The Lounge
1 Archway Road, Archway
The building opposite the Archway tube station is known for claiming the lives of bars. It has previously housed The Archway Tavern, Dusk Till Dawn, Tropical Bar and more recently The Intrepid Fox. All of which has crumbled under London’s ever increasing economy and perhaps a lack of custom. It’s enough to make any prospective bar owner avoid the area entirely for the fear of failure being contagious.
It comes as a surprise that, on one side of the building in question, a bar has opened its doors as The Lounge (or 666 as I’ve heard some people say). Though at the moment, the only way you would know its name is by their Facebook page. The sign above the door says Kolis Nightclub in a pale blue which is fairly confusing.
The Lounge has already pulled in quite a following which was proved by the bar winning The Carouser‘s Fresh Meat Award. And, whilst at the bar, I am met with a couple who loved the place so much that they have decided to host their wedding here.
The smoking area is an enviable feature and has an almost picturesque view of the surrounding area which is currently being renovated. I find out that it was once sheltered, but Storm Doris had ripped it off. Even in the short time they’d opened, people had a lot of stories to tell about the place. Before I know it, a whole deck of 20 Benson & Hedges disappears.
The Lounge seems to have opted for the regular range of drinks. No pumps just cans; Stella, Red Stripe, Heineken, Budweiser, Strongbow Dark Fruits, Trooper and an array of your usual spirits- all cheap and around the £4 mark. When the bartender is pressed further, a cocktail menu can be revealed but I stick to a can of Bow.
However, when I attended on another night they had run out of everything except lager. One customer beside me gets upset due to having an allergy to an ingredient found only in mass produced beer (which is the best excuse to turn your nose up at a Fosters if I ever heard one). The selection of booze is neither inspiring or interesting particularly, and if the fridges aren’t even stocked… well that’s just bad manners.
I find myself bumping into a lot of people I know from Camden. Tonight is a hard rock event so the crowd naturally reflects that. Some of the events hosted here aren’t necessarily rock music nights but the venue does have a regular night called “Shot Through The Heart”- a jam-style AOR and glam metal night. But to find out when this is on can prove a bit of a challenge. The Lounge only has a Facebook page and due to Facebook algorithm changes, it is more than likely that you may miss an event unless you physically seek out their profile and check. Effort.
The Lounge can certainly be branded with the unwanted stamp of “potential”. It’s worth checking out on a good night and it has one of the cleanest rock bar toilets I’ve ever seen. This place has already got the the Camden regular’s attention and it’s a comfy place to hang out till 4 am in the morning. They just need to book in more great events, stock those fridges and make it easier to be discovered – online and on the streets of Archway.
