheap but average drinks, drunken party people, guys that are worse than dogs in heat and stinking/flooded toilets this is the place for you!
PN: Now water must be bought inside and cloakroom is compulsory (thanks to the loss of revenue the club is having!)
Cristina
Myself and 4 other friends went to Bar Salsa last Friday for the first time and I must say that it is a really nice bar. Nice affordable food, cocktails, soothing music, friendly staff and a lively fun-loving, yet relaxed atmosphere. Bar Salsa has everything your looking for in a night out. I would definitely recommend going to bar salsa as it lived up to expectations and was in fact better than I had expected. I believe the manager was particularly helpful at the restaurant as she ensured we had a good time. 5*'s, I will definitely be going back with friends to the restaurant soon for a few more cocktails and nice food! :)
This is the place to go if you want to look upon a sea of middle aged singletons rubbing up against one another to a soundtrack of hideous, shrill faux-salsa music.
Also, if you want to be sexually harassed by a stream of overweight men who think it's appropriate to wear a loud shirt unbuttoned to the navel, Bar Salsa has the monopoly on that market.
The only positive is that the cocktails are nice and very cheap during happy hour on a Friday, but no amount of good value fruity alcohol will make up for the fact that while you're ordering at the bar you'll be frotted against by at least eight people.
I will never be visiting Bar Salsa ever again, unless it is on fire, in which case I will be there to convince the fire brigade to let it burn.
As someone who will be visiting from the USA soon I was hoping to find good places to go out dancing. I am a latina and I am very well versed in salsa and other forms of latin dance. Of course it is more enjoyable with a partner who knows what he is doing on the dance floor but never would I turn down an offer to dance nor would I be so rude as to walk away from my partner just because he is a beginner. Here in the USA I teach salsa and other forms of latin dance for beginners. My classes are mostly filled with white americans who want to learn at least the basics. Most of my students have no aspirations of becoming experts, they simply want to enjoy the music and the movements and that is what I emphasize; relax, feel the music,and move to it. A dance club is not a competition event, you are not being judged on your skills.
I hope that all of the negative experiences I've been reading about does not mean that I will be unable to find a partner should I go to this club. You don't have to be latin or extremely skilled at salsa you just have to be willing to get up and give it a try.
As a regular at Salsa, and as a female I can relate to all the previous posts. Yes it can get hellishly hot (but thats what cold water and the cool night air are there for.) and as the night goes on it does smell a little like sweat. The men there can be quite sleazy- just watch your distance when dancing with them- and these guys are in the minority (they tend to be the super confident 1s that ask EVERY female to dance until one says yes).
The majority of my nights there have been fun and a very good laugh- I always leave with my mood on high and a smile on my face (and very sore feet from dancing). The atmosphere is great and it keeps me coming back. I have taken numerous friends here and started their addiction to Salsa.
Food is average; service is friendly, if a little slow at busy times. I believe the place is now under new management/ownership now-its starting to look similar to Havana in Fulham
This has to be the most friendly place I've ever been. 50% off Happy Hour on the cocktails and sitting outside was so nice in this heat before piling downstairs for a dance class. The teacher was really funny, and as we were all beginners and pretty useless at the dance it was great to have someone so patient and entertaining. Great food, and then the place really heats up with the most amazing atmosphere, unlike other clubs I've been to here everyone seems to just talk to everyone. I'd never danced Salsa before yet people still asked me to dance, which was really nice, and I then asked some of the guys who were in the beginners class to dance and they joined our party. We got to keep our table all night too. This place as you would expect has a huge dance floor, the staff are really friendly, and I will definitely go back. I found out this place is open 7 nights a week, so maybe I'll cheer myself up on an occasional boring Sunday, or take the guys from work for after work happy hour drinks, they're really cheap, and cocktails were just fab
The worst pub/club I have been to! My friend booked it for a birthday party and a leaving do. The menu on the table was the wrong one, apparently ,and when we spoke to supervisor he was just saying "yes I know" and really wasn't listening to what we were saying. That is called "false advertising" and we should have gotten what was on the menu. When the manager arrived he was saying " It is a misprint and we are not giving you anything extra" appalling way to treat your customers! When our table was booked one informations was given and when we arrived it was something else! Who is running Salsa!! The food was mediocre, the waffle was dry like a bone and the fudge cake was hard like it was left out all day! The waitress was sweet and I did feel for her just doing her job and having customers who weren't happy. Our bill was wrong (£10 more then it should have been) and needless to say we didn't leave a tip. Not one member of the team introduce themselves and that includes supervisor and the manager! I work in a restaurant and I would never ever treat my customers like A peace of %%%%! Shame on you management of Salsa! I would never go back here again. The music was ok and I felt safe with other customers. I believe there are other better places to dance salsa and have Latin American Food.
