BLOODsports

BLOODsports is the sports bar, burger restaurant and late-night cocktail bar run by MEATliquor on Endell Street, a two-minute walk from Covent Garden station. It describes itself as a day-to-night hangout with more than thirty screens, a place where matchday madness gives way to cult horror once the evening sets in, and it stays open until 2am seven days a week.

The bar comes from MEATliquor founder Scott Collins and occupies a building that was once a menagerie for Victorian elephants. Today it is lit by red neon and lined with leopard print, with a psychobooth, a secret door and a pinball machine among the distractions. Live sport of every kind runs across the screens, with plasmas even in the toilets so nobody misses a goal, while horror films play alongside the football.

A late-night sports bar in Covent Garden

The kitchen serves the MEATliquor menu until 1.30am, including the Dead Hippie burger, Monkey Fingers, Chicago dogs and fried pickles, with halal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available. Drinks run from beers and frozen slushies to cocktails such as the Turbo Lagerita and pina coladas, and the daily happy hour, "Bunch of Fives", offers a rotating choice of drinks at five pounds each from midday to midnight. Pool, darts and arcade games fill the gaps between fixtures, and hours may stretch further for big events such as the Super Bowl.

What to expect on a visit

There is no dress code and no velvet rope, and the bar pitches itself squarely at the pre- and post-theatre crowd given its position round the corner from many West End theatres. It opens from midday to 2am every day and suits groups rather than quiet drinks. For a more games-led evening nearby, Bat & Ball at Seven Dials is a few streets away, and our guide to bars in Covent Garden covers the rest of the neighbourhood.