By Majella Taylor, New Openings Editor, H&C News: Thirteen and dial8 set to open soon on Soho’s Denmark Street.
Soon to be a gateway into Chateau Denmark, Soho’s newest bar Thirteen, along with underground haunt dial8, will officially open on 17th February 2023.
With a re-imagined perspective on the traditional ‘hotel bar’, Thirteen and dial8 explores the bold and hedonistic Denmark Street, complementing the one hundred yard strip of music shops, a live venue, tattoo parlour and more.
Operated by CAW Ventures’ Carrie Wicks & Alan Petrie – the new bars are spread over two floors and found at No. 1-3 Denmark Street.
Taking cue from the street’s penchant for excess, Thirteen will serve an extensive range of spirits from rare Mezcals to Scotch whisky. While the team of bartenders concoct new takes on classic cocktails.
From the Rock Punch with Real McCoy 5, Rhubarb, Lime and Ginger beer to the Ball & Chain, a Champagne fusion with 30&40 Eau de Vie, St. Germain, Veuve Clicquot – cocktails and house favourites will bring a prohibition style grandeur.
Cocktail names tap into the spirit of the neighbourhood from Morning Fury, a non-alcoholic aperitif cocktail that ironically takes influence from the Sex Pistol’s documentary ‘The Filth & the Fury’ to Major Tom, a gin and tonic twist served in a highball with lemongrass – as a respectful nod to David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’.
Each bar’s food menu will champion both the familiar and the novel, with curated small plates inspired by world flavours.
With interiors from London-based Grapes Design, both spaces bring a maximalist design approach.
While dial8 is intimate and discreet, Thirteen is bold and energetic – bringing a different kind of theatre to Soho through texture, fabric and finish. The teal coloured grand conversation chair sits in the centre of Thirteen, not only bringing the space together, but also creating intimacy.
Artwork has been curated to draw on the neighbourhood’s creative history including the largest scale print of Damien Frost’s ‘Soho Tableaux’ – a statement in and of itself.
Dramatic curtains seal off a hideaway, while the bar sets the scene for what can best be described as good times with bad company.
Accessed via its own Flitcroft Street entrance, dial8 effortlessly shifts the energy into another gear. Bringing privacy and discretion, the underground haunt is an intimate destination for those in the know – setting the stage for after parties and also available for private events.
With Denmark Street’s lore dating back to Charlie Chaplin, Bob Marley and even Johnny Rotten, the bars promise to bring a mixture of happenings and events – whether planned or in the moment, pledged to capture the street’s rare hustle.
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