Notting Hill Arts Club

Drinks are good and the bar staff are nice. Prices are ok, the place itself its a bit meh though. I’ve been there a few times, you get an odd crowd in there sometimes, nothing really kicks off until 1-​ish but the music can be great! I’ve had a few good nights but mostly average nights here. The bouncers are generally nice which is always a plus in London!

This place is ONLY getting 2 stars because their drinks were awesome and strong, for American standards.
I would suggest coming after midnight, close to 1, because anything prior this time, the party will not be started. I was not impressed with reggae night.

Great Music DJ’d by Zepharin Saint. Floor is rough concrete so it can really do a number on your knees if you really like to get down. Drinks were stiff and generous portions for the price. What really turned me off was a rude worker who was cleaning up the glasses. She had a terrible attitude when she was trying to hurry me up when I was caught in a bottle neck trying to get from one side of the club to the other. At another point of the night she purposefully elbow checked me when I was standing next to the bar, not even in her way! All the other workers were very pleasant but she needs her attitude checked.

Went here in the dead of summer to listen to the famed septuagenarian DJ — who was indeed legendary. I wore very little clothing (you can wear whatever you want to a place like this) & still sweat my ass off. Had a blast, enjoyed the music and the drinks, and loved the gang of bachelor party pirates who took over the dance floor at around 2am.

This place is AWESOME.
71 Years old DJ… that plays some awesome reggae mixes~
Great music, good crowd~ what more could you ask for? =)
I went last weekend… BUT apparently it’s his last night… and he will play one last night for a New years eve party~ not sure if this place will still remain popular after that DJ leaves~~ or if it’s popular even when he doesn’t play~ I would go just for him~ =)

Was walking back from Churchill’s Arms a pub right around the corner of this place and saw the door to this place going into the basement with music that sounded like live music coming from downstairs.
Outside there was a group of 20something people smoking and talking about the last band.
Being the closet hipster that I am. I decided to investigate further, it was a p, leasant surprise.
Once you get to the basement, really there’s nothing special about the place there are two rooms. The room on the left has a bar and some booths to sit in.
The room on the right has the stage and the sound booth.
There was a band actually playing and the vibe and feeling you get listening to them is very intimate So its fun to see bands this way being so close and all.
But if you are going there to get a cocktail or a special brewed beer, its not your place.
You come here to listen to live bands and DJS and meet up with a special kind of crowd.

A few weeks ago I was at a little festival at the Notting Hill Arts Club. The venue is just a short walk from Notting Hill Gate tube station, but the entry is easy to miss if you do not know exactly where it is.
Notting Hill Arts Club is smaller than I expected. It is a nice little concert venue with two areas, not really two different rooms. One area has the stage and the other area the bar. The round bar is in the middle of the room, a nice feature.
If you like listening to music, you should check out what’s on at the Notting Hill Arts Club in the coming months.

The Notting Hill Arts Club is one of the best places to hang out in London, period. A pretty good embodiment of what the Notting Hill area is, or was, famous for: bohemian, artsy, funky and relaxed. It’s not overly fancy; you’ll get concrete walls, exposed plumbing and couches that were probably last cleaned during the Thatcher administration. So — posh, it’s not. But what it is… is real. One of the few clubs in London that’s almost completely devoid of attitude and pretension.
If you truly enjoy music, you’ll like this place. The music selection and the crowd are always eclectic, and the staff is welcoming and friendly.

The name of this bar/​club makes you think you need to dress up and be on your best behavior. Really, it’s the complete opposite. Grungy meets hippie chic meets Euro hipster. Wear whatever you damn well please and be prepared to stand in line if you get here after midnight (and trust me, you don’t want to be here before midnight).
If you enjoy partying in a cement basement with exposed pipes and don’t mind tripping over broken, dirty couches and arm chairs from the 60s or having crushed glass on your hands and arms when you lean onto one of their drink ledges, then you will love the bejeezus out of this place. I would have had I been 20 years old — this place really reminded me of one of my friend’s garages that we used to hang out in during the afternoons when we were in high school — and it’s not really a good reminder.
I suggest you bring a lot of moolah if you decide to come here so you can get tanked. Then you start caring less about weird guys from Spain stalking you around the club calling you Liana (Anna was simply too difficult of a name to understand) and also everyone starts looking better and the occasional glass shard poking at your veins really doesn’t bother you all that much anymore.
On a side note, the photos me and my friends took that night at NHAC may very well be the most amusing album in my life.

