You can’t swing a Phonica tote back without hitting a vinyl-focussed listening bar in London these days. You’ve got Jumbi, Next Door Records, Brilliant Corners, Spiritland, Jazu… I could go on. Do we really need another one? Well, if it’s a gem like One Eighty One on Holloway Road, then most certainly.
A cafe-slash-record-shop-slash-listening-bar with a retro vibe, there are warm-toned wood-panelled walls and musical prints adorning them. Add a few white table cloths and candles, and this well-lit joint becomes absolute catnip for for Hinge dates and #aesthetic catch ups with friends. They sell vinyl, and crate-diggers can sift through bins labelled everything from ‘cheap heat’ to ‘£1 records’.
But it’s not just for the trendy north London muso elite. Countless places in the capital call themselves a ‘neighbourhood’ bar nowadays, but One Eighty One might actually be one. Serving Monmouth coffee and Brick Lane Beigels by day, you can get your caffeine fix for £2.50 before 1pm. By night, house cocktails (they have dark’n’stormies, amaretto sours and green chilli margaritas), are a tenner, and a craft beer on tap (a chic 440ml) is £5.50. Mini spicy margs are £7 until 6pm.
Order this
You can’t go wrong with any of the cocktails, and they are made even better by one of the loaded ‘crisp plates’ – thick sea salt crisps piled with cheeses, cured meats and pickles.
Time Out tip
Come for DJ sessions on the weekends, and classic album playbacks on Wednesdays.