Aces & Eights

I hired the Aces and Eights downstairs bar for a private party last weekend and had the time of my life! Tim (Bar Manager) and his staff were really helpful on the run up to the party, answering all my questions promptly and offering help and advice when needed.
The downstairs bar has a secret, speakeasy feel to it with gorgeous velvet lamps and quirky mirrors and it’s own bar and toilets, so guests needn’t venture up stairs unless they want to.
We were given access to the room before the party and free reign to decorate as we liked so we were able to make the event really personal. On the night we had our own bar staff who were on hand to help guests and served drinks with great friendly banter.
We ordered pizzas for our guests which went down a storm, easily some of the best pizza in London.
So if you are looking for a place to host your next party or just drinks and food with friends then look no further than Aces of Eights, an intimate venue with a unique character, friendly staff and a relaxed party atmosphere.

Great location — this is conveniently located across the road from both The Dome and Boston Music Rooms, making it a prime location for pre-​drinks before gigs. Even better is the happy hour between 6pm and 8pm every day (except Saturday) when all cocktails are 2−4−1. I highly recommend both the mint julep and Long Island iced tea; they’re delicious and well made. The service can be a little slow, as this place is usually always pretty busy. I’m not tempted to mark this place down because of that though, as the drinks are reasonably priced and the toilets are very clean. There’s plenty of seating too; if you’re unable to score yourself a booth or a table then there’s no shortage of stools around the bar. The music can get a little repetitive (they played the same Foo Fighters song three times in the two hours I was here for). Aces and Eights sits directly opposite Tufnell Park tube station, however, if you’re reading this while still in the throes of that tube station being closed then fret not — it’s less than a five minute walk from Kentish Town!

Update: came here on a Monday and the whole vibe was way better — less crowded, good happy hour deals and good pizza deals. Would definitely come back on the right night.

Good vibe and a nice mix of clientele. A dimly lit dive bar with good tunes playing on the juke box. Drink prices are reasonable and noticed they sometimes to offers i. e 2−4−1 on certain drinks. Also do good pizzas although the guy making them can be a bit of a miserable sod if you try and crack a smile at him.

As Eclectic as it gets, looks like a roadhouse theme bar from the outside, the décor is a mix of classic rock posters and playboy spreads, and the bar staff all wear heavy metal t-​shirts.
When the music starts though, it’s the best rockabilly night in London, and opens until 3 am.
Good range of reasonably priced drinks, and the pizzas are lovely

Nice place. Open until late I the week end. Pizza and cocktails are nice. And I really love the atmosphere and the rock and roll music.

Delicious pizza, nice drinks, and a fun venue downstairs!
We were there to attend the live recording of the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast from QI. It was great fun! We had pizza beforehand and afterward we were able to sit upstairs with the podcast folk and have a nice chat and drinks. Delightful!

Went here for happy hour on a Monday and all I can say is if I was here next week I would be going again! We got the Ferrari and Eights pizzas seeing they were 2 for £12 during happy hour. Drinks were great! Buy one get one free on any £7 or less. Good selection for taps the Camden Hells was great! Will be going back again!

I lost my wallet here and got it back!
they do pizza!
they have booze!
they are open late
the bartender wears low cut tops…
that is all

So we arrived as instructed to a fairly empty Aces & Eights, but then again it was only 6pm. We were here for pre-​gig food and drinks.
The place is dark and dingy in a purposeful way, with gig poster wall paper and neon lights. There are wooden booths all around the edge of the space, with a long bench in the middle space. Most of these were occupied with one or two patrons, who were there watching the Six Nations rugby that was on the big screen.
Perusing their drinks menu, I was delighted to see they had Sierra Nevada pale ale by the bottle, so I pick this as my tipple.
Their food menu did pizza and pasta. But as we had pizza earlier in the day, we all opted for pasta. I was told their cannelloni takes a long time, time I didn’t have, so I went for the lasagne. And as the same as everyone else who ordered the lasagne, I was disappointed. It was bland with way too much tomato and bechamel sauce poured all over it. It also wasn’t very hot. The garlic bread was OK, but not much better. It came with a tomato sauce on it, which I think it could have done without. Their pizzas did look good, but I don’t know how they tasted.
Another thing that would stop me going back is the table reservations. Every single booth and table had a reserved sign on it. This is a bar, right? On this occasion it wasn’t a problem because we took a table that we knew we will have vacated by the time the people who booked it had arrived. But given the choice later on a Saturday night, I’d probably not pick Aces & Eights due to the chances of getting a seat being lowered significantly
I would go back, but only for the booze and there was a seating available.

This place took a while to get going from its initial opening. Well located opposite Tufnell park tube, with a crowd of sensible rockers, getting away from overly touristy camden. Beers are decent, and there is sometimes a bit of live music to keep you entertained. They have an in house pizza restaurant which is excellent! The difficult to find downstairs venue hosts stand up, theatre, and a few other random gigs. Its open nice and late too, so if you are stuck for somewhere to go past 11pm this is idea. The only thing I would say is that sometimes the music is too loud — after all this is a bar, and you want to chat. Overall though, its a solid 4* and if you are in the area, definitely worth checking out.

I actually hadn’t realized this bar was supposed to be an «American» bar until I read the reviews. I guess being from Canada, it seemed like any other bar. Although the Hallowe’en party (with pitiful attendance but very well documented by a photographer who managed to make it look like a killer event) should have been a giveaway.
This is our local haunt. We have gotten pizza for takeout many times (two for 10 quid on Mondays!) and always grab a pint or two while we’re waiting. We’ve also checked out bands on Sunday nights, sponsored by Camden Brewery.
We love the vibe. We’ve actually (not to take away any of its street cred…) been planning our wedding from its booths since we moved to Tufnell Park in September.
Free WiFi, good live music, a free jukebox (and a clientele that is good at picking tunes), Camden Brewery beers on tap, and a friendly rocker vibe make it our favourite in the neighbourhood. The Irishman has his Irish owners and I have my [North] American vibe –we’ll see you there on Monday.