I seem to be in a minority because I am a man. Unfortunately only an average one and not blessed with a dark or black skin and an ego three times as tall as anyone else. The dance classes are fine and pleasant and friendly. But after the classes its the experienced who take over the place, with a vengence. No girl there will dance with a beginner! They all want the dark skinned salsa experts. Now two problems arise, firstly, as a white and uk born man, I thought that I should feel comfortable in my own country but at Salsa! I feel inadequate. Secondly, there is a kind of pecking order! Unless you have already been seen demonstrating a very good standard of salsa dancing then no girl will dance with you. I even saw two girls start dancing only to walk away because they were not happy with the mans standard. Its difficult to think of anything more belittling that that. Now I am not bad at dancing generally but latin American has an inherent problem! It has set steps and anywhere in the world they are the same. I went to a birthday party with a flamenco guitarist and dancer and during the rest a Nigerian friend asked the guitarist to dance latin with her but he was rather embarased as he was not so good. I do have to say she is good though. So to conclude, if a man you should only go there with a few friends to include dancing partners as otherwise you will not get anyone else to dance with you after the lesson unless you have salsa medals! Tony Glazier
I went on Sunday 27 March with my hubbie and had a fantastic time. Everyone was so friendly and I just enjoyed the atmosphere.
continuation ...
In this Latin place there are very few Latinos , and very few European , if you meet someone from Portugal in reality is from Angola Africa , ( even those from Afghanistan claim to be from Portugal ) , if you meet someone from France in reality is from Algeria or morocco , there are a considerable number of people from the middle east such Irak , Iran Turkey and Afghanistan , this people behave as though they have never seen a woman in their lives so when they see an European woman they think is an easy prey , one of my worst experiences in this place was with a tall guy kind of black mixed ,who wants to look like Spanish Zorro, dressing with a black hat , and posing always next to the DJ in the stage to appear as an important man in salsa , this Mr nobody who I understand is from Angola (or maybe cuba) is the most disgusting man that I have seen in this place , he follows girls everywhere and when I was dancing with my boyfriend this guy insisted I should dance with him by make strange faces from the distance so my boyfriend couldn’t see him, I would strongly advise him Mr Zorro to wash his sweated armpit before making any attempt to talk to a girl , it would be also advisable if his removes his hat once in a while so he can shake all the lice from his head … it is a pity that salsa bar is not the same place I visited many year ago , you go to a Latin place and you find bouncer from Albania and his friends imposing their foreign and very backward ways , and all these disgusting characters such as Mr Zorro who they really look as they are running away from the jungle of Angola or escaping from their country in banana boat then , he so desperately arrives in salsa Charing cross 96
hasesj , Im sorry to hear about your but experience unfortunately you are right ; let me tell you something , I went to salsa many year ago and it was not like that , first of all the bouncers are most of them from the Balkan somewhere around Kosovo Albania and similar , so what they do ( these ignorant) they let all their friends to enter for free , this people are far different from people from Latin countries , so they try to blend in a culture which doesn’t not belong to them at all , but they force their way to make appear natural to them. Dance one minute with one of them and the second dance he will try to kiss straightaway-.
