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London · Venue

Jazz Cafe

A two-level Camden room pairing a standing floor with mezzanine tables overlooking the stage.

Upcoming shows
130
Address
5 Parkway, NW1 7PG London
Phone
020 7485 6834
Next show
Fri, 9 Oct 2026
Official siteDirections
Jazz Cafe in London

About Jazz Cafe

Jazz Cafe is a 440-capacity live-music room in Camden Town whose split-level design gives a show two distinct vantage points: a standing crowd on the floor and bookable tables upstairs. The building began life as a Barclays branch, a detail that helps explain its compact, urban proportions. Its programme reaches far beyond its name, carrying jazz alongside soul, funk, R&B, reggae, hip-hop and electronic bills. A 69-seat mezzanine restaurant faces the stage, making dinner-and-show tickets part of the room’s character.

From Newington Green to Parkway

The story starts in Newington Green, where Jon Dabner and Jean Marshall founded the original Jazz Cafe during the 1980s. They brought it to 5 Parkway in 1990, converting the former Barclays premises into the Camden venue visitors know today. Mean Fiddler took over bookings in 1992; MAMA Festivals followed after acquiring Mean Fiddler in 2008. That chain of operators placed the room in several eras of London’s independent venue business, while its stage hosted artists including Amy Winehouse, Bobby Womack, Gil Scott-Heron and Sun Ra Arkestra.

A sharper turning point came in January 2016, when the Columbo Group bought the venue. Jazz Cafe closed for a major refurbishment, with the new owners promising improved sound and a return to a broad mix of reggae, soul, funk, hip-hop and jazz. The subsequent overhaul brought new technical equipment, refreshed food and drink service, and a booking approach built around established names alongside newer artists.

Floor heat, balcony view

Jazz Cafe’s current programming treats genre as a wide field: jazz and soul remain central, with funk, R&B, reggae, hip-hop and electronic music sharing the calendar. Its booking approach makes space for newer and rising acts as well as touring veterans. For the concert experience, the key choice is physical: general admission places you on the downstairs standing floor near the stage and two ground-floor bars, while the mezzanine restaurant offers seated tables and a clear elevated sightline. Friday and Saturday club nights extend the room’s rhythm beyond the gig.

Sources

  1. Jazz Cafe: Time Out’s Guide To the Jazz, Funk and Soul Venue — Time Out
  2. New owners of Jazz Cafe tell CNJ they will ‘make venue great again' — Camden New Journal
  3. Step Inside: The Jazz Cafe — Ticketmaster
  4. The Jazz Cafe — Visit London

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