Ain’t Nothin’ But...

Good music, good drinks and not too pretentious. We were there from opening with some drinks while passing the time of day, surprisingly at this time the crowd is generally older and here just to enjoy the live music and have some fun.
The place is divey and looks as though it’s been there forever, probably one of the last bastions of what Carnaby Street used to be like.
It’s busy in the evening and there’s a cover, but at 3pm on a Saturday, it’s a great place to sit down and rest and have a drink to recover before heading out again into the madness that is the West End. Drinks are decently priced for the West End and earlier in the day it’s easy enough to grab chairs and a table. Evening is packed so plan on standing!

I have been wanting to come here for such a long time but never got round to it. After the Unilocal festive brunch event finished, a few of us headed over to Cahoots to find it was shut so we ended up coming here, which I was so happy with as I’ve been wanting to come here for a while. I only stayed for one drink unfortunately but would like to come back here in the evening and listen to the live music. It was good to get to know some of the new Unilocalers and I met Omoraka for the first time and was surprised to find out she was a gold elite who used to live in the same area as me. I would like to come back in the evening and have a chilled evening here.

Yes yes yes! Everything I want in a bar! Live Maurice, good drinks and a great location! It’s situated super close to Oxford street, so you can take the load off in the afternoon, while shopping and perfect for a night out! The place is ideal! Love it!
I went with a bunch of super cool Unilocalers, post the afternoon tea and was super impressed! They play jazz and blues which is great, and I could have easily stayed the entire afternoon if we didn’t have to rush off. Drinks were standardly priced and the seats was comfortable enough.
What sets it out for me though is the music!!! Live music is what makes a pub! I’m so keen to go back for a night out and experience the bar when it’s in full on mode, as it was quite quiet when we visited.
I’ve heard it gets busy, so you maybe struggle to get and there’s a small charge to get in, but I’m certain it’ll be with the money. I’m there in the New Year, who is coming with?

After the fantastic festive Unilocal event, some of us headed to Aint Nothing but…
I was suprised that in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Soho and even more with Christmas that you would have this great mellow place to chill out in.
It was dark with dim lighting and pictures of Jazz and Blues greats dotted around the bar.
It was a Saturday and the live music started from 4pm. The singer was interacting with the audience and even greeted us as we left.
The bar felt like your local actually– reminds me of a pub where I currently live.
I don’t know when I’ll come next but it gave me a chilled out afternoon before I headed back into the Christmas rush.

It was a really nice jazz bar. Cover is 5 quid per person. Super crowded, but the atmosphere was very good. I like the band a lot. People were dancing to the music. It was a bit tiring standing on the floor though. But if you do not mind watching a small TV, I guess you can always find a bar stool and sit and watch the tv instead.

Great Blues Bar. Live music every day of the week. On Mondays, they have Blues jam which is awesome. Great atmosphere, amazing crowd. awesome music.

We visited Ain’t Nothin’ But for the first time on a Thursday evening, a few bars into our night. First impressions weren’t great — they were operating a one in, one out policy on the door which is fair enough, but the bouncer wasn’t particularly nice about it.
The interior of the bar is pretty small, which meant we struggled to find a decent place to park ourselves without being shoved from all directions.
The live blues music was pretty fun, but the bar staff were rude to my friend — upon trying to order Jaegerbombs he was told that he could have Jaeger, but that if he tried to drink it mixed with a Red Bull he’d be thrown out! Obviously the bar has had a bad experience with it before, but certainly shouldn’t be taking it out on an innocent punter who was just trying to order a drink! Particularly in the middle of Soho.
Overall not a terrible bar, but there are other places I’d prefer for next time.

I’d like to thank my Unilocal comrades for speaking so highly of this place because it was the perfect ending to my Friday night in London. After traveling and dinner out, my boyfriend and I wanted a small, low-​key place to enjoy some nice blues or jazz so we came here. We got there around 11:30pm and waiting in line in the rain outside wasn’t the best but we figured if other people were doing it this place must be good. Inside is crowded and dark and finding a seat is hard, but we got really lucky. The band that came on was called Crowd Company Funk and they were awesome. Their funky blues music was exactly what we were hoping to find. It’s a nice intimate setting but people still manage to find a way to dance to the groovy tunes. If you like live blues definitely check this place out.

Seriously Ain’t Nothing But… the best. I stumbled upon this bar during one of my days in London. I was lured in by the music and I am so glad I popped in for a pint.
They have a house band here, but they also have a sign-​up list for people to play on stage. It’s amazing because they were all strangers put on stage by the host at random. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed myself quite like that night. I had never seen anything like it; they sounded incredible – as if they had practised for hours, when in reality, they had only met each other five minutes prior.
Thanks for one of the most memorable nights, ANB. I’d highly recommend this place!
TIP: They charge you a service fee if you use your card.

