Dinner party: London restaurants with live entertainment

It’s 10pm in Jeru and the bongos have just started. A DJ dressed all in black slinks to the decks whilst a steady stream of revellers pours in from the restaurant upstairs. In the corner, an unperturbed couple continues to chew their lamb cutlets.

Welcome to the latest trend to sweep London’s restaurant scene: ‘high energy dining’, or, for those who don’t wince at a portmanteau, ‘clubstaurants’. At the tamer end, this involves diners tapping their cutlery along to a jazz band; at the wilder, it’s caviar, pyrotechnics, and Berlin DJs until the early hours (even on a Tuesday). Below, we detail seven such restaurants where you can go from dinner to dancing under one atmospheric roof.

The Parlour at The Ned, City  

Best for: slinking down to The Vault after dinner (The Parlour’s diners get special access).  

Slip behind the curtains at The Parlour – The Ned’s intimate, low-lit lounge where the wallpaper’s floral, the vibe is sultry, and the soundtrack is strictly live. Wednesdays and Thursdays are all about jazz, Saturdays get steamy with cabaret, and Fridays belong to Soul Supreme: a live band belting out soul, pop, and 80s hits with the kind of energy that’ll have you singing between courses. The food’s equally showy – think caviar by the spoonful, steak au poivre, and old-school Chicken Kiev (plus a top-tier shellfish selection and impressive wine list to match). 

Inca, Mayfair

If you want to take ‘dinner and a show’ to the next level, get yourself to Inca – a lively South American restaurant hidden beneath Oxford Circus. Live performances are an integral part of evenings here, so expect the sound system to kick into life from 8pm as flocks of carnival-clad performers sing and salsa around the stage. Don’t let this distract you from the food, though; the South American-inspired dishes are just as artistic (the ceviche is particularly good – fresh, zingy, and served abreast a cloud of dry ice).

Berners Tavern, Fitzrovia 

Best for: celebrating something special at a classy, candlelit concert. 

The London EDITION recently launched Live at Berners – its monthly music series that’s less club, more classical. Think food by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, an intimate space drenched in candlelight, and cinematic scores reverberating off the walls. But it’s no one-trick pony. From a drag queen performing classical arias to Oasis anthems played by a string quartet, each evening (held on the first Friday of each month) brings something brand new. Start with a cold glass of Veuve Clicquot or a Patrón Silver Clarita cocktail, before settling in for the special set menu. Stunning. 

The Tent (at the End of the Universe), Fitzrovia

This hidden restaurant feels more like a festival tent than a dining room. Once you find it, you’ll discover an incense-filled cavern filled with scarlet canvases, starry installations, and a Berlin-quality sound system. The menu – by chef John Javier – is a creative take on Middle Eastern cuisine that incorporates elements of Chinese and French cooking into its colourful dishes. Begin with a glistening bowl of fuchsia borani and homemade za’atar bread before digging into pork chops with seaweed butter and marmite-glazed mushroom shish. Don’t miss the cocktail list named after London nightclubs – or the secret nightclub in the basement. 
 

Hithe + Seek, City  

Best for: wine lovers seeking Thames-side tunes. 

A glass in one hand, chopsticks in the other, and a DJ dropping samba-house blends in the background – Hithe + Seek has mastered the art of the stylish midweek wind-down. Set right on the Thames (with the views to prove it), this low-lit City hangout has a menu designed around wine pairings, with dishes like caviar-topped cod and trout roe-topped lobster roll. The DJs come out to play on Wednesdays and Thursdays, serving up everything from Balearic beats to Brazilian grooves. 

Penelope’s, Covent Garden

It’s not out of the ordinary to dance on the table at Penelope’s; in fact, at its monthly Isramani parties (an import from Berlin), it’s actively encouraged. And there’s a similar vibrant atmosphere on Friday and Saturday evenings when London’s leading DJs hit the decks to the line between dinner and a night out. To eat: an Israeli-Spanish fusion, which looks like Israeli-style paella topped with octopus and pistachio-peppered baklava cheesecake.

"mu", Dalston

You’ll have to head to Dalston’s Kingsland Road to find this lively Japanese spot. Don’t be put off by the graffitied door; inside is a haven of dark wood, hanging lamps, and natural wines. Nightly entertainment encompasses all tastes, from tinkling piano to jazz from some of London’s leading musicians (the livelier stuff is on Friday and Saturday evenings). Your fuel for the evening comes courtesy of a robatayaki grill and features the likes of pork tonkatsu, hake tempura, and smoked salmon teriyaki.

Jeru, Mayfair

Jeru quite literally arrived on Mayfair’s restaurant scene in a puff of smoke: its fiery open kitchen commands the entire width of the upstairs dining room. As well as serving creative Middle Eastern dishes – try the halloumi doughnuts and charcoal-roasted aubergine – it also offers a fantastic roster of entertainment on Thursday and Friday evenings. DJs, live musicians, and the occasional bongo player entertain diners from its sunken Layla Bar, where you can also make the most of a Middle Eastern-inspired cocktail list.

COYA City

The party starts the moment you walk into COYA and are thrown into a palatial world of foliage walls, jewel-toned lights, and a pulsating, club-style soundtrack. By 10pm, a DJ has got involved – and live music roars through the room every Friday. In such a place, you want theatre with your dishes, and COYA is happy to oblige with tableside guacamole and arroz Nikkei, alongside classic ceviche and a standout spicy beef fillet. And to drink? It’s got to be a Pisco sour, infused in the on-site Pisco Bar.

Park Chinois, Mayfair  

Best for: guaranteed glitz and glam.  

There’s nowhere quite like Park Chinois. Beneath all the velvet, marble, and chandeliers, you’ll find one of London’s most theatrical dinner spots. In the Salon de Chine dining room, you can expect silky-smooth jazz singers and a sophisticated house band that wouldn’t be out of place in a Bond movie. All this while you work your way through refined Chinese classics, of course. The vibe is old-school Shanghai supper club, with live performances every night of the week (and lunchtime sets on weekends, too).