If you’re in Notting Hill and the clock strikes 12, then the Notting Hill Arts Club is the only place to be. The only place you can be, in all honesty as unless you fancy a members only bar where the heels are high and the names are double barrelled, your options are limited.
Once you’re inside, as long as you go with a good attitude, you’ll have a good time. There’s often a live band, the drinks are relatively cheap and the crowd often in good humour.
But look too closely and you could end up feeling far too old to be there, in a bar with sticky floors and too cool for school bar crew.

Go here.
Dance off the week here.
Best therapy around.
Unilocal note: tricky to find by light of day, but on busy nights just look for the queue.

«You know what? My friend’s really rich. You should kiss him.»
Sweetheart, if that is the chat up line you choose to use in Notting Hill Arts Club, there is something wrong with you and no wonder you haven’t pulled yet.
In any case, pulling at clubs is not really my scene as apparently I like music and dancing and dicking around too much to deal with annoying fives and sixes.
We went on a Saturday night with some pumping, grinding music, people there weren’t that beautiful and lots of people on the pull (as in it seemed very easy). Not meat market level yet, but enough for it to be an annoyance in my life. Music wise, it’s not my favourite kinda thing, but the DJ got some people on the dance floor, nothing earth shattering.*
No ear– ringing the next day, take it as you like it.
I don’t know, the space is awesome, but I’ve just never yet managed to have an awesome night at the NHAC.
*I assume that this is the kinda things people want to know when reading reviews about clubs as apparently I don’t use them the way I should be using them.
PS lady in the toilet is very sweet. Always a good thing.

You know how when a friend asks you for a venue recommendation for a birthday party and you suggest one you’ve never actually been to before because somebody else recommended it to you and there was a party there which you couldn’t attend and it’s walking distance from your flat so you think «I’ll just stick it in» and then out of all the places you’ve listed they choose that one and you start freaking out that it’s going to a be a steaming pile of poo and everyone will have a terrible time and blame you and nobody will ever trust your judgement again?
No? Just me then.
Luckily Notting Hill Arts Club did me and my unreasoned recommendations proud. I had absolutely no idea what to expect but I think I can safely say that it wasn’t what I encountered. In the nicest possible way, it’s a bit of a dive; that is, exposed concrete pillars (but not in a pretentious, East London warehouse kind of a way) and grubby booths and patrons dancing on the dangerously uneven stage and pierced, pretty bartenders hand-​pouring doubles as standard and tequila shots doing the rounds on both sides of the bar.
The whitewashed walls allow for a regular change in décor, I presume, since they were awash with abstract multicoloured projections which gave the entire place a trippy, underwater vibe and felt a bit like I was partying in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. They had a DJ who played Latin music with a heavy bassline, and it worked brilliantly in that environment, so I’d be interested to see how it works with other music styles.
Be warned: on a Saturday night, any time after 11, you will queue. For a long time. On the plus side, it runs alongside a bunch of cashpoints, and it’s incredibly easy to reach. There’s no immediately obvious signage so just look for the line of bored-​looking Made in Chelsea rejects. Predictably west-​London clientele aside, this place is actually very cool, simply because it’s quirky, slightly out of the way (but not inaccessible) and, considering the area, incongrously funky.
Thank you, Notting Hill Arts Club, for saving my reputation.

