Stereo Covent Garden

Stereo Covent Garden is a subterranean bar, restaurant and live-music venue beneath the Piazza, describing itself as a heady mix of New York and London nightlife with an undertone of Parisian style. The idea is to arrive for an aperitif, stay for dinner and dance into the early hours, all in one below-ground room that runs until 3am from Wednesday to Saturday.

The venue is operated by the Experimental Group, the Paris-born company behind bars and hotels in London, Paris, New York, Menorca, Verbier, Ibiza and Venice, which explains the Parisian note in the styling. The stage has been developed with production company High Scream and is powered by an L-Acoustics sound system, designed to give a big-room sound in an intimate space.

Live music bar in Covent Garden with a house band and DJs

A house band opens the night with an upbeat set before the stage passes to a rotating series of resident DJs and one-off artist performances. The programme runs under named nights such as Jukebox Friday, Mixtape Saturday, Stereo Noir on Wednesdays, Throwback Thursday and a Sunday Social, with occasional daytime sessions at weekends. On the drinks side the bar pours house vodka and gin by Thames Distillers, a Vintage Daiquiri, signature serves such as Monkey Business and Verde Operator, and four cocktails on draught: Paloma Spritz, Espresso Martini, Negroni and Mango No5. The wine list runs past 100 bins, and the kitchen keeps things casual with wings, halloumi bites, sweet potato fries and brownies, with late snacks served until midnight.

What to expect on a visit

Doors open at 5pm Wednesday to Sunday, closing at 3am except on Sunday when the night ends at 1am; it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Reservations are recommended, with separate bookings for the restaurant and the cocktail bar, but space is always kept for walk-ins on a first come, first served basis. Groups and private events can be hosted for anywhere from 10 to 600 people, with experience packages that bundle music, drinks and food, including cocktail masterclasses. It is the late-night option among the cocktail bars in Covent Garden, and a natural second stop after an early drink at Mr Fogg's Tavern on St Martin's Lane.