The Muse at 269

The Muse at 269 has been around for ages and despite being located on a busy section of Portobello Road has quite an understated feel to it.
I have been to many art exhibitions over the years, and it seems to be entering a more active phase at the moment with more events, arty and music, coming up.
As the area is changing with independent shops being threatened by redevelopment, it’s good to see that an arty place is holding out. It’s particularly good to see they are still offering residencies for graduates — when many artists have long been priced out of the area.

i went to this place today, it is just a coincidence that my turtle was stolen from my flat on the same day. probably shouldnt have left the house for such a long period of time during daylight hours.
nice place… didnt know it was an art gallery but was pleasantly suprised by the food. the lemon chicken was amaze.
also, had a murally type thingy on the wall which was entertaining and useful.

I had a really great time last time I came here on a bank holiday Monday…
Walking back after a few drinks at the Walmer Castle and Beach Blanket Babylon, we headed down Portobello Rd and this gallery (which is also a bar) was open and having an impromptu party! Woop! My friend knew some people including the lovely bartender, so we ‘popped in for a drink’ — which led to another, and another, and another… yikes, Tuesday was not fun at work…
On this visit there was an exhibition on by a Korean artist. There was a lot of neon and it was easy on the eye. The lovely Italian lady in charge made me a delicious cocktail with fresh raspberries (before I switched to old faithful g&t’s). All drinks were nice and strong, and average in price.
The dj was playing a lot of awesome Trojan reggae and the vibe was totally relaxed and fun, with everyone dancing and mingling. The big front window is actually a sliding door, and it was completely open as it was a nice warm evening. This made it a) welcoming for passers-​by to pop in and join our party and b) enticing for us to take our dancing outside onto the pavement!
Great little venue and very fun! I don’t know how often they are open for parties, but it’s definitely worth dropping in if you are in the area and they are open…