L’un de mes meilleurs souvenirs de sortie londonnienne…
C’est mon prof d’anglais qui m’a conseillé de m’y rendre le jeudi soir pour les soirées hiphop… Lui-​même amateur de son hip-​hop, il savait que mon crédo c’est un peu le hip-​hop, l’art de rue, la panoplie baskets, casquettes (non pas survet’), le côté rappeur américain…
L’entrée est assez discrète, payante certes mais c’est un club de qualité. Vous êtes fouillés à l’entrée, on scanne votre ID, le gars français de l’entrée s’amuse à vous parler en anglais pour vous chambrer, …
Il faut être sur guestlist pour pouvoir rentrer et recevoir le mail de confirmation, sinon apparement impossible d’y de rentrer. On s’y était pris un peu tard et n’ayant pas reçu le mail de confirmation, on nous a dit que ce n’était pas possible de rentrer, une fois qu’on était sur place! Par chance, il s’avère que la plupart des vigiles et gérants étaient français, donc on a réussi à pouvoir s’y faufiler sans aucun problème…
J’ai adoré l’endroit, j’avais juste l’impression de me retrouver à NYC, dans le quartier de Brooklyn, pleins de gars et de meufs stylés, amateurs de hip-​hop, du très bon son, et des gens qui se mettent à danser du hip-​hop sur la scèné… osmose parfaite.
La décor est assez simple, vieux canaps, lustres de récup, et murs vieillots mais il y a des projections de dessins et mots en monde BD sur les murs, ca donne des couleurs et du style au club.
Le club s’appelle aussi le Yoyo il me semble… à moins que ce soit uniquement pour les soirées hip-​hop du jeudi … Bref pour tous ceux qui aiment le son hip-​hop, c’est vraiment un endroit où il faut aller !

It’s cheap or sometimes free to get in and the drinks aren’t too pricey either, especially if you catch the happy hour.
Music is different on different days of the week. My favorite is the Death Disco on Wednesdays when they play rock music.
The crowd is always friendly, and the staff as well. Never had any kind of trouble there!

Friendly, mixed but mainly young crowd. Cheap to get in, and music was decent enough. Did get crowded for a bit but not ridiculous.
If you like beer, they don’t have tap, and you get given Tiger.
Was perfect for my sister’s birthday and everyone seemed to have a good time, plus bumped into two other parties with people that I knew, so definately good for groups.

I must admit, I’ve only been here once. Maybe it was the best Thursday Night Yo-​Yo they’ve ever had. Maybe it’s because I live in Portland Maine, where your dance options clubs with shitty pop playing DJ’s and gross men groping you, or clubs filled with hipsters that are too cool for deodorant. Either way, I had enough fun here to say that I would move to London to be able to dance here every Thursday. And when I say that, I’m barely joking.
From the street you would hardly know that this place exists, and if you don’t get on the guest list (via facebook), you’re not getting in. Once you get inside? Magic. Basement space, covered in graffiti. Bartenders working a busy bar with a smile.(I just got a vodka soda, but I saw some crazy drinks coming over the bar… strawberry daquiri’s made with fresh squeezed lemon juice and muddled strawberries!!! I thought they only came out of frozen cans.) Lots of space to lounge if you’re more of an observer, and the most comfortable dance atmosphere I’ve ever been in. Everyone just having a good time, nobody creeping. And the music! An entire evening of old school hip hop, the best of whats new (jigga, weezy) and dancehall… no synthesized pop beats! yes please!
i can haz plane ticket to come back plz?

A peine visible depuis la rue, le Notting Hill Arts Club vaut toutefois le détour.
Pour un prix d’entrée relativement correct pour Londres, vous vous retrouvez jeté dans un club branché mais pas trop branchouille, avec concerts ou DJ suivant les soirs, ambiance jeune mais conviviale et cocktails divins.
Mention spéciale «couleur locale» pour les toilettes où l’on vous proposera toute la panoplie de la parfaite londonienne, du parfum qui piqué bien le nez, en passant par les ChupaChups, les chewing-​gums et le rince-​bouche !
Globalement, vous y trouvez l’ambiance d’un bon bar, avec le volume sonore d’un club, mais ça reste petit et abordable. Vous n’êtes pas en boîte, mais un peu quand même, et c’est ça qui est chouette !
PS: Attention, il y fait très, très chaud. Sortez peu vêtu, ou foncez au vestiaire !

