Bungalow 8

Love the cocktails in here and the staff are über friendly (remembering us from last time and what we were drinking was a lovely touch!)
Yes it’s expensive — very expensive if you factor in membership — but you really do get what you pay for and for a special night out it’s great fun. Not to mention a fantastic place to impress.

I can see this place polarises and it’s not really my kind of place either hence having managed to avoid it for so long.
This said, despite the expensive drinks (what else can expect in a place like this) I had a fun night.
You need to take this place with a pinch of salt and a credit card, and you might have a good time. The music is pop party music, but that’s not a bad thing in a city which is all too often trying to be different.

I came here on a Saturday night in September with a friend who was interning in London. First of all, the place has no sign, not even an inkling of glamour on the outside to suggest that Bungalow 8 is here. You have to know the address and know what the outside of the building looks like to find it. It really appears to look like an office building. We approached the door not really sure we were in the right spot, told the doorman our names, who we were there with and were let right in. There was no pretentiousness, no line, nothing, which I think can be attributed to the fact that this place is so damn hard to find! However, this is not a complaint but something I rather enjoy as you must be in the know to happen upon this place.
Once inside you go through a labyrinth of doors and stairs until you finally find your way to the club, which as someone pointed out in an earlier post really does remind me of someone’s basement. It has a very intimate feel to it and is very small. Our table was in the very back section of the club away from the crowded mess of people, which was nice. The drinks were good but nothing super special and I did not pay for anything so I cannot speak to how expensive they were. Music was great and as we were away from the mass crowd of people, we actually had space to dance without smashing into others, which was nice.
Getting to the restroom was another story. It is not located in the same area of the club and I had to again go through the maze of stairs and doors to get to it. I definitely could have gotten lost and wandered into the kitchen if I had not been paying attention. Leaving was also another task, smashing through the crowd of people with someone in our group who was super tall did not go unnoticed and those stairs! A nightmare at the end of the night!
Overall, this place is a ton of fun and definitely somewhere I would come back to the next time I am in London! (4 stars because of that maze and the inconvenience of the restrooms!)

sorry Bungalow 8… really not sure what the big deal is. It is definitely nothing to write home about… had no idea how exclusive it was until after I’d been, and I really don’t see why… mediocre décor save for the bathrooms, and the labyrinthine passages. DJ ended the night by stopping a track halfway through the song… set list was hurting, and the people were uninspiring. Stars to Liam at the door though for being really friendly and a great host.

After hearing what an exclusive and sought after bar this was, I was sorely disappointed to find rude bouncers, slow service and tacky clientele. Everyone in the bar seemed quite pleased with themselves as they had actually been accepted through the doors of this infamously prestigious and choosy establishment. I on the other hand couldn’t wait to flee – why would you want to spend time in a place that uses attitude and brutish tactics to superficially exclude. However, I will say, the cocktails were delicious. But once you’ve had a few I’m not sure how you would get back up those trippy stairs.

Not generally a fan of big London clubs, mainly because I don’t like to spend a long time queueing next to out of towners wearing an inappropriate lack of clothing. But Bungalow 8 was actually an enjoyable experience due to the lack of both of those elements (although not sure it would be worth the membership fee for me personally, I went with a friend). The interior does feel a bit strange with carpet and couches, but the plus is that it gives you and your friends a private place to dance and have drinks. The DJ played good music and the place had less of a club feel than a night out in a more casual venue, which I prefer. Apparently its supposed to be a place for those who are into celeb-​spotting or want to be seen, but I thought it felt like just the opposite, a place where people left you alone and you could just dance to good music

Not generally a fan of big London clubs, mainly because I don’t like to spend a long time queueing next to out of towners with an inappropriate lack of clothing. But Bungalow 8 was actually an enjoyable experience due to the lack of both of those elements (although not sure it would be worth the membership fee for me personally, I went with a friend). The interior does feel a bit strange with carpet and couches, but the plus is that it gives you and your friends a private place to dance and have drinks. The DJ played good music and the place had less of a club feel but more of a night out in a more casual venue, which I prefer. Apparently its supposed to be a place for those who are into celeb-​spotting or want to be seen, but I thought it felt like just the opposite, a place where people left you alone and you could just dance to good music

