The Crobar

Crobar has long been a regular stop-​off for me, as it is situated conveniently near my commute bus stop.
The best time to visit is between 4 and 9 on a weekday, as they have some surprisingly big drink discounts for the middle of Soho.
The place is tiny and corridor-​like, which means it fills up very quickly and can be hard to find a seat. It’s inhabited mostly by metalheads and a few locals, and is in my opinion one of the best metal bars in London. Their whisky and spirits collection is very impressive. The old-​school jukebox has an extensive library of rock and metal tracks and the staff, sometimes a bit stand-​offish, have a rock n’roll attitude.
The bar can be a brilliant night out, as long as you get there early and don’t p*** off the staff.

I have a love/​hate relationship with the Crobar. I love their happy hour, I love the friendly bar staff, I love (most of) the music they play. I hate how busy it gets, I hate that at the weekend it becomes a tourist trap, and I hate how claustrophobic it is.
Yes, this place is TINY, however, if you manage to find a seat, it’s nice to kick back with a bourbon (of which they have a plentiful supply of brands to choose from), or if you find yourself here between 4pm and 9pm, you can partake in their happy hour, which sees certain jugs of cocktail reduced to £12, Bulleit and cola for £2.50 a pop and selected bottles of beer for £3 a pop. Outside of this, a Bulleit and cola will set you back £3, which isn’t bad at all!
The music is pretty bog standard rock and metal, and you can expect to hear anything from Eyehategod to Thin Lizzy, depending on who’s comandeering the jukebox. Occasionally, you will get the odd muppet that chucks in £5 worth of loose change and puts Pantera on all evening, and that’s usually when I take my cue to leave.
Only one ladies loo! Boo! And the stairs to get down to the toilets are so steep they’re basically a death trap — you probably need a breathaliser test before attempting them. Be careful!
They’re open later than most boozers, allowing you to drink until 3am Monday to Saturday (they’re closed completely on Sundays, so forget it). Occasionally they put on a free gig, and although it’s usually ram jammed, it won’t ever take you long to get served. Keep an eye out for the little brindle French bulldog that wanders around in there sometimes. He couldn’t care less about you, and doesn’t really respond to being touched, but he’s adorable to look at.

This one is easy.
I walked in, and they had George Dickel No. 12 on the bar (light years ahead of that other, ubiquitous Tennessee whiskey) and Iron Maiden on the speakers. The bartender took the piss out of me and my friend a bit in that loving, surly way only a great bartender truly can and then hooked us up with more stickers and pins than we could carry when we left.
It’s as if someone sucked my idea of the perfect dive bar from my head and then built it there on Manette. Simply one of my favorite bars in the world, and I was only there for a drink. It’s one of the main reasons I will have to return to London in the near future.

Past the witching hour. Everything is shut. All the pubs filled with preppy dudes have been closed. The clubs started to open and turn away the likes of my party. So the Crobar for a few quid will welcome you in to its crowded friendly metal arms. Nice.