Brixton is an exciting area; with a market full of independent stalls and the whole area delivering a cultural mish-mash of Afro-Caribbean inspired foods, drinks and music. I headed to Brixton on a Saturday night to see whether party bar, Brixton Market House delivered all of the above AND a good time.
The perfect place to get the Friday feeling over tasty cocktails!
Venue
Arriving at Market House at 9pm, it was clear the party was already in full swing, with most of the revellers having abandoned their chairs; all the better to mingle it seemed. Everyone stood around the higgledy piggeldy tables (or sat on them) and mismatched chairs, while behind the bar, the barmen served the crowd non-stop. With soft lighting from the odd collections of tasselled lampshades dotted around the large room, and the chilled out layout of tables which changed every time a new group arrived, Market House had the feel of a quite well-to-do school’s sixth form common room, but with its own bar.
DJs mix up Afro-beat and all the favourites as a soundtrack to the party.
Clientele and Atmosphere
The first impression I had was that everyone there was young, fun and seeking a party. Lively atmosphere spills from gathering to gathering; this is the place to get you ready for a night out; the music is upbeat and pulls from the different cultures present in Brixton’s neighbourhood, adding to the feeling that you are somewhere different and exciting, not just your usual local.
The loud buzz of the crowd only proceeded to grow as the night wore on, yet unlike other bars that have such a big and loud crowd in one room, the fun bunch were all simply happy to be out amongst other revellers, chatting and laughing.
All ingredients are locally sourced and fresh.
Food and Drink
This fun-time ambience is no doubt helped by the £5 cocktail happy hour, which serves up some of the most scrumptious fruit mojitos, AND the small price doesn’t mean small drinks. Bargain. Not only that, but all ingredients are sourced locally, supporting the independent businesses that Brixton has built itself up on.
After a quick peruse of the food menu it became clear that Brixton Market House prides itself on offering seasonal and fresh fare, and their food menu definitely reflects this. It was hard to choose just one dish! In the end we chose the wedges and wild boar sausages rolls, which were succulent and dipped in the chutney, mind-blowing, but left us thinking we’d definitely over ordered! When my colourful pumpkin salad arrived I instantly forgot my “full stomach”.
Sampling the delicious fare from Market House!
Summary
What with the loud crowd and louder music, Brixton Market House is not the place for a first date, or an outstanding dinner, but then with the great £5 cocktail happy hours running for so long and the DJs belting out the beats, you wouldn’t want it to be! Head here with a group and get into the party spirit, line your stomach for later – while the food won’t blow you away, it is locally sourced giving you that warm feeling inside, or maybe that’s just the numerous espresso martinis.
