JOSEFINE EKLUND

I think it's safe to say that this is probably my favourite club. It's pitch black down there, but I almost always have the best time. They got different nights for different things, e.g. Thursdays are hip hop nights and Saturdays are disco nights, but it's always great music and great people there. Staff is friendly (lost my gloves in there quite a few times now... they always find them for me!) and drinks are quite cheap (especially on Thursdays, then they are only £2.50!). Entrence is £5 before 11pm, £7 after that (if I remember correctly). Dalston's finest.

 

I've only been here once, but I had a great time. Don't remember much about it, but I think that just tells me it was a good night, yeah? Not sure about entrence, but probably around £5-£10.

The first place I went to here in London! You get in for free and if you are a good group of people it can be alright, although in general it's not that great and it's definitely not my favourite place. The music isn't always the best, but a really convenient place to meet up for a drink or two before you move on. 

 

The Book Club is one of those places where you either have a great night or the opposite. If you go there with a big group of friends you're very likely to have a blast, but the music is either amazing or just not very exciting at all. If you have the time you should give it a go though! I think entrance is about £5-£7.

 

An alright place with a small dance floor. A nice place to meet up for drinks, but not as good if you want to go for a dance. I think entrance is for free, at least for girls. 

Fabric is like a maze, and if you enjoy your deep house/techno/dance/electronic music, it's the place to be. Either way, it's an experience in itself. It's massive, quite lairy and overwhelming at first. But it's rather expensive (£20) and the staff is rude. Let's just say you need to be quite drunk to be able to enjoy it properly. But there isn't much like it. For example, they do parties that start Friday afternoon and ends Monday morning. And people stay for that entire time. 

 

 

One of those fancy places where if you have a promoter you'll get in for free (at least if you are a girl in high heels). Otherwise it's quite pricey at £20. It's slightly different that the other West End places though, and therefore worth visiting. They've got this freak show/circus theme which makes it fun and interesting. Easy to get to and from is you're only visiting London over a weekend. 

 

A really cute little place, great for a few drinks. They've got a tiny but quite decent dance floor. I think entry is free, could be about £5.

 

For being in the West End it's actually a good place. You'll find it at the end of Carnaby Street. Cheesy music from today and yesterday and ten years ago. I've had a few good night in here, we always used to go here when we first moved to London as we didn't know our way around then. I think it's free entry till 10pm, or maybe even 11pm. After that it's probably about £10.

 

 

This is a private club, and you can't find it unless you know where it is. We used to know one of the bartenders in there, hence how we got in. A really cool place, but as it is private it's not too exciting. Lots of groups of friends, older and richer than me and my friends. The interior is interesting and the drinks are nice, but the place itself... it's a bit lame. Maybe I'll appreciate it more when I'm older and richer. 

 

I've been here once or twice and I really didn't appreciate it. I think entry is about £5, or something like that. It's a quite small bar, with a crowded dance floor (and not in a good way!). I remember people being a bit rude, but maybe (and hopefully) I was just unlucky when I was there. 

 

I've only been once, but I had a great time! It's a typical west end club thought, where all girls were heels and short dresses. The night I went the music was good and we all had a dance and a laugh. Free if you got a promoter, otherwise I think it's about £20.

 

Honestly, a quite shitty place. Just loud hip hop music and a lot of obnoxious people. Expensive as well.

 

A good place for being West End, located by Picadilly Circus. One of the first places I went to with Lovisa and Johanna before we converted them to being east Londoners. But I did actually appreciate it. Only downside is the tiny dance floor, and a secluded VIP section. I don't like that kinda stuff. Free with a promoter, £20 otherwise.

 

I went to see Calvin Harris here, and had such a good time! The same as every other West End club though, free with a promoter, £20 without. Not the best dancefloor, but I like the place anyway.

 

 

Such a cool place! Definitely one of my favourite posh places. You need to look kinda fancy to get in (or just don't look like you normally do when you go out in Dalston), but it's worth it for this place. A little toy train going around the roof with shots, luchadores having wrestling games in the middle of the dance floor, fishbowl drinks served out of massive day of the dead skulls..... It's just mad. And great.

 

A nice place to start your night if you are heading east. But go here in the summer! They have a nice spot outside of the club, with fairy lights hanging in the trees and stuff. A good dance floor, but they close at 2am already. Sometimes it can be a bit slow, but as I said, a good place to start before moving on. I think it's about a fiver to get in.

 

Basing House is pitch black and kinda cool. A nice roof where you can get some fresh air. Can be intense and heavy if you are not in the mood for it, but I normally have a good time here. About £8 to get in, if I remember correctly.

I love Cargo! They have several (about three I think?) different dance floor that play different music, and a nice, open space at the back with sofas and fairy lights in the trees. It's free entry before like 9 or 10pm, after that it's about £10. Definitely one of my favourite places in spring/summer.

 

If you like house music, then this is the place for you. It's also great if you are up for a dance! I recommend it. It's normally a decent price if you buy tickets online prior to going there, on the door it can be something as riddiculous as £20. 

 

Mother Bar used to be a grimey place to go to when everything else failed, as it was free and the music decent (but the place itself quite nasty). Now? They've cleaned the place up and you need to pay about £10 to get in. I haven't been since they started charging though, and my only concern is that they are trying to be something they are clearly not. Come on, it's called Mother Bar and located on 333 Old Street. You are not supposed to pay to visit the Devil's mum.

 

Cheap drinks and a cute little dance floor... I'd mainly go here for the drinks though, there are too many places that's better than this in Dalston. Been here for pre drinks, and it was perfect for that. LOADS of Australians though, I actually went with my Aussie friends! Free entry I think? Maybe a fiver as it gets late.

 

Happy hour makes it worth it. This is a bar, not a club. Not even a bar with a tiny dance floor. Just a bar. Their drinks are yummy though, but a little bit pricey if you get there after happy hour. Great for an after work thing. 

 

George and the Dragon is a place you go for a drink or two, maybe a bite to eat. Nice staff, delicious food. Try the sweet potato wedges!

Catch is probably my favourite place in Shoreditch. It's spread out over two floors (meaning two different dance floors), got nice drinks and decent prices, free entry and good music! It's a laugh. Only downside is that they don't have a cloakroom, so it's best if you are a bigger group so that it's easy to keep track of all the coats and bags (that you dump by a table and then some of you hog the table for the rest of the night). Only open till 2am though, which normally is enough but sometimes keep you a little bit unsatisfied.

 

Great place. I've only been in once, but I had a good time. I was way too drunk to remember much from that night,  but I had fun - which is the main thing. I think entry was free, but could've been £10.

 

A bit too pricey and pretentious in my meaning, but a good place to meet up. No dance floor, just a bar with a bit too loud music. 

 

I went here Halloween 2013 and had a blast. Several dance floors = different music and good fun. Worth visiting.

 

 

Cosy place with yummy drinks and reasonable prices. A cider/beer is about £4-£5 and a drink between £7-£10. It's a bar, so no entry!

 

I went for the opening, and it was decent but nothing special. I did however go back a year later, in August 2015, and it was absolutely amazing. Literally had the best night! They have a live band on, and I love how the place is built with a massive bar in the middle. Definitely worth a visit.