Eat to the beat: top London venues for dinner and jazz

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to London

“What makes jazz different is that you can’t predict it, it’s all about freedom,” said the American jazz vocalist Gregory Porter. “Just when you think you know what you are going to hear, there will be a left turn, a jazz musician will change it up.”

That is exactly what London’s jazz scene is doing at the moment: evolving and expanding, and becoming all the more exhilarating. It is not only attracting a more youthful and diverse audience than it has in a generation, but also embracing the capital’s equally eclectic food culture with new gusto.

My love affair with jazz was ignited by my dad, Bernard Victor, a regular attendee at the London Jazz Club at 100 Oxford Street during the 1950s and ’60s, where he was friendly with musician Chris Barber and singer Beryl Bryden and was an acquaintance of George Melly (who allegedly stole one of his girlfriends). He also started to go to The Flamingo, a modern jazz club, after it opened in 1952. There was invariably jazz played at home, and he memorably took me to see Oscar Peterson play one of his last concerts, which truly stoked my passion for the music.

At the impressive age of 90, post lockdown, Dad has thrown himself wholeheartedly back into the jazz scene, attending jams and clubs, most often the Prohibition-style 606 Club off the King’s Road, where musicians such as Simon Wallace and Sarah Moule regularly perform the witty, wry songs of the late Beat poet/songwriter Fran Landesman. The food is definitely on the up here: crowd-pleasing, comforting dishes such as salmon with horseradish and herb remoulade with roast rosemary potatoes, or grilled Cumberland sausage, red wine gravy and mash. (Just steer clear of desserts.)

Together with Dad and my beau, Stephen, a classical-music lover newly enthused by jazz, we’ve discovered where to most enjoy that transformative duo of great food and jazz that complement each other. Below are some of the highlights.

Ronnie Scott’s (Soho)

47 Frith Street, London W1D 4HT

• Good for: Seeing the world’s top jazz performers, with music that sends shivers down your back

• Not so good for: Spontaneous visits — it’s quite often booked up

• FYI: Sunday lunch is often a good time to snare a table

• Website; Directions

Ronnie Scott’s, one of the most famous jazz venues in the world, was the first British club to host American bands, after it opened in 1959. (Co-founders Ronnie Scott and Pete King fought union restrictions that barred US jazz musicians from attaining work permits in the UK.) In the years since, Ronnie’s has welcomed greats including Nina Simone, Miles Davis and China Moses, who gave an electrifying performance in December that had me dancing on (OK, by) our table. Despite its stellar reputation and indisputably glamorous vibe, with its wall-of-fame photographs and low-level lighting, until recently I would always eat elsewhere before a show.

Dinner has now gone up several octaves, if still playing it safe with a menu of bistro classics. While ham hock terrine is a standard, the steak is properly aged and cooked with finesse — served alongside fabulous triple-cooked chips — while the duck leg with potato dauphinoise would make any Lyonnais bouchon proud. Concerts every evening, £10-£65; à la carte, from about £120 for two

Charlie’s at Brown’s Hotel (Mayfair)

33 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BP

• Good for: Luxuriating in pampering service and surroundings

• Not so good for: Racy dates where dancing should be on the cards

• FYI: Jesus Adorno, one of London’s most famous maître d’s and who worked at The Caprice for nearly 40 years, now presides over Charlie’s and is a jazz aficionado 

• Website; Directions

A different kind of grande dame is Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair, the city’s oldest hotel, renowned as a hub for arts and aristocracy. With the 2021 arrival of maître d’ Jesus Adorno, a jazz enthusiast, music has become a focus too. The house jazz trio, who met at Le Caprice, are led by seasoned saxophonist Greg Davis, and regale with a sophisticated and playful mix of bossa nova, standards and swing performed with considerable élan. This has to be the most luxurious setting to enjoy jazz in town, with the dining room made extra-cosseting with curvaceous banquettes and glorious botanical/garden-themed murals.

The menu, developed by chef-director Adam Byatt (also of Clapham’s Michelin-starred Trinity restaurant), embraces the kind of classics you crave on a Sunday evening. There’s smoked salmon hand-carved from a trolley, impeccable sole goujons, calves’ liver and bacon with silken mash, and the treat of raspberry-ripple baked Alaska for two. A sumptuous way to slide into a new week. Sunday Evening Jazz menu, £70pp

Boisdale of Belgravia (Belgravia)

15 Eccleston Street, London SW1W 9LX

• Good for: A lively musical experience with plenty of audience participation encouraged

• Not so good for: A quiet tête-à-tête

• FYI: Jools Holland, jazz and honky-tonk fanatic/TV presenter, is the “Patron of Music” here

• Website; Directions

Boisdale of Belgravia throws out the rule book for Sunday jazz and offers a lavish lunch menu revolving around superlative roasts, with all the spirit of a Scottish ceilidh. Singer Richard Hadfield, the regular Sunday-lunch musical entertainment, has shared a stage with stars from Gregory Porter to Shirley Bassey. Backed by his trio, Hadfield sings his own compositions alongside pieces from the Great American Songbook. His beautiful tone and rapport with the audience are so endearing that most of the dining room becomes absorbed in the music. It makes for a lively afternoon.

