The Piano Works: Drink, dance, party, repeat

This loud, rollicking bar is a place to come late, stay later still and dance until you drop, says David Ellis
Rollicking fun: the Piano Works, Farringdon
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David Ellis @dvh_ellis30 November 2017

What they say: Live music is at the heart of this bar, which sprawls throughout an old Victorian warehouse. Better yet, the audience decide what’s played. Put in your request, sit back and enjoy plenty of cocktails and classic bar food.

What we say: If you’re expecting an intimate jazz bar with a piano quietly tinkling in the corner, think again. Walking into this 400-seater we were greeted to a rollicking take on Taylor Swift’s (modern classic?) Shake It Off, and from then on the two pianists, guitarist and trumpeter had the crowd hollering along to everything from Rihanna to Louis Armstrong. It is, of course, fairly cheesy – but that’s why it’s fun: everyone drinks, dances and parties and then does it over and over until one in the morning.

The place has built on the success of its first year, and it reliably gets busy. They've tackled the vast space carefully, so everyone is thrown in together: et voilà, instant atmosphere.

Order: The Old Fashioned (bourbon, orange and mint infused sugar, orange bitters) was the best of the bunch: the mint made it very like a Julep, which is to say it was refreshing. The excellent Almond and Hazelnut Sour (almond liqueur, hazelnut liqueur, egg white and lemon) managed to be rich and refreshing all at the same time. The cocktails are fairly sweet across the list – these are party drinks, and why not? Top-shelf mixes aren’t really the point at a place where you come to feel good.

Good for: The Piano Works is a bar to have a laugh in: bring a few friends or colleagues and stay late into the night. Or, if you're dying to show off your killer dance moves, take a date. Get a few sharing plates, too: the food is straightforward but matches the drinks nicely.

By the way: The musicians (all excellent) take song requests on napkins, so have a think and give them a challenge. Tip accordingly, of course.

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