It’s 10pm in Jeru and the bongos have just started. A DJ dressed all in black slinks to the decks whilst a steady stream of revellers pours in from the restaurant upstairs. In the corner, an unperturbed couple continues to chew their lamb cutlets.
Welcome to the latest trend to sweep London’s restaurant scene: ‘high energy dining’, or, for those who don’t wince at a portmanteau, ‘clubstaurants’. At the tamer end, this involves diners tapping their cutlery along to a jazz band; at the wilder, it’s caviar, pyrotechnics, and Berlin DJs until the early hours (even on a Tuesday). Below, we detail seven such restaurants where you can go from dinner to dancing under one atmospheric roof.
Inca, Mayfair
If you want to take ‘dinner and a show’ to the next level, get yourself to Inca – a lively South American restaurant hidden beneath Oxford Circus. Live performances are an integral part of evenings here, so expect the sound system to kick into life from 8pm as flocks of carnival-clad performers sing and salsa around the stage. Don’t let this distract you from the food, though; the South American-inspired dishes are just as artistic (the ceviche is particularly good – fresh, zingy, and served abreast a cloud of dry ice).
8–9 Argyll St, W1F 7TF
The Tent (at the End of the Universe), Fitzrovia
This hidden restaurant feels more like a festival tent than a dining room. Once you find it, you’ll discover an incense-filled cavern filled with scarlet canvases, starry installations, and a Berlin-quality sound system. The menu – by chef John Javier – is a creative take on Middle Eastern cuisine that incorporates elements of Chinese and French cooking into its colourful dishes. Begin with a glistening bowl of fuchsia borani and homemade za’atar bread before digging into pork chops with seaweed butter and marmite-glazed mushroom shish. Don’t miss the cocktail list named after London nightclubs – or the secret nightclub in the basement.
17 Little Portland St, W1W 8BP
Penelope’s, Covent Garden
It’s not out of the ordinary to dance on the table at Penelope’s; in fact, at its monthly Isramani parties (an import from Berlin), it’s actively encouraged. And there’s a similar vibrant atmosphere on Friday and Saturday evenings when London’s leading DJs hit the decks to the line between dinner and a night out. To eat: an Israeli-Spanish fusion, which looks like Israeli-style paella topped with octopus and pistachio-peppered baklava cheesecake.
34-43 Russell St, WC2B 5HA
"mu", Dalston
You’ll have to head to Dalston’s Kingsland Road to find this lively Japanese spot. Don’t be put off by the graffitied door; inside is a haven of dark wood, hanging lamps, and natural wines. Nightly entertainment encompasses all tastes, from tinkling piano to jazz from some of London’s leading musicians (the livelier stuff is on Friday and Saturday evenings). Your fuel for the evening comes courtesy of a robatayaki grill and features the likes of pork tonkatsu, hake tempura, and smoked salmon teriyaki.
432-434 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AA
Jeru, Mayfair
Jeru quite literally arrived on Mayfair’s restaurant scene in a puff of smoke: its fiery open kitchen commands the entire width of the upstairs dining room. As well as serving creative Middle Eastern dishes – try the halloumi doughnuts and charcoal-roasted aubergine – it also offers a fantastic roster of entertainment on Thursday and Friday evenings. DJs, live musicians, and the occasional bongo player entertain diners from its sunken Layla Bar, where you can also make the most of a Middle Eastern-inspired cocktail list.
11 Berkeley St, W1J 8DS
Lío London, Soho
The long-awaited Lío London arrived in February 2023, transforming the former Café de Paris into an immersive cabaret experience featuring the original 1924 double staircase, a moveable DJ, and a stage decorated with 18 hand-painted doors. The menu is suitably decadent, featuring lobster orzo pasta, wagyu tartare, and an entire section dedicated to caviar.
3–4 Coventry St, W1D 6BL
COYA City
The party starts the moment you walk into COYA and are thrown into a palatial world of foliage walls, jewel-toned lights, and a pulsating, club-style soundtrack. By 10pm, a DJ has got involved – and live music roars through the room every Friday. In such a place, you want theatre with your dishes, and COYA is happy to oblige with tableside guacamole and arroz Nikkei, alongside classic ceviche and a standout spicy beef fillet. And to drink? It’s got to be a Pisco sour, infused in the on-site Pisco Bar.
