This month the Drinks Diva and friends made our way to Hideaway Records & Bar just off Richmond Street. This gem of a bar truly is a hideaway, tucked in behind a shopful of records. You’ll want to stop and browse before heading into the bar for a drink. Check out the quirky décor details, like the wooden record racks made from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company boxes.
The Hideaway is an interesting place – a self-described “record store, music venue and bar all under one roof.” My best guess is that the building was once a factory or a warehouse, and the original unfinished brick walls and a plank ceiling really add to the bar’s character.
The central area of the main floor is subtly lit by coloured disco lights and neon-lit signs on the walls. There’s a mixture of seating styles, with clusters of chairs and couches but also high red stools at bar-height cocktail tables. There’s an attractive bar running the length of one wall, and you get a glimpse of a quieter games room at the back with its ping pong table and sprawl-out-and-get-comfortable seating.
Photo credit: Kelly Samuel
Head upstairs for more ping pong, plus pinball, pool and a party atmosphere. And a very stylish bathroom (not sure about the men’s but the ladies’ room here deserves a mention because even the lighting and stall doors are trés chic!)
During the school year you’ll find some students at the Hideaway, particularly on big party occasions like St. Patrick’s Day when almost every downtown bar seems to be overrun with kelly-green-clad revelers. Thursday nights, the Ivey crowd has made this their place to kick off the weekend. But mostly you’ll see a lot of young professionals here, the 25 to 40 crowd.
Early evening on Wednesday is the Vintage Vinyl & Trivia night, a great time to test your music moxie. Stick around for open stage starting at 9 p.m. We really have some impressive local talent here in the London region, and this is a great chance to check out some of our acoustic performers in an intimate setting. The music is loud enough to command attention, but not so loud that you have to yell to have a conversation.
The weekend heats up with ladies’ night on Friday. Enjoy DJ or live music both nights, sometimes name acts like Mother Mother, Born Ruffians, GZA or A Tribe Called Red. Sometimes it’s simply a dance party, time to shake off the work week and have some fun!
The menu is pretty standard bar fare, tasty and nicely presented. Stick to small food orders at the cocktail tables unless you think you can somehow suspend the rules of gravity!
Hideaway Records & Bar
545 Richmond Street, London
www.hideawayrandb.com or www.facebook.com/hideawayrandb