Wow… other reviewers really seem to hate this place. In reality, I don’t really think there’s much to either love or hate about Bungalow 8. It’s a little like loving or hating a house party… it has that sort of vibe going on… it’s relatively small, the minimalist décor (just some wide horizontal stripes zinging around the walls) and the carpeted floors make me feel like I’m in some rock star’s basement/​living room, it’s a bit crowded, the music varies, but can seem like it’s being DJ’d by an iPod-​shuffle (last I was there, I heard the Jackson 5 *and* «All I Want for Christmas is You» by Mariah Carey), and if you want to be social you head to the smoking area upstairs… some people are friendly, some people aren’t, but mostly you just stick with the group you came with.
In keeping with the house party feel, somebody mentioned Cheers and «everyone knowing your name» — and well, yes, it does have that kind of intimate appeal. If you’re a regular, the door staff gives you a kiss on the cheek in greeting, and sends you on your way through that anonymous white door, which is a lot like entering some underground speakeasy, a feeling that’s amplified by the pseudo «no pictures» policy (it seems like they only tend to enforce this at the beginning of the night). Yet, there’s a homey comfortableness about it… nothing too crazy ever goes down at B8 — it’s simply not set-​up for that… it’s too demure.
Aside from the whole «seen and be seen» aspect, I think people come here to dance and drink with their friends in lieu of partying at home… because the theme nights are cool and there’s absolutely no cleanup.
Obviously, it’s not for everyone, but if you’re with a great group and aren’t intimidated/​disgusted by the crowd, it certainly isn’t bad.

Bungalow 8 is one of those venues that was originally made famous by all of those American chic lit novels and when it finally came to London there was definitely a buzz about the place. However, if you are looking for a relaxing night out with friends, I wouldn’t recommend it.
For a start, the people who come here have money. So much money perhaps that it can make you feel uncomfortable. I really do think the place is over rated and everybody seems to spend their time worrying about what they look like or who they should be seen with. You will almost certainly spot a few famous faces. It is small, with lighting that is a little too dim and the management clearly consider their attire (or lack of it) a higher priority than their customers needs.
I think that this is a classic example of somewhere which actually does need to live up to its name. It has definitely lost its buzz.

When American singers and actors come over to London, why on earth do they go to Bungalow 8? When this town has some of the best bars on tap? I think it is because celebrities are inherently lazy, and instead of say, consulting Unilocal to see what’s new, they go with a place where, like Norm in Cheers, everyone knows their name.
Unless you are a member of Girls Aloud, there is no need to try to score yourself a visit. The girl at the door gave me a dodgy look when I tried to get in. I had to! I had people that I was meant to meet in there. Then the barman scoffed at my request for a tonic water. ‘You don’t want alcohol?’ I swear he laughed at me as he handed me my loser drink. I’m so sad for not drinking booze!
The music is too loud. It’s not that inspired either. It is truly one of the smallest clubs I have been into –what amazes me is apparently the New York Bungalow is even smaller! It must be the size of my downstairs loo. And I have had better parties in there!

This is a celeb haunt. Everyone in here is a celebrity or wants to be one. So if you fit in either of those to categories then go, otherwise I’d advise you to just go to a ‘normal’ club.
There’s no sign to tell you you are entering Bungalow 8, just a doorman. I don’t think anyone pays to go in you’re just on a guestlist or a recognised celebrity.
It’s one of the smallest ‘clubs’ I’ve been into, pretty much zero space to dance and drinks are standardly ridiculously expensive.
The décor is oh so confusing, monochrome striped walls and then floral carpet. Hmmm???
Look, the celebrities don’t even ‘enjoy’ going here, they go to be seen and I don’t really care if I am.

Bungalow 8 has a reputation for being packed with famous types so I was rather excited to be spending an evening celeb spotting. Unfortunately they seemed to have decided to stay away the night I went. I was disappointed by that and also by the interior too. Downstairs was carpeted and had the feel of a cinema reception area. Upstairs was more elegant — dimly lit with lots of candles and flowers everywhere. Prices were extortionate the cheapest bottle of wine was £50 and it didn’t even taste particularly nice. The crowd were mainly rich rahs who all seemed to know each other so not much potential for striking up conversations with randoms. I’m glad I’ve been and experienced it but I’d be in no rush to go back