The London Jukebox

Visited this place on a friday evening for a concert (£7) cum dinner. There's a nice carom table (very Indian!) and a couple of comfy couches at the front near the entrance with Upper St right outside. I can imagine chilling at these couches if I decide to come just for the music and a drink. On the day we were doing dinner and were able to reserve a table earlier in the day. We were assigned a table closer to the back, with floor to ceiling window view of the side-street outside. There was a great view of the music from here and with fewer waiters/customers passing. There's a bit more room here to chill out, move around and for eg to stand up and shake a leg. The food: The tikkas at London Jukebox were good bordering on very good. The head chef's last engagement was apparently at Dishoom, and this influence - or should we call it the long arm - of Dishoom is apparent in some of the food. The issue with that is you get into trying to compare chutneys and okra fries and what not - and Dishoom places a high standard to live up to. I'd like to see London Jukebox's kitchen find its own tone and voice, and move away from trying to do what Dishoom does (and does very well). The prices were reasonable. The Indian couple that runs this place are genuinely warm, and the place has a less busy feel than Dishoom: you genuinely feel like you can hang around here chilling to the music and until closing time. They have an adventurous selection of gigs scheduled (lots of world music), and, given the closure of chilled out live/world/jazz venues in north London in the last half-decade (the excellent Camden Forge, Round Midnight in Angel, Passing Clouds in Dalston..), this is a gap in the nightlife market in this part of town that the owners have spotted. All the best to them, and as locals, I hope that this place lasts long and continues to do what its started to do.

It's something a little different and likely to get more and more popular as word spreads. We went there for food and had a really enjoyable meal. Punchy and spicy flavours from southern India offer a great alternative from the generic high street curry house. Service was excellent and very attentive. There were a few nice touches that you don't often get in other establishments. They brought tap water to our table along with the menus as we were seated and at the end of the meal we were asked if we wanted some extra rice to finish the sauce of our curry at no extra charge. The venue is cold in winter so do dress appropriately! Still well worth a visit.

I just went last night with a group from work - what a great place! Food was so tasty, well balanced (perfect amount of spice) and truly felt like home-cooked authentic cuisine. The service was top-notch, great cocktails and truly polite and professional staff. We also stayed for the live band and did not regret it (King Cassidy, absolutely smashed it). The venue has such great acoustics and just made them sound even better. Going back next month and can’t wait for more food & live music!!

The London Jukebox is a refreshing and wonderful new entrant to the restaurant and music scene in London. The food is excellent and I will never stand in line for Dishoom again. Don’t miss the lamb chops or the crispy okra! The cocktails are as good as Soho House. On to the music, you will be treated to incredible global music from Brazil to Bombay and Mali to Memphis. This is the new go to place in London, get there before the Time Out review comes out!

Great vibe, friendly staff and awesome food! I especially loved the lamb cutlets, the dahl mahkani and the Indian style bread rolls (ask about the story behind them!) This venue is perfect for a chilled dinner with friends, and just a stones throw from the tube. Can’t wait to get back there for a gig!

The London Jukebox has just opened up it's restaurant and boy, it does not disappoint. Having spent the day on a liquid diet, my friend and I decided to order some food before the gig (which I'll come on to). We ordered the bhindi and aloo tiki chaat. We prefer the chaat, but portion size was good. Spiciness was good, could of been a more, but that's a more of a personal preference; rather than a critique. For mains we got a chicken briyani, daal mahkni and some naan. Again good portion sizes. The briyani came with some yoghurt which was a good accompaniment to the dish. However the daal mahkni is in a league of its own. Trust me, that a trip to the restaurant is worth it for this alone. The joy of mopping this up with my naan is going to be lingering in my mouth for a long time. With the food, we grabbed a cocktail each. They were refreshing and cool, which would help anyone who can't handle a bit of spice. We headed to the venue to see "Ask An American" (formerly Mojo Hands), and we were given a performance to remember. It was gritty blues and sweet voices for a two hour and a bit performance. Given that they plan to play at the venue at least once a month, this is something to keep an eye out for when trying to decide when to come and visit.