This is my favourite bar in London, without a doubt…
Let’s be honest, London is riddled with soulless, characterless, forgettable bars that do well because they have the footfall… and a TV. They aren’t special, they’re just… convenient.
Ain’t nothin’ but. is a bar worth going out of your way to visit and if you get there early enough to nab a seat then even better. The atmosphere is great, the music is great (especially on jam night) and the décor is unpretentious, like a wholesome CBGBs. Plus, since it’s so close to Oxford Street it’s perfect for husband parking and a post shopping wind down.
It’s just really good, you should totally go.

Pretty awesome little place. You can’t take your drinks outside and the bar can be difficult to get to but the energy and music were through the roof!

Great live music and interesting décor + fun experience but you have to take in account several things: 1. The line and wait time to get in could be at the least 20 – 30 min. Depending on the amount of people inside… 2. While you are waiting people will smoke around you especially near the entrance — which leads to my upside — no smoking inside! :0)
3. Inside it’s really small… Think about the size of a small app. bedroom with a kitchenette– the stage hardly fits the players, there are few tables near it and to get to it you go through the narrow and pact tube like area from the entrance (on the right is a small bar area).
–went at 22:00 on a saturday– waited 20 min. And when entering felt like in a sardines can… until you manage to get close to the sitting area and can see the band and breath too…
— ages were 20+ to 80+ ;0)
— There was an entrance fee of 5£ a person. Don’t know if it’s the same each day…
— music that evening was blues mixed with american country rock sound– really good music and great vibes from the crowd.

I can’t recommend this place enough.
Super busy, great music, amazing atmosphere.
Try and arrive early if you want a seat. Otherwise enjoy a lean /​stand and listen to the music, drink, generally be happy.
Very easy to while away an afternoon here (not night time for me) listening to blues and drinking… It just feels right.

Great blues and jazz place! Super busy and great talent! Just have a couple beer or wines and take it all in!

Super crowed, narrow and long bar. sticky table.

This bar has an awesome vibe. Very tightly packed, even on a Monday night, but the live music made up for it.

One of the best blues bars in Europe.
First time i visited Ain’t Nothin’ But. was a late Saturday night in 2011. it was quite crowded in the bar and it also smelled quite bad. BUT the music is fantastic! It’s a very friendly atmosphere in the bar and you always have fun there.
people tend to be quite drunk but no one cares.

1h… Les pubs ferment. Mais où aller? Aińt nothing but the best of course ! Pour les amoureux du blues, pour ceux qui veulent danser, boire, causer, portés par la contrebasse ou l’harmonica. Absolument incontournable ! 5 £ l’entrée vendredi et samedi.

If you fancy some live music in an unpretentious place in soho, this is a goto place if you’re stuck for ideas. Sure it’s crowded and a seat is hard to find but all the better to chat to randoms, enjoy the music and have some fun.

I can’t believe that I have not reviewed this place yet! I feel like I’m saying that a lot.
If claustrophobia is a problem for you, maybe Ain’t Nothing But… is not the place for you to come on a night out. It is generally always packed, and that is not a bad thing for me!
The atmosphere is always happening and every band that I’ve seen play here are of a decent standard. Of course, night to night, this does change from merely adequate players to truly exceptional but the standard is never anything less than entertaining.
I love the fact that this place is open later on, and continues to churn out the music. London can have a tendency to shut down way too early for an international city, but this place does a great job of providing a very viable late night destination with the live entertainment in the mix too.
If you are coming here for an intimate date, conversation will be difficult. A girl asked to go here on a first date a number of years ago — I don’t think we even managed to swap information about jobs or hometowns.
The bar is well stocked and the regular staff all do a great job. The décor around the place provides some very authentic posters, rather than the more mainstream, hokey type posters then that I have seen in other such establishments.
I do really like it here and maybe, I will consider doing a gig here at some point with my own blues band!

COUPE DE COEUR ULTIME!
Le plus grand bar de Londres et d’Europe (rien que ça) à mes yeux.
Petit par la taille mais les amateurs de blues seront aux anges.
Du live et du bon, le Ain’t Nothing But vous embarque dans un monde parallèle le temps d’un Jack Daniel’s.
Même les «newbies» du blues seront charmés par cette ambiance so british et so rock!

I came with a couple friends for some Jazz, what i walked away from was a sweaty hot Latin salsa music night and some new friends.
Its a great place to dance your face off and get hot and sweaty in a tiny spot with live music being played 10 feet away.
Great place, I could not recommend it any more.

Good place to listen blues and jazz in live. Every night bands are playing from 9 to 11 or later! That ROCKS and its really cool! I’m completely in love with this bar and its the first one I visit everytime I come to London.
Recommended :)

me gusto bien blusero el lugar’ lleno hasta el culo pero buena musica