http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe <b>Troubadour Cafe</b><br />London, 263-267 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA, United Kingdom en http://trustedplaces.com/uploads/placepics/trustedplaces.comaPlacePic['name']}.140.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1u38h8
Review by mkdtw

Rating: 5.00
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Ah, Iâ¬"m a bit biased as I have so many childhood memories of this place! My Portuguese mum and English dad met in Earlâ¬"s Court during the 70â¬"s and our family spent many-a-Saturday afternoon in the Troubadour...I even have an old photo of my mum peering in through the coffee pots displayed in the window. Ok so to bring the review up to date...yes the place has a shabby chick feel to it and yes when itâ¬"s busy the service can be a little slow but you canâ¬"t beat the cozy feel and you could quite easy kill a few hours here chatting with friends. ]]> Sun, 11 May 2008 00:25:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1u38h81052290140 mkdtw 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1t68n8
Review by ilovelucy

Rating: 4.00
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I'll give this place four stars for the great night i had here yesterday. Service not perfect - had to go up a couple of times to get someone to serve us but they were friendly and attentive. Its the kind of sleepy place where you want to spend a bit of time. There are several parts to the cafe and we were in a part that reminded me of a skiing chalet with all the pine furniture - there's also a little garden out back. Food was homely and plentiful - we were starving after rock climbing session and washing down the meal with a couple of bottles of wine, a lively conversation ensured and lots of laughter. Will have very fond memories of the place. ]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 22:36:41 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1t68n8548022214 ilovelucy 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j8838
Review by mazphd

Rating: 4.00
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Between rushing around meetings etc. I was taken to Troubadour. A gem of a place, and one that would have been easily missed had i not had someone 'in the know' with me! Although given my directions involved the words 'across the road from the champagne shop', before i had even set foot in the place i felt that i couldn't go wrong!

We arrived 4.30pm apparently THE 2,4,1 cocktail (2) hours. So mix me a mojito - that looked just lush and perfect for a spring sprung afternoon!

Do not sit outside pavement side, go on in through the door and duck down into the 'secret' patio garden. Nice spot for sun lounging.

Bathrooms creatively thought out with communal 'zen' focussed wash basin. This means clean hands and opportunity for a little bit of cheeky eye flirting if thats your thing in bathrooms.

Staff very attentive, a little bit hippy and a lot happy.

As for wine selections, there's a rather devine Laroche 2006 chablis on the menu that's a dream: delicate and delicious! Otherwise have some new worldly fun with a South Africa Hartenberg Shiraz for something bold and beautiful!

i'd love to come back in the evening time and enjoy the promised live entertainment, and maybe run into the next Hendrix. Well a girl can dream. ]]> Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:04:21 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j88381280341678 mazphd 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1t47o9
Review by Gavroche

Rating: 3.00
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This institution in Earls Court has got nothing extraordinary.

The little garden at the back however is like a secret and quite place away from the busy street around.

The food is mediocre.]]> Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:38:33 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1t47o9697165515 Gavroche 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1r24i8
Review by harryp

Rating: 3.00
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Great if you own a dog, one of the few places that let you bring the pooch in (watch out for the in house cat though it has no fear). The food's a bit hit or miss, especially at breakfast when the the chef's still dealing with a hangover. Have sent stuff back here a couple of times.

Owners lovely, the staff often a bit grumpy.]]> Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:18:25 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1r24i81900871398 harryp 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j5477
Review by amandaharrison

Rating: 4.00
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Apparently Hendrix, Dylan, Mitchell all played in the club downstairs in the 60s. The Troubadour is unique. A bohemian air and really decent steak and chips. I've spent many an hour in the gorgeous little back garden. It even has its own deli next door.]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:12:38 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j54771176088698 amandaharrison 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1l13j8
Review by MichalD

Rating: 4.00
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It's surprising how few people know about its existence, even though it's been there for decades and has played host to such names as Jimi Hendrix or Bob Dylan.

One of the most atmospheric places in London - for me at least - with great decor, helpful staff, (occasionally) weird regulars and some great food too.

My favourite is definitely their burger - always juicy, nicely served, properly cooked and relatively good value.

