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The Bedford
Don’t be put off by the unremarkable drinks selection, or the clashing patterned carpets, gaudy booths and floral wallpaper. The real joy of drinking in the Bedford lies in stumbling across the improbably big and bonkers mock-Tudor ‘Shakesperean Globe Theatre’ at the rear of the pub, featuring black-painted wooden pillars so old they look like they could have been installed at the behest of Cardinal Wolsey and a cavernous domed ceiling so strewn with wooden heraldic shields and canvas hangings you feel like you’re in a ‘Game of Thrones’ battle tent. There’s free live music (of varying quality, which is all part of the fun) Monday to Thursday, and on Friday and Saturday nights, the Bedford plays host to brilliantly intimate comedy night Banana Cabaret. It also knows how to cater to Balham’s yummy-mummy crowd: babyccinos for 50p and monthly ‘family fun’ raves for parents and kids.
Big Red
Quite how a No. 30 double decker ended up in Deptford is anyone’s guess – Toto, we’re not in Hackney anymore – but it seems to be having fun in its new location and new role as a pizzeria. Under the long concrete curve of an elevated section of the DLR, and with an unloveable portion of Deptford Creek tucked mercifully out of sight, it’s a surprisingly convivial spot, in part due to the boss who, despite coming across as a little otherworldly, is very friendly and thoroughly content with his eccentric operation. What of the comestibles? Drinks, served off a short blackboard list from a small booth by the entrance, run from a too heavily limed mojito (£5) via a couple of wines to some Meantime beers, while the food, produced in a small kitchen beside the bus, is pizza and a few salads. We tucked into the chorizo and black pudding pizza (£8) – one of half a dozen options on a second blackboard. Although punchy with flavour, the sausages left the dough a little soggy with fat. Still, the size is generous and the delivery prompt. There are seats and tables inside the stranded bus, of course, but also plenty more on the decking outside. Some sofas have a little shelter against sun and rain, as well as low tables that encourage poor posture among those nodding to a soundtrack of Billie Holiday, Sade and Depeche Mode. A sequence of tables for couples at the far end look like telephone booths built for the Chelsea Flower Show, awaiting wisteria, while planters of basil, honeysuckle, lavender and geraniums soften what might otherwise be too brutal an urban setting.
Rockwood Music Hall
This LES haunt started as a tiny, cramped storefront space and has expanded into a multistage downtown fixture. Rockwood books an endless parade of aspirants, some of whom (such Chris Thile, Gabriel Kahane) have gone on to become stars of the singer-songwriter and Americana realms.
Grand Ballroom (at the Manhattan Center)
Not quite as fancy a space as its name suggests, the Grand Ballroom is still a pretty elegant place to catch a show. In the same building as the gargantuan Hammerstein Ballroom, this spot is upstairs and accessible only via a somewhat claustrophobic elevator. The room feels a little like a convention hall due to the carpeting and movable chairs, but it's a nicely intimate, comfortable concert venue.