Carpe Diem

Nothing says scuzzy quite like an underground rock bar with writing on the walls and free-flowing Jägermeister, but this is a tag that Carpe Diem wears with pride. Perfectly located as a feeder pub into the bigger, all-night venues, this gritty bar is the place many tap to get tanked before heading out on the town.

The whole place has the soaked-in beer smell of a gig venue that regularly invites moshing frenzies under its guise as a key venue for up-and-coming rock acts who want to see the whites of their fans’ eyes. The staff are laid-back and chatty, and not in the least bit impatient when a newcomer umms and aahs over the surprisingly diverse drinks list.

Carpe specialises in cheap drinks and elaborate-sounding, highly alcoholic cocktails. Alongside the usual cosmos, daiquiris and sex on the beaches, the bar has devised a menu of ‘experimental’ shots. Pickle juice and Jameson? A ‘cut grass’ flavoured drink? It’s not exactly The Alchemist, but it’s daredevil blends such as these that ensure the bar remains a week-long pull for clubbers or groups of friends who fancy a bite to eat and a game of snooker in a venue that plays good music.

The food menu is predictably unimaginative, featuring generous portions of onion rings, nachos, sandwiches, burgers, chicken and chips, baked potatoes and – surprisingly – a prawn cocktail. Like the drinks deals you can’t refuse (but probably should), Carpe offers meal deals, with the very reasonable two mains for £7 and the so-called ‘world famous mega burger challenge’. You guessed it: eat the gut-busting behemoth of four burgers, four strips of bacon and all the artery-trembling trimmings and you get your meal for free. Good job the LGI is just across the road then…