ID policy stinks.
While I was there last night, I was asked for ID. Whatever, I’m 32 and clearly don’t look 17, so fine… but what they really want to do is scan your details.
I refused, they argued that they delete the details at the end of the night — we’re supposed to believe this? My drivers licence has my birthday, my address and all my names on it, the perfect start for some identity theft.
The door staff asked me if I was drunk when I questioned this practice, [stone sober and articulate] in the end they gave me the option — get your ID recorded or don’t go in.
Totally unacceptable — I would recommend a boycott of this place for this reason until the policy changes.

I went here with my roommate in a semi-​formal fit not knowing how the dress code was. I read up on it saying ‘anything goes but no sportswear’, but as soon as I walked in the place, before looking at anyone – I knew I was waaay overdressed. Lucky I had my jean jacket to dress my outfit down. And sure enough I saw plenty people sportin what they said wasnt allowed. But whatevs it’s a pretty grungy bar, as divey as it is, it’s not a terrible spot. Good crowd, chill vibe. It got crowded quick, and got really loud really fast; nonstop chatter! To the point where we had to shout our conversations into eachothers’ ears. But what do you expect? Didnt ruin our time.
Decent size dance floor. We came on a reggae night; which was no problem for me since I like them jams but it got old fast. The music started all sounding the same; it was relaxing but toooo relaxing I was falling asleep! But hey it’s the dj not the place so I’m not hating too much.
Happy hour was cool with the 2.5£ beers! But pay attention when it’s over. Cause the cocktail girls will come around taking orders (mine was real sweet btw) when it starts getting crowded – & she came back with the same beer; cept it was 4.5£ this time! Steep jump in my pocket! Dammit haha

I’m not a huge fan of clubbing. I find the scene to be a bit too pretentious, and I don’t like the notion of being surrounded by overly tan girls who wear too much makeup and too little hemline. While I was surrounded by some of these girls at NHAC, the vibe and music more than made up for this.
The theme of the mix the DJ was playing the night that I went was 50s and 60s music. This is a rarity to hear in public, so imagine my happiness when I was dancing to it. Man, I felt like my grandma back in her youth. Good retro times to be had.
However, the cover and drink charges were a bit much. Cover was 6 pounds before 10 PM, and the one cocktail I got was 7.50. A bit out of my price range, so I probably can’t afford to come here if I come back to London.

A couple of my friends have told me to come to NHAC during my stay and London and I realized from the ferocity in their eyes that their swaying was less a friendly suggestion and more a gentle threat. «No, you HAVE to go there,» they said. Alright then.
I hear Thursday are supposed to be hoppin’ but we went on a Wednesday night, as Wednesdays are FREE for students. Drinks are about what you’d expect for a night out in London. I got a non-​alcoholic cocktail for £3.50 and my friend got a vodka and club soda for £5.50 I think. Not terrible.
We watched two bands, both talented. The first band was obviously young and had a posse of equally young counterparts swaying and lip synching to their riffs. Never in my 22 years have I felt so… old.
Overall kind of a dingy, clubby atmosphere but definitely cool for a night or two. Keep your eyes peeled, the entrance doesn’t exactly have a sign out front, just some gnarly looking bouncers and a group of chain smoking kids. I mean that in a good way.

Un bar dansant très sympa, à deux pas de la station Notting Hill Gate. Passés le contrôle très strict d’un gorille peu souriant, on descend des escaliers jusqu’à une sorte de cave très bien aménagée.
La décoration a été bien pensée: joli jeu de lumières (orange, vert), dessins psychédéliques au marqueur noir sur les murs blancs, énormes fauteuils type Alice au pays des merveilles couleur bordeaux… On y est allé à l’occasion d’une soirée «Movimientos» (
), avec de la musique latino alternative en live. L’entrée était à £5. O
n a passé un moment très agréable, à danser devant la scèné sur du reggaeton porto-​ricain. Les cocktails coûtent environ £6 et sont bons.

Dieser club ist einer der angesagtesten in Notting Hill. Man sollte sich auf keinen fall von der kleinen Eingangstür verwirren lassen, denn der Club ist wirklich super. Er bietet eine Vielzahl Themen für die Clubnächte, die man in diesem gemütlichen Ambiente verbringen kann.