In this Latin place there are very few Latinos , and very few European , if you meet someone from Portugal in reality is from Angola Africa , ( even those from Afghanistan claim to be from Portugal ) , if you meet someone from France in reality is from Algeria or morocco , there are a considerable number of people from the middle east such Irak , Iran Turkey and Afghanistan , this people behave as though they have never seen a woman in their lives so when they see an European woman they think is an easy prey , one of my worst experiences in this place was with a tall guy kind of black mixed ,who wants to look like Spanish Zorro, dressing with a black hat , and posing always next to the DJ in the stage to appear as an important man in salsa , this Mr nobody who I understand is from Angola (or maybe cuba) is the most disgusting man that I have seen in this place , he follows girls everywhere and when I was dancing with my boyfriend this guy insisted I should dance with him by make strange faces from the distance so my boyfriend couldn’t see him, I would strongly advise him Mr Zorro to wash his sweated armpit before making any attempt to talk to a girl , it would be also advisable if his removes his hat once in a while so he can shake all the lice from his head … it is a pity that salsa bar is not the sam
I was really curious about this place, some friends told me about it good things others bad things but as always you can never say anything unless you go and watch it for yourself.
here is what will happen if you go to try to find out.- unwelcoming people that will just ask you to pay money and more money with their large faces, as if they are doing a favour to receive you (this has never happened to me in other salsa places, usually latin people are really nice)-
the hottest environment you can ever find (and i don't mean it like hot for good place, it is actually hot as hell) as soon as you enter you may want to take out your coat or jacked, it is insupportable.
- later if you want to dance you will end with somebody else's sweat (disgusting!!) but if you don't mind I'll tell you that the room is "so big" that this will happen anywhere inside the place. (truly.. disgusting!)
- i tend to forget my camera in my coat so when me and my friends want to take some pictures i just go back to the cloak room and say "please can i have my coat back for a second" and grab my camera and give my coat back.
this has happened to me three times and the two first nobody had any trouble. but in this place they wanted to charge me again. ¿? it makes no sense!!
- so "if you have a complain, talk to the bouncer" who will be happy to find any word you say to use it as excuse to show that he is stronger than you.
This is what make the best of the night, i asked to talk with the manager in a really calm way and he just started yelling at me, man definitely you should never tolerate this behaviour from anybody, specially if you are paying for something.
oh yeah i almost forget, and he will call his other two bouncer friends because they want to make sure they have the last word.I am terrible disappointed from this place, my recommendation is, 'find it out your self' you'll see that it is not worth i
I loved this club. It was the first time I've been to a Salsa club and was a bit nervous about the dancing! However the atmosphere and the friendly people soon got me having fun and dancing.
Some reviews have found the men sleazy but I thought they were very polite and if you said no thanks to a dance they respected that. You have to be expected to be approached by men, they need someone to dance with!
I will definately be going back and will be bringing even more friends next time.
Most of the reviews here are pretty old, so I hope it doesn't reflect how the club currently is. Been to Salsa! on a Wed and Thurs for lessons and to dance, and have enjoyed the atmosphere. Most guys are pretty friendly and willing to ask girls for a dance, so you don't end up standing around too much if you went there by yourself. Met some lovely friends there too, who willingly introduced me to their friends so I never felt too 'foreign'. Been to other places before where people just stuck to their own clique, or weren't brave enough to welcome a newbie into their circle. Sleazy guys are in every salsa scene (unless you go with friends), and you just have to say 'no'.
Can't comment on the food as I haven't tried, but hey, it's meant for salsa!
I've been to many different dance socials, be it swing, ballroom, latin, ceroc, salsa... and I certainly did enjoy the music mix, the people, and my visits to Salsa! So would recommend it to anyone who's free on wed or thurs night (and possibly the other nights too)!
Big dance floor but on some days not big enough. Last Saturday night was very busy. Learning the basic steps was easy but they could have done away with the silly "warm up" to Ibiza style music. Crowd is very varied and you'll see lots of beginners but once the lesson is over the more experienced dancers take over. Cannot confirm "the seaze". Yes, you'll get asked to dance (shock! horror!) as this is Salsa and not a night club to wiggle about and people getting pissed. But if you don't like to dance just say so and you'll be left alone. Food is a bit tex-mex style but i have only eaten once. After all you'll go there to dance :-)
Week days are less busy and it starts conveniently around 7:30ish, so, perfect timing for an after work Salsa session and still be home by 10ish considering the lessons finishing around 8 or 9pm, depending on the day. Crowd is London office working folks mostly, especially on weekdays, with a few tourists thrown in.
