Charlotte Street Blues

Had the most amazing time here with my boyfriend who is a hgue fan of jazz.
The cocktails were decent and the acts were amazing, esp some white kid who sang and played the guitars like a 45 year old jazz musician from new orleans.
Will come back again to see more acts!

What an experience.
Came here for my work leaving do — I wanted somewhere that wasn’t going to be full-o’-suits and a bit different. And that’s what we got.
Right from the get-​go I was a fan; the dim lighting, the 2−4−1 cocktails, the band setting up on stage, the food, the intimate atmosphere.
We stayed all night — saw some incredible bands (ncluding a 12 year old lad on lead guitar and vocals who blew us away) drank a hell of a lot and just had a straight up good time. I didn’t want to leave.
I’ll be back. Very soon.

Here are the reasons why CSB gets five stars from me for last night’s private party…
1] Ruth (mgr) is a kickass lady and knows how to throw an excellent party
2] Their ‘Blue Note’ is the best cocktail I’ve enjoyed in a while and I would like to drink nothing else for the rest of my days.
3] The band was unbelievably rocking and consisted of an ex-​Iron Maiden guitarist, an ex-​Wilson Pickett saxophonist, and an ex-​LIGHTING TECHNICIAN FOR THE WHO.
4] I want to live in their upstairs room /​balcony.
5] Sweet potato fries.

I haven’t had so much fun in ages! … !! We went on a Friday night where there was a great gig going on (my amazing detective skills let me deduce it was Isaac Rose —
) doing great covers of Stevie Wonder, Rolling Stones and many more.
It was hard not to get pulled into all the excitement, with loads of people dancing — even on the top 3^rd floor overlooking the stage! Granted a lot of my entertainment came from some wildly drunk people, but hey that’s just part of the package, right? Even I couldn’t stop my own butt dancing and getting down! And I would’ve kept doing it if Cinderella here didn’t have a tube to catch.
I had been drinking wine earlier in the evening, and didn’t fancy a day out of commission so I had to forego the famed mint juleps unfortunately :(But since this place is only a hop, jump and skip away from my work, as well as having happy hour EVERY DAY 12 — 7 (more detective skills — cough the website cough -), I assuredly will be back!

Ok, I’m just gonna come right out and say it: I’m a sucker for this place, and I probably spend far too much time here… but it’s like a drug, and I’m addicted.
Ever since being introduced to this place at the mint julep fuelled Unilocal Elite event, I have been drawn back time after time…
I have seen some truly awesome musicians play here, including Otis Taylor and Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers — the bar gets just the way it should be — hot, loud, passionate and sweaty.
The gospel brunch here is also good value, fun and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon — getting drunk and stuffing yer face with calorific food (with the exception of the fruit hedgehog — see my review of brunch). Last time I came here the day after my birthday, and the choir got me up on stage and serenaded me with the Stevie Wonder classic, ‘Happy Birthday’, which was awesome, as I love being the centre of attention. :P
The staff here are pretty much the coolest, and their cocktail-​making skills are second to none. As an avid margarita drinker, I would go so far as to say that these are the best margaritas that I have ever had in London! Yes! I no longer have to save my margarita-​drinking expertise for when I’m in the USA, and believe me, I have been letting the tequila tickle my tastebuds a fair amount, of late. London, finally, a bar that knows how to make a good (strong) margarita AND for a reasonable price!
Finally, as if I didn’t love this place enough, I went to check out the dancing this week. Tuesday nights they have a live swing band for Swing Mon Amour and they have started blues dance classes and social dancing on Wednesdays. As I have a passion for dancing, I was very keen to see what the vibe would be like, and how many people would get up on the dancefloor. I can’t comment on the classes, but the music and dancing was fab! The swing dancing on Tuesday was fun fun fun, and the blues on Wednesday was down and dirty. Me likey.
I can’t wait to go back (which, let’s face it, will probably be tonight)…

I was also at Mels Birthday brunch thingy…
frankly. i was kind of disappointed. the food was… eh… ok? it just wasnt that interesting, as in a few weeks later nothing really screams out in my mind as «REMEMBER HOW AWESOME I WAS IN YOUR MOUTH.» thats how a meal should be. it was food. it was alright. there was some kind of cake thing that was pretty good, but i cant for the life of me remember anything else. see my previous point.
anywho. they had gospel singers, which were hilarious. somehow if you put «praise Jesus!» into any song it makes it gospel.
the atmosphere leaves something to be desired. although! cool thing: the bench seating along the wall was old back seats from cars. pretty nifty if you ask me.
will i go again? maybe. depends on the company, i suppose.

This post is going to get flagged for too many uses of the word ‘loved.’
I loved this place. I loved the selection of bourbon and whiskey (American spelling please). I loved the acoustics. I loved the crowd. I loved that there were multiple bars with multiple vibes. I loved the bartenders who know their stuff. I loved the upstairs balcony area which proved to be a phenomenal spot to watch the show.
Live blues 7 days a week? Yes please. I can’t wait to go back for the Sunday gospel brunch, one of my favourite New Orleans’ traditions.

Dear Diary,
I think I fell in love last night with a real fine fella. Dark and dangerous, with a bluesy soul and the potential for a lot of late nights. I really think this could be the one…
I’ve been to a lot of music venues, some classy, some not, but the Charlotte Street Blues Bar is in a league of its own. A great venue for listening to some seriously cool blues, don’t let the unassuming exterior turn you away. Inside is an intimate bar, with a bourbon and whiskey selection guaranteed to turn even the best girl bad. Cool off in the balcony area and watch the show from the best spot in the house.
This place seems to hook in some impressive music acts, so you should definitely check it out.

There is nothing not to be a fan about here. Spacious and comfortable three floors, the upper most giving you a VIP view of the stage with a cute bar stocking over eighty bourbons and a lovely garden’esqe seating area to lounge in. The main floor houses a longer bar serving up fantastic cocktails, ample seating and the stage. Downstairs has a darker vibe with a pool table.
The food at Charlotte Street Blues is fantastic. I sampled one of their salads (me… salad) which had pomegranate, chicken and all manor of other things in it. Hands down it is the best salad I have ever eaten. If the above wasn’t enough, some of the greatest Blues music I have ever heard comes through these doors every week, Monday to Sunday. I mean truly spectacular music, where the passion for song oozes from the performers. I am not talking jack of the lad performers I am talking legends of the genre. If you think you may like Blues, get clarified, head down to Charlotte Street newest and best music venue and have your soul punctuated with sizzling rhythms.
Simply an excellent experience.
P. s. Eddy makes the best Mint Juleps I have ever tasted.