Café de Paris

Crushed velvet, theatrical ruched drapes, chichi chandeliers: Café de Paris is knowingly louche with an unpretentious heart. Predominantly a weekend club - though the Moulin Rouge-style ballroom becomes a restaurant on Saturday nights - this iconic Piccadilly haunt hosts risqué entertainers, cabaret and live music as well as the crème of the annual London Burlesque Festival. Plush red beds for decadent lounging in the private rooms are popular with corporate types and hens alike, while the vintage feel of the main space and its balconies have enticed those after a turn-of-the-century, French-flavoured nightclub experience since the venue opened in 1924. Don't expect a seedy clientele, however; Café de Paris is famed for its starry fans, from real royalty in its early days to Prince and P Diddy in the noughties.