It's true! Full of sleazy guys that maul you wherever you go! The guys are not respectful and do not leave you alone!
Weeknights might be better for serious dancers. Saturdays - the standard of dancers was really poor.
Some good music but a strange mix of crappy disco in between.
They play odd spurts of reggaeton which is good but needs to be more up to date.
I have been around 5 times over the last few years but it seems this place is becoming sleazier every time!
Too packed to dance properly - expect to be bashed, stepped on and grabbed :(
rubbish...
place full of sad looking ppl, who scared 2 dance to the crappyly slow music, which dj keeps interrupting...
This is the letter of complaint i sent today to this awful place.
I would like to complain about the appalling service and food we received on Saturday the 10th of November.
We had an 8:15 meal booked. we did bring one more person than we booked for which you couldn't immediately accommodate, we accept that this was our fault and we were told this would delay our meal by around half an hour. this was no problem at all. we were also asked to order at that point to help speed things up, which we did. About 15 mins later our complementy drinks were brought to the table.....well no they never made it as far as the table a tray of 12 bottles of san miguel and 1 fruit smoothiee got tiped over the back of one of out party members, glass was smashed over the floor and our dining area was made very slippery, the poor person was apoligised to and offerd a "shirt" to which he replied "No thanks i don't whish to ware any of your branded merchendise". No body from management came to apoligise and not even free drink was offered. one of the ladys from the group needed to go to the toilets to clean her hand bag because of the splash the beer had made hitting the floor. due to the resturant area being packed do tightly, with only really enough space for one peoson to get through she was finding it a slow process working her way through the crowd, this wasn't helped by a rude waiter pushing her in the back and demading she get out the way because he needed to get through, she rightly replied where can i go, look at all the people in my way, he barked back just move now.....This is not how a waiter should treat a customer.
By the time our main course finally arrived it was 22:20 which was a full 2 hours since we sat down partly this was out own fault for the whole extra person we brought with us, but we were told of may be a half hour delay not 2 hours. when the main course arrive it was almost enedable, the torttilas had not been warrmed in the slighest, the "di
I can't comment on the food or creepy men - I just went to learn Salsa, and have to say it was great fun. Beginners lessons are friendly, well organised and a snip at £5.00 per hour. My class ended with beaming smiles, as we all nailed down the basics, and wanted more, more salsa!
As a dance novice I didn't pre-book, opting to go alone, arriving just before 7pm on a Monday evening. After ditching my coat I made way downstairs to a wide open basement. The decor was not exceptional, if anything a touch cliched with simple colours - think Tex-Mex bar, but with a big dance floor.
The Salsa lessons were great and highly recommended. Thank you Salsa!
Went to Salsa! on Friday night and we are not rushing back. The lessons are great fun, but the service is very poor, with rude waiters who do not give you a chance to enjoy yourself before you are asked leave the table. Salsa! is not for me!
Salsa! is the best salsa bar in London. It has a very friendly atmosphere, with mostly foreingers. There are also lots of horny guys and wild girls who grab each other all night long. The Salsa! drinks and food sucks though.
If you love dancing and like dancing with people this is the place for you. The people at Salsa! are polite and the men are such gentlemen when asking you to dance.
I have to say it started off slowly but once the music starts your hips and feet just take over, and when your feet start hurting you to the point where you can't walk that's when you know you have had a good night and thats the night you get at Salsa!
If you just want to dance, get sweaty and be groped Salsa! is the place for you. If however you fancy a good night out with good food and cocktails, and space to dance with nice people, I would suggest you go elsewhere. Saturday night was a nightmare and I won't be rushing back.
There was no welcome drink at Salsa!, and the menu didn't reflect what was served. The dance teachers were nice and the lesson was a laugh, except you were being watched by the slimey men who were going to grope you later on in evening.
