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April brings the promise of spring staples such as daffodils, an abundance of frolicking lambs and severely discounted Creme Eggs. We can also delight in the opening of a host of new London venues. As ever, the venue experts at Hire Space have homed in on five hot new spaces with private-hire potential.
1. The Escapologist
From the creative team behind the popular Adventure Bars comes this new Covent Garden hangout based on a fabled Victorian Escapologist nicknamed 'The Baron'. Styled as a Masonic lodge, the Earlham Street venue promises to be an enchanting spot for bespoke social and corporate parties. Guests can gather in The Grand Hall (complete with a secret door and private fridge), The Vault (a wood-panelled basement space with padded seats), or even revel in the expansive entire venue if the host proves popular enough.
2. Little Bat
Hidden in a nook just off Angel’s Upper Street is this wonder-filled and Wonderland-themed bar whose name is dropped in the Mad Hatter’s riddle-crammed poem. Shout out to Lewis Carroll. Run by the same innovative team as Shoreditch’s Callooh Callay (fittingly the name of that perplexing poem), Little Bat offers a flexible space for intimate or more sizeable parties, with a capacity of around 120. Tailor-made drinks menus can be arranged for private gatherings, with shareable punch bowls of concoctions like 'Bathtub Smash' and 'Grumpy Thompson’s Ale' sure to make cocktail consumption into a cosy pastime.
3. Leman Street Tavern
Whitechapel’s newest pub will prove a friendly respite for fatigued City workers and lively locals alike. Already home to diverse events including whisky tasting and life drawing, the pub, which blends modern slickness with traditional comforts, welcomes event bookings in the private dining room, The Chambers, in the form of sit-down or standup meals (with capacities of 24 and 50 peckish patrons, respectively). Other inviting spaces include the The Snug, The Back Bar and The Pass, all varying in size for drinks-based gatherings of mixed magnitudes.
4. Anglo
This new British fine-dining establishment is the amalgamation of the best of town and country: contemporary decor with minimalist touches and neon lights, effortlessly integrated with rustic, wooden dining tables, Heritage plates, and a pastel colour scheme comprising a soft-hued rainbow of white, beige and grey. The warehouse feel of the Farringdon restaurant is fit for food-focused private functions, with the main space holding up to 36 diners, and a more intimate downstairs area potentially soon becoming a second events space for cosier congregations.
5. Joe Public
Restrooms are the new restaurants. We covered The Attendant last month, and, loo and behold, a newly converted WC is all the buzz this month. This former public toilet shouldn’t be judged by past uses: it’s now a purveyor of pizza pies of all forms, all the way up to a 20-inch whopper. The abandoned ladies’ washroom, directly adjacent to Clapham Common station, is sure to be hit in the summer, when the indoor and outdoor areas will welcome around 40 guests for private pizza parties. Perfect for informal, standing get togethers, with craft beer and wine flowing until midnight at the weekend.
For more awesome London venues, head to hirespace.com.