Jazz Cafe

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 44 reviews

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5-7 Parkway,
Camden Town,
London,
NW1 7PG

(020) 7688 8899

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Reviewer larrainejulie
16/12/2011
Well, well well, what a shocker of a place, went to see Andrew Roachford who was fantastic, unlike the awful venue, food and staff, i have never encountered such rude staff anywhere as i did at the Jazz Cafe, over priced disgusting food, honey glazed parsnips! ha ha limp parsnips in a sea of watery juice, the only thing glazed must have been the chef, as it was possibly the worst food i have ever tried to eat, sent back the cold starter twice, as it was meant to be hot ribs, when i complained about this, i was told, and i quote, unbelievable as this may sound,"its 1 degree outside, the food has a long way to travel from the kitchen to the table " unquote, naturally i was almost lost for words, other than saying, we have had takeaways in a 4 mile trip get to us hotter,that's the calibre of brain matter with the staff, rude waitress, who wouldn't know customer service if it was served to her on a plate, we had a task when paying for what we thought the food was worth, but we did just that, so if you do read this review don't eat there or if you have to just to get yourself a seat for the gig, only pay what you feel its worth, they cant do a thing about it, other than be rude which they had been doing all night anyway! so there you have it, the toilets are a disgrace, never seen anything like it, you would not think we were in 2011, everything so so poor, i did not want to give it any star rating but had to to write this.
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Reviewer CEThom
04/12/2011
Surprised to see so many people complaining about the sound quality at the Jazz Cafe. I've always found the acoustics really good. I saw George Clinton at the Forum in June and the sound was the worst I've ever heard at any gig. Saw him twice this week at the Jazz Cafe and it was brilliant.

Unsurprised by the complaints about the toilets. The men's downstairs toilet doesn't actually have a toilet, just a urinal, so anybody needing number two is a bit stuffed. There might be a toilet in the upstairs men's toilet but the only time I've ever gone up there, I was stopped immediately by a security guard who asked me whether I had an upstairs ticket, then sent me straight back downstairs.

I do think they sell too many tickets on the sold out nights. The club's capacity is probably set at a certain level on the basis of however many people per square metre, but clearly doesn't take into account that the vast majority of those people will all be stood in the standing pit. At this week's second George Clinton gig I elected to stand at the back, thinking it'd be less stressful than trying to stake out a spot at the front. I had no idea the venue would end up literally jam-packed from the stage to the back wall. I ended up getting barged and trodden on all night.

This venue does offer an intimacy that is rare in London. As I mentioned before, the last time I saw George Clinton was in the Forum. The opportunity to see him in a far smaller and more intimate venue was a rare treat. The Jazz Cafe allows you to get up close and personal with your favourite acts.

If they were to spruce up the toilets and sell about 50 less tickets per gig, it'd be perfect.

NB: I write as someone who goes to the Jazz Cafe regularly, but only ever with standing tickets. Can't comment on the dining experience.
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Reviewer OMcKoy
13/11/2011
I have visited this venue about twice a year for about 12 years and have now come to the realisation that the management must have either apathy or contempt towards the patrons. The loos are vile, on a recent night when Loose Ends were playing the three bars could only take cash and not credit or debit cards, with no warning on the door, plus the sound was dreadful, with the band adding an extra hour to their set by coming on late and because the entire set was just an extended soundcheck. If you were there, you will know what I mean. George Clinton is playing in a few weeks and sadly, I will not be there. I would rather pay more to see my favourite acts at a better venue.
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Reviewer GG1980
14/08/2011
I dont normally leave reviews but seeing my Dad get so upset prompted me to leave some feedback just so others can be aware. We opted to dine in the balcony area so we had seats and could view the stage. Two of our party couldn't attend so we asked whether we could swap their mains for another dish (given it was paid for already) and we were told no, - as they dont do refunds, - we explained we were not asking for a refund just wanted what we had paid for, eventually after much discussion, we got a couple of side orders - but it was extremely stressful! The staff are so very rude, our bill was calcuated incorrectly and I asked three times before it was changed (overcharging by £20). I overheard the person in front of me also had problems with their bill -so my advice is to check your bill! The toilets leave a lot to be desired as well! Overall the music was great, but shame about the staff's attitude, being overcharged and the venue. We wont be going back.
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Reviewer Graemey
08/06/2011
I disagree with the previous reviewer. I found the acoustics in The Jazz Cafe were excellent. During the recent Terry Reid gig I could quite clearly hear every piece of cutlery smashing into the basin as the retard bitch masquerading as a waitress washed them throughout Terry's performance.
It was well worth the price of the tickets, the revolting meal, the hotel room and the flights to and from the other end of the country to hear her enjoying her work.
Music Venue? Give it a wide wide berth. Its a dump staffed by idiots.
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Reviewer johnsmith65
16/05/2011
The Jazz Cafe has been a shambles for many years! It is disliked by serious music lovers and journalists alike. The staff and management are quite possibly the rudest human beings in London, the sound quality is abysmal and the actual venue are an insult to patrons who pay money to walk through the doors. The location and venue size has been its saving grace. Fortunately many established musicians now play elsewhere as they have also grown tired of staff outdated attitude and venue poor sound quality. As the song says… “A Change is gonna come”… Many music lovers and journalists have been praying for change at this venue for many years. They splashed some fresh paint on the walls a few years ago, but the venue really needs to be completely gutted (including the management)!
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Reviewer BrianE
06/03/2011
Attempted to see Tony Joe White there last week, paid £53 for tickets.
Shocking, shocking venue, vile beer, dear drinks, pushed and shoved all night, lousy acoustics and had to stand in a stairwell to get any kind if glimpse of the artist. Never again. If the management gave a xxxx they'd hang their collective heads in shame rather than count the money for far too many tickets sold. Aviod..
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Reviewer nakedlunch
12/05/2010
'Jazz Cafe camden'. Well.1 - This is not a Jazz Club2 - This is not a cafe3 - Ok, it is located in Camden.1 out of 3, though!
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