Set in a heritage-listed building dating from the early 1800s, 26 Curtain Road is a small listening bar in Shoreditch, in east London. Spread over two floors, it leans on the older, quieter side of the East London bar tradition -- somewhere to sit and talk rather than a full-on party venue -- with a listed fireplace and a skylight adding character to the room. Its defining feature is a vinyl-only music policy played through a high-fidelity hi-fi system with a rotary mixer and Celestion Ditton speakers, which keeps the sound warm but conversational. The ground floor holds around 70 to 80 people and the basement, with a capacity of about 30, can be hired for private parties, including with a guest DJ on the in-house system. The drinks list runs to rotating craft beers, premium wines, spirits and a short cocktail selection. Daytimes and early weekdays are given over to record-listening sessions and curated programming, with regular DJ nights such as downtempo and Japanese pop sessions later in the week. It has appeared in round-ups of London listening bars, and sits close to Old Street station.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: 26 Curtain Road, London, United Kingdom