I Did The London Party Pub Crawl So You Don’t Have To

Have you really been to London if you haven’t done a pub crawl? The answer, evidently, is no.

My first pub crawl in London was one to remember. I had waited four months to partake in the tourist tradition and I was not disappointed. Upon my realization that I had neglected a night of cheap vodka and dancing with strangers, I immediately took to the internet and found the London Party Pub Crawl. They offer slight discounts for larger group tickets, a free shot (of something blue) at each bar, and discounted drinks all night. So I rounded up four of my best girls friends and booked our pub crawl for the same night in none other than Central London.

The Events

Bar Soho

The pub crawl began at 7:45 but we did not arrive until 8:30. Our last minute reservation had us scrambling to get ready and consequently made us late; however, the tickets assured us that we would not be left behind as long as we made it to Bar Soho by 8:45. One short tube ride from Gloucester Road to Leicester Square later, we had arrived at our first destination.

Bar Soho is a moderate sized bar on Old Compton St. The decor is reminiscent of something you would see in a 70's film and the crowd is a mix of all ages. I suffered a lengthy argument with multiple bouncers about my ID but got in nonetheless. We were a bit upset to discover that the free shots advertised were only brightly colored liqueurs but we downed them quickly and filed back outside to move on to the next bar.

The Long Acre

The Long Acre is deceiving. The ground floor looks like a standard pub that you’d find on any London street corner but our large group of pub crawler’s were led to the bottom floor. The lights were on, there was no bartender serving and it was dead silent. They must have forgot that we were coming. But after a few minutes of waiting, they provided us with our own bartender and turned on the music. We let the sticky sweet liqueur coat our throats and then a woman next to us turned and offered us her’s. She said that her group was too old for the hangover that the shots would provide. We accepted gladly and once again downed the syrupy blue liquid, ordered a vodka soda, and our night had officially begun.

We seated ourselves away from the rest of the group and danced as if no one was watching (which they all were) and soon it was time to move on to Zoo Club.

Zoo Club

Zoo Club is one of the bars that you have always heard of but never choose to go to on purpose. It is right in Leicester Square, the line is always incredibly long, and you would rather take the tube all the way to Camden than go out in Central. I was neither impressed or let down but like I expected it was full of tourists and for that reason I would avoid Zoo Club again the future.

Upon arrival, the same woman and her friends offered us their shots.

Followed by tequila…

vodka soda…

vodka soda…

I think there was a stripper pole?

This is where it starts to get fuzzy.

Roadhouse

Roadhouse is one of my favorite bars in London but the crawl provided my first experience there. It is tucked away in Covent Garden and the interior looks like an amped up American diner. There are the classic red diner seats, a giant neon sign that says ‘DRUGS’ and they often have a live band.

Once again, we started with one too many shots from strangers and then on the dance floor we met Patty. Patty is a red headed Irishman who dances like his pant legs have been glued together. He also conveniently was on the crawl with four friends and bought all ten of us a round of tequila shots and drinks.

I no longer remember walking to Tropicana Beach Club.

Tropicana Beach Club

Tropicana Beach Club is not for the luxury clubber. The entire bar is beached theme, there are foosball tables and all sorts of elevated surfaces that I took the opportunity to dance on. We had been told about the club by a few men at KOKO but never found the time to go. I would go more in depth but I the details have left me but at this point in the night, if you aren’t drunk you didn’t do it right.

The Review

I highly recommend this experience; however, I wouldn’t go on this pub crawl if you want to just hop from bar to bar calmly, be able to sit, or prefer pubs over clubs/bars. It certainly does not feel like a traditional pub crawl but if you are looking for a crazy night followed by a sugary hangover, this pub crawl is for you.