Hidden Grooves: A London listening bar that serves up retro Florida vibes alongside musical cocktails that you must visit

London is just full to the brim of indie eateries, cool underground bars, and restaurants that you feel like you need to have passed a test to get into because they’re just that exclusive. But listening bars? They’re a more niche genre which feel like they belong to the era of the Rum Punch and flares. But like all things retro, they’re making a comeback.

You hear ‘listening bar’ and the uncultured may think "ooooh finally, a place where the music isn’t turned up to 200 decibels meaning I leave the bar with a sore throat having yelled across a small two person table for three hours in a vain attempt to have a conversation over a thumping remix of Chappell Roan".

But listening bars aren’t quite a silent retreat — more a Japanese-inspired curated collection of vinyl and retro tunes played through seriously high quality Hi-Fi gear. Think: jukebox on steroids.

London has some great listening bars - Chiave in Shoreditch, Nine Lives in London Bridge, Nipperkin in Mayfair, Jumbi in Peckham, and joining their league is Hidden Grooves.

Where is it?

Attached to a Virgin Hotels on 45 Curtain Rd in Shoreditch, Hidden Grooves may not feel like the tucked-away indie spot you may immediately think of when you hear listening bar, but as soon as you step in you’ll probably change your mind.

What's special?

Well, the whole listening bar niche does make it stand out a little more than your average All Bar One or Slug and Lettuce. Specifically, this bar has some of the chicest interiors we’ve seen which will make you feel like you’ve stumbled back in time to the late 70s in a Florida Saloon bar or lounge. It offers up effortless retro chic that hits that perfect note between throwback and modern. Vintage but high quality. Everything has a slight undertone of expensive, meaning you basically feel like you could be in a tense goodie-faces-baddie scene in The Nice Guys.

Also, each cocktail on the menu is inspired by an iconic studio album like The Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen and Brian Eno’s Another Green World. Music geekery never tasted so good.

What's new?

The whole revamp of the spot officially launched in April 2025 so it’s a fairly new hot spot. Also, whilst there are a couple of other listening bars in London, this bar has been carefully curated around the HiFi concept, so the music isn’t just something you enjoy as a B-side, but as the concept that runs through the whole experience.

Who should you bring?

It sort of goes without saying that you should definitely bring any audiophiles in your life. Specifically, anyone who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of 80s punk rock.

Whilst you could definitely come on a date, it has a less romantic and more neutral vibe, so it’s a good spot for meeting a colleague / potential business partner (especially if they’re staying in the hotel) or those old acquaintances who aren’t quite a close friend but whose emails and offers to meet up you also can’t ignore. Even though it’s a bar in Shoreditch, it hasn’t got that busy, bustling, on-the-lash post-work achingly-young-crowd energy, and sort of feels like an oasis of calm professionals. So, it's perfect for anyone who fits that particular bill.

What should you wear?

It’s definitely a bit more upmarket than your average watering hole, so your garms will need to match. Anyone who plumps for the smart casual office-wear won’t need to change, and you don’t need to go all out with a fancy evening outfit, just maybe ditch the dungarees or trackies.

What are the prices like?

It’s very much on the more expensive side of London, but also won’t make you faint in shock at the prices. All their signature cocktails will set you back £15 - so not awful for central London, but also probably not somewhere you'll go spontaneously.

Unfortunately, the food definitely does fall into the category of "restaurants that only do small plates but still charge £15 for six chips”. A small portion of crispy squid (which we tried) is £14, triple cooked chips £8 (which worked out at about £1.20 per chip) and lamb chops will set you back £26.

What's on the menu?

If you’re looking for some unusual cocktails which are worthy of any top-rated London bars, then you’ll definitely enjoy the bar menu here. They’re unusual but not to the point of sipping something that tastes like a Yankee Candle mixed with some seriously strong vodka. Most of them are clever twists on the classics.

The small plates are similar - all gastro twists on classic side dishes: fries, salads, meat bites, but just done a bit more bougie.

The must haves

The must haves are definitely all liquid in our opinion; the cocktails are beautifully presented, strong, and interesting.

Punk Punch was our personal favourite - inspired by The Sex Pistols, obvs - it’s a twist on a spicy marg with pineapple, chili, and mango which is less "tropical mix" and more "get me a second one straight away".

Medusa’s Kiss is also a seriously good rendition of an English Garden-esque cocktail with basil gin, lemon and basil honey and chartreuse.

If you’re after a negroni-ish (negronish?) drink, then you’ll want to try the Heartbeat which combines mezcal, botivo, italicus, white vermouth in a lip-smacking tribute to Kraftwerk’s 1978 album The Man Machine.

What to skip

Whilst we’re always down for a loaded portion of fries, or a Shoreditch take on some bang bang cauliflower, we’d probably just come here for drinks. The small plates are carefully thought through but not worth the price tag, unless you’re someone who doesn’t look at prices when you’re out and about.

The verdict

You could head to Hidden Grooves just to swoon at the interiors and the vibe in all honesty. But if you’re someone who loves a good cocktail and is a little bored of their usual order, you’re seriously going to enjoy tantalizing your tastebuds with their range.

Want luxury retro interiors? Bit of an audio or even music nerd? Cocktails that feel like they’ve been created by top chefs? Hidden Grooves will hit all the right notes.

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