Cave

Do not go here. All furniture, glasses even concept stolen from previous tenant, Knowhere Special (which was a beautiful gem really missed by all in Kentish Town.) A very poor incarnation of what was a stunning bar with an amazing menu and atmosphere. Sad times :(

I would advise not to go here. The owner has taken everything from the people that ran Knowhere Special, which was a wonderful bar, run by people who put their heart and soul into it. This is a rip off, a stolen menu and stolen goods.

Came here expecting Nowhere Special but it looks like this has closed and been replaced by Cave. I spoke to the manager and there isn’t a connection between the two.
This shares some of the benefits of Nowhere Special, most obviously the cool location. It’s a subtle basement bar with especially cool nooks under the arches of the architecture to have a more secluded evening with your friends or date. It’s nice to be able to get your own space, though there are also options to sit on sofas in the main area. Overall the ambience is good — just like a speakeasy should be.
However, it’s not quite as special as Nowhere Special was (ironically). The cocktail list is relatively extensive but not very exciting. I’m the kind of person who likes to try a different cocktail every time I go somewhere new — it’s great if they can do a good Old Fashioned, but I do want to be challenged and inspired. Luckily, they do specials so there were 3 cocktails on offer that weren’t classics, but given my memories of exciting fresh combinations from the previous incarnation, I was still disappointed. Plus, the cocktail I actually had was pretty dull even if it was a special — essentially cranberry juice and several white spirits.
Also found that the barman, while friendly, didn’t speak great English, so my friend couldn’t actually find out some of the answers to her questions about the menu and the gins they had.
I still think it’s a cool place to show off knowing about, but I wouldn’t make it a regular haunt.