And if the bar staff don't decide to experiment with the soundtrack, this place can be truly magical.]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:58:29 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1l13j81766769108 MichalD 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1733z8
Review by Lacrimosa

Rating: 4.00
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It was a balmy June weekday evening, and the Troubadour was very busy out back in the Mediterranean-style paved courtyard, and inside too. Happily it was not so packed that I couldn't find a table, since it's table-service only here: I was eventually informed of this by a member of staff after uselessly standing at the bar for several minutes with my purse out. It's a nice idea which, in practice, is a shambles: service was slow, paying even slower, and the practice of presenting just one bill per table a logistical nightmare for those wishing to pay separately, as we did.

But enough of my grumbling. The Troubadour is well worth a visit for the bohemian decor (check out the photos above), the sea of old string instruments hanging from the ceiling, the layers of old varnish on the woodwork, and the candle-lit tables. It would be terrific for an informal date - low-lit, intimate, and certain to bestow you with kudos for knowing somewhere so individual. I didn't eat, but noticed plates of burgers and French fries going past. We were primarily there for the live music, so eventually wandered downstairs to the basement, an area that loses its bohemian quality to make way for a typical subterranean gig-spot: all dark walls and slightly scruffy looking, with a normal bar thank goodness. Naturally you're not going to see the same line up that we did that night, but - for the record - the four acts we saw collectively get full points, a big tick, several gold stars and all the brownie points they can carry. If this is typical of the quality of entertainment at the Troubadour, I will definitely be going there again soon. There's comedy and poetry nights too.

Last but not least, the toilets deserve an honorary mention. First off, they're semi-unisex: chaps to the left, ladies to the right, with a bizarre font-like communal basin in the middle. But the hand dryers, oh! the hand dryers! You know the type that you have to wave your hands under for five minutes just to get one paltry cough of air? Well, this isn't the sort you'll find at the Troubadour. No. These hand dryers are so powerful your hands dry in seconds and your clothes and hair billow out dramatically behind you. As Major McCa, one of the entertainers on the night, said: "Is that a tsunami? No, it's just the world's strongest hand dryer."

Nearest tubes, West Brompton and Earls Court.]]> Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:11:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1733z8934552819 Lacrimosa 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j72n7
Review by 24oh8

Rating: 4.00
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An old favourite! Food is not brilliant but has a home-cooked feel and always a good atmosphere. In the summertime it's great to sit out in the back garden as it does feel like a mini Oasis. Only downside is when there are bands playing downstairs the noise can travel up through the floorboards if you're sitting near the back which isn't great fun.]]> Fri, 11 May 2007 13:32:36 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j72n71611746942 24oh8 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1621r8
Review by celli

Rating: 5.00
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Its atmospheric, chilled but fun, the staff are friendly and you get 2 for 1 cocktails between 6 and 8! I've been there countless times in the last 2 years and without exception had a fantastic time.]]> Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:47:15 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1621r8913201803 celli 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1s6049
Review by Ladis19

Rating: 4.00
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Aside from the lengthy historical description Caffienehit has given us, depending on where you sit, Troubadour is a nice, cosy, comfy, relaxing and easy place to go on a Sunday for brunch. If you are seated in the correct area, it can also be a lovely, romantic, charming little place for a table for 2, may it be for a drink or for dinner. And if you are in the mood, it can be a hip, lively, entertaining, jazzy place to enjoy underground-yet-to-become-famous artists, and I say that in the most positive way.

I have been there 4 times in the past 2 weeks and have to say I enjoy its bohemian atmosphere more and more.
]]> Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:11:19 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1s6049634869647 Ladis19 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j00s9
Review by caffeinehit

Rating: 3.00
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Would have to agree with Sokratis as far as it being better in the winter (and in the evening), very cosy. It also has a live music club downstairs for those of you looking to carry on the night.

Anyway, here's a crude cut and paste from their website on their history, maybe it will reveal why it's called Troubadour.

Here's the dictionary definintion:
trou‧ba‧dour one of a class of medieval lyric poets who flourished principally in southern France from the 11th to 13th centuries, and wrote songs and poems of a complex metrical form in langue d'oc, chiefly on themes of courtly love. Compare trouvère.

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The Troubadour was founded by Michael and Sheila van Bloemen in 1954 as part of the second great London coffee revolution. The first, in the late 17th and throughout the 18th century, saw the foundation of London's first cafés. Thriving centres of metropolitan gossip, commerce and finance these coffee houses are perhaps best remembered for Dr Johnson, who used to frequent them, and for Mr Edward Lloyd, on whose premises the London insurance market was founded.

