A new era of sound,
design and nightlife in London
Experimental Cocktail Club Chinatown, London’s celebrated drinking den, was the first time Experimental stepped beyond Parisian shores. On a winter’s night in 2010, the bar opened its doors. A space perched above Chinatown’s heaving streets, red paper lanterns swaying above passersby. Through a discreet paint-chipped door and up carpeted stairs, a secret unfurled. Steps away from Covent Garden and Soho, a gem appeared as if had always been there, hidden away waiting to be discovered. The design was conceived by Dorothée Meilichzon, paying tribute to Chinatown’s history, taking notes from New York’s classic cocktail bars and putting her mark on London. A new design has now been unveiled, in the late autumn breeze of 2025, reigniting a passion for Chinatown’s legendary motifs as seen through a cinematic lens. Today, the cocktails continue at pace, live music wafts through the windows and DJs play late into the night.
Make a reservation or stop by and we’ll try to find some room.
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Clandestine cocktails, a bar that beckons to be discovered. A hidden gem on the outskirts of Soho, right in the heart of Central London. An intimate space shaped by atmosphere and precision, where the music and design are just as important as the liquid poured into glasses. A night of cocktails without pretence, drinks made a keen attention to craft and well-made ingredients.
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La Cabane Barbados Takeover
La Cabane Barbados Takeover
La Cabane Barbados lands in Chinatown for nine weeks of island life. Expect rare Bajan rums, beach-bound cocktails, sun-soaked sounds and intimate masterclasses, all designed to take you far beyond London. No boarding pass. Just good rum, great music and Caribbean summer.
The Layover
DJ Bernt
Friday belongs to the floor. La Cabane Barbados sets the mood with our Maafe playlist before DJ Bernt takes control - Amapiano, Warm House and Afro House beats shaped for a room that knows exactly what it wants. The door open all night. £5 after 11pm.
The Gold Coast Edit
DJs Pegasvs & Abimbola
Saturday at La Cabane is many things. It starts with the Spotlight playlist (or a cocktail masterclass) and ends somewhere you didn't expect - eclectic house and feel-good dance tracks powered by DJs Pegasvs & Abimbola on the decks. Perfect for a celebration. Better for no reason at all. The door open all night. £5 after 11pm.
Cane & Vinyl
Cane & Vinyl
The week ends on the beach. La Cabane's Sunday sessions bring the soul of Barbados to Chinatown, with a Bajan-flavoured mix of funk and soul that feels like golden hour on any coast. Nowhere to be. Nothing to prove. Walk ins always welcome. See you Sunday.
Islandside
Islandside
We turned it up. La Cabane Barbados goes disco on Tuesdays - rare rum, upbeat grooves and a hidden room in the back streets of Chinatown that has no business being this good. Doors 6pm. £5 after 11pm.
Mid Week Limin’
Mid Week Limin’
The week turns here. La Cabane Barbados takes Wednesdays from Caribbean warmth to eclectic house, feel-good tracks and the kind of evening that creeps up on you beautifully. Walk in. Stay longer than planned. £5 after 11pm.
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The Bajan Edit
DJ Danny Bodega
Thursday belongs to La Cabane. The evening opens with soulful sounds from the islands before we blend Bajan and Electro House as DJ Danny Bodega sets the tone as the rum flows and the room finds its rhythm. Watch this space. Walk ins welcome. £5 after 11pm.
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The Layover
DJs Boris & Marcelina
Friday belongs to the floor. La Cabane Barbados sets the mood with our Maafe playlist before DJs Boris & Marcelina takes control - Amapiano, Warm House and Afro House beats shaped for a room that knows exactly what it wants. The door open all night. £5 after 11pm.
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Papa Jules' Gold Coast Edit
DJ Kobi
Saturday at La Cabane is many things. It starts with the Spotlight playlist (or a Papa Jules' rare masterclass) and ends somewhere you didn't expect - eclectic house and feel-good dance tracks powered by DJ Fefe on the decks. Perfect for a celebration. Better for no reason at all. The door open all night. £5 after 11pm.
Music
Experimental Sounds
in London
A space defined by cocktails and design, and of course music. A listening room overlooking Chinatown whose weekly programme draws from an eclectic sonic palette: from disco and ambient grooves, to live acoustic sets, electro house, French Touch, and rock-inflected nights that roll into the early hours.
Weekends pulse with Afro House, Amapiano, and warm house music, while Sundays close with an analogue-inspired ritual of curated playlists celebrating hip hop, soul, and R&B classics.
Design
Come for the design, stay for a drink
A space overlooking Chinatown, where brick walls paved the way for a tribute to New York’s classic bars. Mirrored ceilings were added, carpet adorned in pattern, low slung sofas dotted throughout. Dorothée Meilichzon’s first iteration of ECC Chinatown embraced local history, through hand-painted wallpapers and deep red hues.
Her second iteration, realised in 2025, revisited Chinatown’s history, this time approaching the design through a cinematic lens and incorporating the symbolic dragon, through scale-like patterns and hues of purple, brown, and deep violet.
Private Events
Private events at
Experimental Cocktail Club Chinatown
Tucked away upstairs, a party beckons. An intimate celebration hidden away, whether you’re celebrating a milestone, launching a product, hosting a birthday or organising corporate cocktails, our space in London is the perfect venue for your next private event.
With room for up to 100 guests across two floors, we’ll help you raise a glass to whatever the occasion.
Access & Contact
Address
13a Gerrard Street,
London W1D 5PS
Sunday – Monday: 6pm-Midnight
Tuesday – Wednesday: 6pm-2am
Thursday – Friday: 6pm-3am
Saturday: 6pm-3am
A £5 cover charge is payable at the door after 11pm
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