Want to have fun and dance, then Salsa! is for you. We had a fabulous party, plus three friends have booked birthdays there too. The lessons are great, and they are friendly people. Don't come if you are serious, and not up to party. Thursday at Salsa! is great too.
Salsa! is a nice place with good music and a fun atmosphere however it was far too hot for me, and our group had to leave after about half an hour because it was too stuffy! But otherwise Salsa! is a great place for music and dancing.
We went to Salsa! on Saturday and there were practically 15 other hen night parties there. If you want something special Salsa!is not the place to go. The dancing lessons were average, the food was slow to arrive and bland, and the atmosphere was non-existent.
I went to Salsa last night and it was the worst night of my life. Please only go here if you don’t mind being groped, and followed round the club by every man in there. Also, the average age of the men was 40+. It was extremely overcrowded and only worthwhile if you like the taste of sweat. Salsa was a complete waste of money.
Salsa is a great venue, thoughthe nights do vary. On Saturday, Salsa is best for parties with lots of fun dance music, Thursday night is for great dance lessons and more serious Salsa dancing. It depends what you want. Just go with an open mind and enjoy the latin spirit.
Well, Salsa! used to be great, I used to go there practically every week, but the last two times have been terrible. I went on Saturday for the LAST time, they played only one merengue and one salsa song between 12-2am...it was all stuff like Grease Lightning. I like a mixture but it was all crap music, the club was well overpacked as well with too many sleazes (to the point where you couldn't dance) and really too expensive for what it is!
I'm really sorry to see how Salsa! has changed from a great Latin party venue to a sleazy pick up joint.
I visited Salsa! for a friends hen night and, although the food and service left a lot to be desired, I had a great night of salsa dancing...even though it was a Saturday night! There were many good dancers there that night. I will be returning shortly and have heard that Mondays are the best nights to go to Salsa!
I went to Salsa! on Saturday night for my friend's hen night, the dancing was fantastic as was the bar. The Salsa! food, on the other hand, was disgusting, over priced and cold!
Salsa! is absolutly amazing! You go there to have fun, dance and enjoy yourself. If you like to dance to a range of latin, reggae and old time classics then Salsa! is the spot or you.
The entry price is affordable and drinks are too. Either go with one friend or with loads - whichever you choose you are guaranteed a fanatastic night.
I've been 5 times and am planning to go again sooon. See you there.
I've been to Salsa! five times, obviously it's very good! The staff are helpful and friendly and the atmosphere is great, everyone is there to have fun and dance. The bar is good at reasonable prices and the entrance fee is good too.
It can get very hot but it's worth it as it's just a great experience. On Saturdays at Salsa! there are a lot of group bookings but this doesn't stop you from having a great night there.
There is live music which is good if you have a great salsa partner but other than that the DJ is great and plays tunes wich will have you longing to dance. There are a lot of guys so ladies watch out, and some nice ones I must say.
If you want a lively, dancing, fantastic night out, Salsa! will not fail to please you! It's great and I'm planning my next visit soon.
Salsa! is a very good venue for people who want to dance. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays are the best days. For food, you get what it says on the tin.
Salsa! is a great Venue. I have a good time, every time. Hey, I'm going there tonight.
I had my birthday party at Salsa last Friday. It was so bad, the food was late, cold and very expensive. We have to eat on the dance floor because our table was in there. Couldn´t talk, too noisy. Service was very bad. I will never go to Salsa again.
Dunno what these people are talking about - I went to Salsa! last week with a bunch of Colombian mates and had a great time - friendly people, helpful waiters and seriously - not that expensive!!!
Salsa! is awful, unless of course you have £15.95 to waste on a so called 'vegetarian meal' which consists of 2 onion rings, 1 spring roll and a couple of potato wedges for starters and about 2 tiny fajitas for the main course. What a disappointment! We booked a table at Salsa! for a surprise party and the main surprise was the distinct lack of salsa music (YMCA was played) and the fact that the venue is all wrong for dancing. Not forgetting the fact that the set menu at £15.95 did not include the service charge. Never again!
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