Been going to this place since it opened and really like it, changed a little bit since opening, sliced tops off booths so its more open and you can see the stage area as they have live music quite often. The posters on the walls are falling off a bit now giving it more of an official dive bar feel rather than a try hard effort. The drinks are always good, I love blue moon on draught. Overall I like going to this place for two reasons its a good place to end a night after I’ve got the last tube home to tufnell park or if I can’t be bothered to travel anywhere further its and enjoyable night out.
Finally the pizzas are awesome! Try them seriously!

This place is a little slice of home. haha they serve pizza so it’s funny. see what i did there?
Basically anywhere that has a pinball machine is my kind of place.
Was there at a private Unilocal event and so I was sticking to the free stuff and they were promoting whiskey and made a very delicious whiskey sour despite the rush.
The pizza was small, and thin but delicious.
Good drinks, good food, and in this case good company, made for a great night.
ooh! Apparently there’s a downstairs and they might be doing live music soon.
Definitely coming back here again.

This bar (not pub) definitely lives up to its «dive bar» label but even I would say that the bathrooms are too nice and the organized disorganization reveals to true dive bar aficionados that this place is merely a mirage of what you would really see in the US.
However, because of its slightly cleaner look, I actually prefer it! I’ve been to many dive bars and I know for a fact that they don’t sell wonderfully delicious thin-​crust pizza as they do at this place. Also, despite some reviews, I thought the bar staff was very nice and you don’t have to wait too long to be waited on.
There are plenty of places to sit here but I think that takes away from what needs to be at this bar — a pool table.
Also, I can do without the bras hanging above the bar. No bar in America has those. Unless you’re at Coyote Ugly.

A bona fide bar, not a pub, with band posters plastered up as wallpaper and a grungy low-​down demeaner I can really appreciate, having spent many a night in similar establishments all over north america. Of course, the slightly gourmet and quite tasty thincrust pizza covered in artichoke hearts and ham remind you that this is England, where food has to be quickly on hand– but this aberration did not go unappreciated, drink always makin’ me tummy rumble.
The cocktails seem fine, but I’m all about the beer myself, and there is the inevitable selection of boring lagers, as well as some american bottled imports like the forgettable Blue Moon and the deliciously hoppy Brooklyn Lager. No England bitters (that I noticed), but then they’d be out of place here, I suppose, but I did miss having a pint in my hand. I’ll have to get my bottle o’ Brooklyn in a glass next time.

Appearances can be deceiving
With the promise of a dirty rock and roll bar, at first glance Aces and Eights doesn’t disappoint. The décor seems pure Coyote Ugly; low lighting, booth seating, walls plastered with rock posters, flashing neon cocktail signs and a devil may care attitude from the staff. However, look past the veneer and you realise the posters are actually a well designed wallpaper and that one pin-​ball machine can’t recreate the grunge of New York City.
Having said that, i visited with a Brooklyner and they really appreciated the quality and variety of American beers on offer, and i have to say they make a mean whisky sour. Im not a big drinker but the whiskies/​bourbons available would appeal to the connoisseur. The pizza was also delicious; the group devoured two large cheese pizzas in about 20 seconds. Impressive and scrumptious.
However, for all its attempts at being a bone-​fide American bar hiding in London, Aces and Eights is too bland; lacking the authenticity to make you feel like you’re really in the US of A. I had a great night there but this was really down to the company and not the venue. If you’re local check it out but its not worth the trip across the river for Southerners like myself.
Secret tip: try the bacon flavoured crisps. They were yummy and i’d never seen the brand anywhere else.

This rock n roll themed venue should be proud of its tasty thin crust pizza, vast selection of spirits and good rock music. As I’m south of the river I tend not to venture to far for pizza, but this place really deserves the trip.
What I love most about Aces and Eights, is that when you walk in there, you feel like your in a trendy bar in New York. The low lighting, intimate booths and jukebox really set the scene. The drinks are reasonably priced and one or two whisky sours will certainly do the trick!
A great place for a group or couple and I will become a regular! Go try it for yourself.

American themed *dive bar* that is distinctly not a pub, great pizza, jukebox, etc.
Random odds and ends give it a semi-​convincing brooklyn feel (although it’s more Austin trying to be Brooklyn than Brooklyn-​Brooklyn, in fairness — everything’s just a little too new/​nice)
Plenty of seating, bunch of booths, etc.
Well done, Aces and Eights

Not entirely sure why we have this American themed rock and roll bar in Tuffers, but it appears to be here to stay. Themed as a rock bar with low lighting, fluorescent signs and the odd bra loosely dangled above the bar, sadly Aces & Eights is about as rock and roll as X-​Factor. It tries to be something it’s not. The redeming features are the decent pizzas and the retro pinball machine at the back of the bar.
Just be warned that if you are looking to get loose to some Black Sabbath, drink a bottle of jack and start swinging from the ceiling then you are best advised to head into the World’s End in Camden where that kind of behaviour is actively encouraged. At Aces & Eights you are more likely to have a gentle sit down, listen to some Busted and enjoy one of the many variations on the stone baked dough.
Oh and the bar staff are less than friendly which is almost certainly the reason why I haven’t painted this establishment in the most endearing of lights. Let’s just say that I’ll be back in there at some point during the festive season, so let’s just hope I’m treated with a little more respect.
Good for a few pre-​town looseners and some stomach lining, but if you really want rock and roll go to the off-​licence buy some Stoli and punch a cat.
Sexy Rob