The latest revolution has seen a number of American "chains" "roll out" their "cookie cutter" operations to every London street corner. But after their 19th century decline it was the 1950's which saw the revival of London coffee houses as centres of culture and civilization. Raffish, continental, revolutionary, these new cafés became centres of rebellion and new music for the young and the young at heart. Earl's Court, the wild western frontier of bohemian Chelsea, saw a particular concentration of new establishments, and the most famous was the Troubadour.

So famous, in fact, that whilst others fell by the wayside, the Troubadour settled in to become a west London institution. But if that implies stuffiness, forget it. Through the 50's and 60's this was one of THE centres of London intellectual and artistic life. It's where Private Eye was first produced and distributed; where the early Ban the Bomb meetings were held (the precursor to CND); and where the Black Panthers met when they left Paris after the '68 riots.

The Troubadour was the first place where Bob Dylan performed in London. Paul Simon, Charlie Watts, Sammy Davis jnr and Jimi Hendrix have all played here. Richard Harris fell in love with his wife Elizabeth here (she was doing the washing up). Ken Russell recruited staff for his first shorts here, and it was here that he became friends with Oliver Reed. Led Zeppelin used to come and jam here after their Earl's Court gigs. Tom Robinson and Elvis Costello used to play here too. You can see a fuller list of Troubadours by clicking here

Mike and Sheila sold the Troubadour in 1970 to Bruce Rogerson, who over the next quarter of a century kept the flame burning. Bruce's respect for what the van Bloemens had created was total. In 1990 he refurbished the basement venue, and added an extension to the rear of the Café; but he made sure that the spirit of the place remained unchanged.

Exactly the same attitude has been adopted by the Troubadour's third, and current, owners, Simon and Susie Thornhill. In 1998 Bruce decided that it was time for a quieter life, and he looked around for someone he could trust who would take the business on. Simon was just leaving the Scots Guards at the time after 20 years of service, and was cruising on his motorbike round his old schoolboy haunts in West London looking for a business he could buy. He'd known Bruce and the Troubadour for 20 years; he'd always loved the place; was mad on music and food; and Susie had worked for many years in the wine trade. It was a marriage made in heaven. So the deal was done, and the Thornhills, with their young family, moved in above the shop.

What quickly became apparent to Simon and Susie was that the Troub. was held in even more respect and affection than they realized. Like any new young owners of a business they brought a fresh energy to the place; they changed the menu a bit, bringing in steaks from Susie's favourite farm in Somerset, where she'd been brought up, and adding hamburgers made to Simon's own recipe; and before they knew where they were there were queues out of the door in the evening and space was becoming a problem.

Fate intervened. Yucel Mehmet, the owner of Maxwell's fish bar at 263 Old Brompton Road, was looking to step back from the fryer; and very sadly Encounter Overland, the travel business at 267, went bust. The Thornhills acquired leases on both these adjoining properties, and a massive building programme began.

Most of the early work was structural, and happened behind the scenes; but between December 2001 and summer 2002 the "old lady resting on her laurels", as Simon called the Troub., revealed herself in a succession of new guises. First change was to the café, which with no perceptible change to its ambience doubled in size in time for Christmas. The Troubadour deli opened up next door in March 2002, with the gallery above it; and in July the expanded and completely refurbished Club reopened.]]> Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:22:26 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1j00s9176555852 caffeinehit 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1840f9
Review by sokratis

Rating: 4.00
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Its definitely a unique place; I like it better in the winter with its cavernous character and decoration sprouting from all over. Still great in the summer, but maybe a bit claustrophobic.

Hadnt been there for five years and then ended up visiting again more or less by accident, but the place has amazingly managed to retain its character and style. Would recommend it for a few rounds of drinks with a good bunch of mates or even for quiet dinner with your loved one.

Id like to know why the named it Troubadoure though. If anyone knows stick a comment in.
]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2006 21:26:14 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1840f9776812412 sokratis 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1470d8
Review by lisas

Rating: 4.00
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Troubadour is very bohemian and relaxed. What I like most is the small garden, you can take food from the next door deli and site there, enjoy a drink and your food while reading a book in a sunny day!]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:22:12 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1470d81984104951 lisas 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/125068
Review by Peyote_queen

Rating: 4.00
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Very bohemian café/bar/restaurant with live music and poetry evenings. Friendly staff with a nice atmosphere and cool decor]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:10:45 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1p9276v/troubadour-cafe/1250681431195502 Peyote_queen 51.487855634658 -0.19237192788799