Stereo Covent Garden's eclectic drama offers New York-meets-Paris vibes with strong design undertones, right in the heart of London. The venue, promising vibrant, late-night entertainment in the form of carefully curated live music, killer cocktails and scrumptious food, is the newest brainchild of international hospitality brand Experimental Group – the team behind the ever-popular Experimental Cocktail Club Chinatown and the Henrietta hotel. With Stereo Covent Garden, its creators come with a fresh proposition: a sophisticated venue for the urbane professional that brings several quality entertainment experiences together. Why leave, they seem to suggest, when you can find everything in one fun-filled home?
Stereo Covent Garden
The space is accessed through a fairly inconspicuous, black double door, and then down two flights of stairs into a fittingly mysterious basement. It has been designed by London-based studio Afroditi, led by its founder, architectural interiors and design specialist Afroditi Krassa. The award-winning practice, whose previous accolades include Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay and Dishoom, orchestrated an interior that brings together dancing, live music, bar and dining experiences into one flowing, open-plan layout.
The idea here is that this hard-working entertainment hub can cater to different needs and desires throughout the evening – once you're here, you can eat, drink, dance and listen to a range of artists all in one outing, moving through different parts of a single space as the night progresses.
Drawing on the timeless values of an old-school New York-style bar, blended with restrained Parisian cabaret tones, the result is a very 21st century, multitasking interior, allowing for 500-person capacity and a 40-cover restaurant. Soft, low tables and seating meet the welcoming round edges of bar counters and balustrades comfortably clad in a selection of fabrics, leather and reflective surfaces throughout.
The bar, mesmerisingly illuminated by 88 glowing globes and a high, reflective ceiling, sits on a central 'island', raised across the similarly raised stage (the dance floor is located between them). Metal detailing, a deep and warm, dark colour palette of red, brown and burgundy shades, artwork, and a balanced arrangement of upholstered and timber furniture complete the composition.
Areas are discreetly sectioned through floor-level changes and low partitions, which still allow vistas across the club, so that guests can feel part of the whole – in a pleasingly old-fashioned, 20th-century-speakeasy-inspired atmosphere, where diners, dancers and spectators contribute to and share an experience.
In sync with Stereo Covent Garden's overall themes, chef-restaurateur Andrew Clarke composed a series of dishes for the menu that sprinkle American classics with French influences – complemented by plenty of delicious vegetarian options. There are cheeseburgers, hot wings, nachos, steaks and lobster pie; alongside several lighter snacks and nibbles, including stuffed peppers, celery and gorgonzola, and eggs and kimchi. The dishes are filling but not heavy – simply fuelling guests for a post-diner dance.
The cocktails to accompany these are suitably well-thought-out, ranging from perfectly poised classics (Negronis) and twists on others, such as the Californication – a mix of tequila blanco, red pepper, agave, chipotle tincture, and Two Keys pink grapefruit soda.
Stereo Covent Garden's uniqueness however, is underlined by the fact that all this is accompanied by an array of house music genres – both live and from the DJ booth. Hand-picked musicians and vocalists provide a stream of uplifting tunes you can't help but tap your feet to, ensuring a night that's quite different to other bars in the area.
'Fun’ and ‘party’ sit at the core of London's latest late-night music venue, say its creators; and the team worked hard to create the right atmosphere, carving options and flexibility, as well as a range of high-quality offerings for their guests, all wrapped in an appetising envelope of fine, contemporary design.
-
Carine Roitfeld on the magic of DiorThe legendary fashion editor has teamed up with photographer Brigitte Niedermair on a special look into the famed French house's archives as part of the UBS House of Craft x Dior in New York
-
Kvadrat’s new ‘holy grail’ product by Peter Saville is inspired by spray-painted sheepThe new ‘Technicolour’ textile range celebrates Britain's craftsmanship, colourful sheep, and drizzly weather – and its designer would love it on a sofa
-
MillerKnoll's new archive is a design lover's paradiseThe furniture design powerhouse is opening its vaults to scholars and enthusiasts like. Take a peek inside
-
Mark your calendars for Mount Street Neighbourhood Summer Festival, a feast for the sensesThe event, 12-14 June 2025, showcases the mix of food, art and community in the heart of London’s Mayfair. Here's what to expect, from afternoon tea to aperitivo, film screenings to biodynamic flowers
-
Healthy chocolate? Eat it at Makers, London’s new Lebanese chocolatierLocated in Chelsea, Makers is a new ‘healthy chocolate’ shop offering treats free of refined sugar, seed oils, wheat and dairy – and it tastes delicious
-
Sketch transforms into an English garden in celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthdayThe 11th edition of ‘Sketch in Bloom’ nods to the most notable works of Jane Austen with budding floral installations and a quintessentially English afternoon tea
-
At the Regent Street Sensorium, architectural jelly sculptures are designed to ignite the sensesDelve into the history of London’s Regent Street through a jellyscape, a fragrance cloud and more – plus, for the event’s final week, two new immersive workshops (ends 27 April)
-
Burns Night 2025: where to celebrate in LondonIt is time to raise a wee dram to Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns on Burns Night (25 January). Here is our pick of places to enjoy an evening of generous speechmaking, toasting, and drinking around London
-
Grand English glamour vs the Italian dolce vita? Why Il Pellicano's Claridge’s takeover is a sun-kissed delightClaridge's welcomes Hotel Il Pellicano with open arms for a one week restaurant residency of laid back luxury and Tuscan charm
-
Lunar New Year in London: where to celebrate the Year of the Wood SnakeDo you want a year of good fortune and happiness? Then it is time to tuck into some of London’s cult favourite hotspots, devour decadent treats, and toast the Lunar New Year, and we have you covered with our guide to all things going on in the city (from 29 January until 8 February 2025)
-
Celebrate Día de los Muertos at one of London (and the world’s) finest Mexican restaurantsDía de los Muertos will arrive at KOL in Marylebone on 2 November, with a collaborative menu including dishes from the chefs behind Endo at The Rotunda to The Connaught, wrapped up with a mezcal fiesta
