2, Bateman Street, Soho, W1D 4AE

“Tip if you hate the Tories,” I read on a little pot by the till. Today it has been announced that the Tories will have another five year in power. But it seems no one in this bar had voted for them. This little pot is full of coins. Either that, or the bar staff are really that good at their job. But in my opinion, average. Despite the apparent distain for the election outcome, everyone has smiles plastered on their faces.

I begin to think my friend and I might be the only girls in Soho Rocks as man after man move forward to greet us with eager eyes and offer of a drink. We laugh off the attention because we know this is only happening from sheer lack of choice (or maybe we are that magnetic?).

I do find one woman struggling to squeeze her way into a tiny cubicle in the corner. She’s a regular and tells me of a time when these toilets broke and people began pissing outside on the streets. It’s an encouraging thought to know that people would rather behave like a savage than move on to a different pub with working services. And it is Soho, there’s plenty of choice.

Soho Rocks was previously know as The Carlisile Arms and still has the old sign, swinging from the over-a-century-old walls, even though the name changed last year. This rock and roll make over hasn’t put off the regulars but seems to have attracted more music fans.

Guitars and memorabilia are stuck to the walls whilst Skuzz is on the TV. System Of A Down starts playing and everyone jumps in unison whilst I’m focussing on not spilling my pint. The lack of women in the bar seems to have had an effect. There are no attitudes and everyone is having fun, enjoying a Friday night drink. Sadly, the drinks are all the obvious choices like Jack Daniels and Smirnoff stocked in the bar with a few pumps of lager. It would be nice to see more of a range considering this bar may be competing with the heavily-bourbon stocked Crobar and super niche Garlic & Shots.

But what I enjoy most about this pub is that it’s super cosy and friendly. There might be nowhere to sit but you still feel you have space unlike most bars in central London. But like most bars in the whole of London, we have to be on our guard. In a strange turn of events, we find that my friend’s purse had been stolen. Thankfully, this still doesn’t completely ruin her night… Like a seductive Latina Cinderella, the clock struck midnight and as the bar closed, I noticed she was gone and so was one of our bachelors.

This bar, I thought, is perfect for that.