The restaurant oozes charm and character, and reflects founder Ranald Macdonald’s Scottish background, with tartan carpets, red and mahogany-panelled walls, and loads of rather good paintings and photographs. Food is impeccably sourced: the menu changes seasonally and is particularly strong on British game and seafood. Highly recommended are the cullen skink, a creamy smoked-haddock soup made more luxurious with poached quail’s eggs, and the Sunday roasts: a plentiful portion of aged roast beef arrived pink and juicy with a vast, billowy Yorkshire pudding, goose-fat roast potatoes and lashings of sprightly hot fresh horseradish. A generous fruit crumble with proper custard hits the spot. Jazz Sunday Lunch, £39.50pp

The Cinnamon Club (Westminster)

The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU

• Good for: Experiencing some of London’s best Indian food

• Not so good for: Those expecting sepulchral silence in the former Westminster Library

• FYI: Cardamom-infused kulfi with toasted quinoa is the dessert to order

• Website; Directions

A double-bass and guitar duo, Chris Rand and Dai Price (who’ve been playing together since their Guildhall School of Music days), accompany Saturday lunch at the Cinnamon Club, an excellent Indian restaurant in a former Victorian library. Here the jazz is a little more low-key, yet the fine musicianship deserves as much attention as the enticing menu, which redefines Indian dishes in chef Vivek Singh’s inimitable style. Highlights include the skewers of chicken, intriguingly infused with sandalwood and camphor; clove-smoked Romney Marsh lamb; and tandoori portobello and oyster mushrooms with morels and spinach and garlic sauce. The overall vibe is sophisticated and celebratory, and the venue works well for larger groups of people than other more intimate venues. I’m already looking forward to returning. Saturday Jazz Brunch, £45pp

28°-50° by Night (Marylebone)

76 Jason Court, Wigmore Street, London W1U 2SJ

• Good for: Exceptional wines from small estates not found on many lists

• Not so good for: A clandestine meeting

• FYI: Head sommelier Jules Bensacq has worked alongside some of the greats of French viticulture in Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley and Burgundy 

• Website; Directions

A complete revelation was discovering the 28°-50° wine bar’s spacious and glamorous basement music venue. Here, jazz in many genres is enjoyed alongside a superlative wine list that has been curated by sommeliers keen to share their knowledge. I liked choosing the wine first — an esoteric and exceptionally fine Burgundy from a small producer, and then a dish of lamb loin with mushrooms and thyme to suit the grape. Drummer and composer Sam Jesson, a key figure on the London jazz scene, leads the 28°-50° Vintage Piano Trio, who on Thursday evenings play their own takes on legendary pieces from Sonny Rollins to Dewey Redman. The venue is large enough to both enjoy the music and conduct conversation without feeling discourteous to the musicians. Tuesday to Saturday; à la carte from about £50pp excluding drinks

Mu (Dalston)

432-434 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AA

• Good for: Clever culinary riffs on the robata grill

• Not so good for: Those who like their jazz venues central

• FYI: The owners started out with Brilliant Corners, a trendy Japanese restaurant and cocktail spot just down the road

• Website; Directions

Opened last year in Dalston, Mu brings together a love of jazz, Japanese food and natural wines — a combination that makes for a most soothing and surprising venue. Outside is unprepossessing and covered in graffiti; inside there’s an immediate sense of serenity, with a modernist bar, beautiful, glowing globe lights and a striking curved ceiling looking down on the performance area. Regular performers include pianist/keyboardist Yohan Kebede, who blazes with raw talent. I was dazzled by his set with Rio Kai, an outstanding double-bass player. Also look out for the Phil Dawson Trio, who play Afro- and Brazilian jazz meets dub, and spiritual jazz-rock. Mu is certainly the place to go to hear up-and-coming modern, young jazz musicians — the future stars. The food is excellent too. I especially liked the robata-grilled vegetable dishes; the baby gem with miso and panko crumbs was rich, sweet and unctuous, as satisfying as an indulgent dessert. Wednesday to Sunday; à la carte from about £45pp excluding wine

Darby’s (Nine Elms)

3 Viaduct Gardens, London SW11 7AY

• Good for: Exceptional oysters and Guinness

• Not so good for: The wine list is rather expensive

• FYI: Wednesday to Saturday is oyster happy hour (5-7pm), with six oysters and a pint of Guinness for £15

• Website; Directions 

Darby’s is a homage to chef-proprietor Robin Gill’s late father, the trumpet-playing, jazz musician/bandleader Earl “Darby” Gill. The acoustics here are superb. Look out for performers such as swing and New Orleans jazz legend Graham Hughes, steel-pan maestro Mark Cherrie and jazz and swing songstress Caroline Loftus.

The Anglo-Irish venue is at once a bar, with a big focus on oysters, a restaurant, a bakery, a coffee shop and a butchery, where they make their own charcuterie. The leading light of the menu is undoubtedly the splendid beef and bone marrow pie with a croissant-based crust. Don’t miss the Coolea cheese gougères with pickled walnuts, or the crab brioche roll with shellfish mayo. Jazz on Sundays from 1pm; à la carte from about £50pp excluding drinks

Tell us about your favourite London venues to enjoy live jazz and a delicious meal

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