booze-free drinking

[juliet]

Having had this conversation, or one close to it, with several people in the last couple of days, I thought I would ask the Wisdom of Livejournal. Does anyone know of places in London (centralish, ideally) where one can drink non-alcoholic drinks reasonably late in the evening (9pm at least)? I know pubs do serve non-alcoholic drinks, but I'm really thinking of not-pubs, because pubs have the tempting boozes far too easily to hand :-)

uon & I went to the cafe in Foyle's on Tuesday, which is very nice (& does vegan flapjacks!); the cafe in the BM is open late on Thu-Sat; but I don't really know of anywhere else. Upper St (a bit far north, really, for me...)? I suspect Starbucks may open late (do they?) but I'm really not keen on Starbucks :-/ Any recommendations?

ION: I took my flute to Top Wind & they valued it at slightly more than I'd expected & have taken it to sell for me. Hurrah.[0] Anyone after a second-hand Altus 807, silver-plated, open-hole, inline flute, I commend it to you :-) And I finally managed to cycle round the cobbled corner I fell over badly on twice last December[1] & have been stopping at ever since.

[0] Well, mostly hurrah. It's a bit weird, as well. But I haven't played it in a *long* time, & I'm never going to pick it up again (if I had time I'd play viola or guitar first, neither of which I'd be prepared to sell), so...

[1]Once in SPD-sort-of incident, except really it was due to leaves+rain; once because a pedestrian walked straight out in front of me, stopped dead, & then after I'd fallen over just glared at me & walked away without asking if I was OK. B*st*rd.

Comments

[kauket.livejournal.com]

Coffee Cake and Kink, which sells all of those things plus other non-alcoholic liquid I think is open until 10 or something. It's just off Covent Garden.

[juliet]

Doh, of course, I should have remembered them! I have been there before, as well (& know one of the staff), & like it.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Well, Bar Italia is 24 hour and as central as it gets... it serves sort-of booze during licensing hours, but you wouldn't notice. Of course you won't be able to take advantage of the amazing hot chocolate and cake.

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

First Out next to TCR tube (round on St Giles High St) is a cafe upstairs (100% veggie food with vegan options), congenial to hang out in, gay. Does have a bar downstairs though.

[juliet]

aha - I've been there for lunch with angelmine, but didn't know it was open evenings as well. Thanks!

I don't mind places that are cafe+bar; the real problem with pubs is that a) they feel like places where I drink beer, & b) the non-alcoholic drink selection is usually a bit rub.

[hazyjayne.livejournal.com]

*thinks*
Coffee, Cake and Kink
Tinder Box

Acutally on a Saturday/Sunday I actually find afternoon tea to be a good alternative to sitting in a pub, and you actually end up spending about the same amount as you would on alcohol. Not sure how vegan-friendly they are though :(

[juliet]

CCK - which of course I know & had totally forgotten about for some reason. Doh. Tinder Box I *think* I may have been in once a couple of years back & they had soya milk :-) Shall put it on the list, thanks!

Afternoon tea can be a Good Thing! Although not all places have soya milk & I'm really not keen on the stuff black :-/

[clockworkwasp.livejournal.com]

We're open till 8 most nights and 11 Friday and Saturday.

[mrs-leroy-brown.livejournal.com]

excellent on biking skills!

i wholly endorse this product and / or service re: nites out without the sauce. count me in!

[juliet]

Further investigation of the places suggested above is obv the way forward!

[sbp.livejournal.com]

I'll come too - I've long thought that this sort of place ought to exist.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Cafe 1001, just off Brick Lane, and they often have music events upstairs in the evenings. Coffees, juices, foods, and a small amount of bottled beer. Been going there for years during the day. Lots of sofas and things in a big space upstairs.

Most of the other coffee places in Brick Lane are closed in the evenings.

[juliet]

Cool, another one to try!

Yeah, a lot of coffee places seem to close around the 5pm mark, which is irritating :-/

Hm, apparently the V&A cafe is open late on Wednesdays (at least it is for food, not 100% sure about just having a coffee but I'd expect it to be - the entire V&A is open late on Weds).

[arkady.livejournal.com]

I'm in two minds over whether to sell my flute, too. I've been trying to pick it up again, and I'm horrendously rusty; I suspect I am one of those people who can either play woodwind or strings but not both, and I've pretty much wholly transitioned to strings now.

Doesn't help that my flute is in dire need of a service and overhaul, either. I'm loath to fork out £100 for a service if I'm going to be selling it though, as I don't think it's actually worth a huge amount - it's a silver-plated closed-hole Buffet 228 Cooper Scale (split E mechanism). Brand new they go for about £400, but they only seem to fetch about £60-£100 on ebay.

I'm taking the violin with me to Broadstairs, as there's a fiddle workshop; whether or not I sell it depends on how well I get along at the workshop.

Selling either does feel weird, as both are instruments I really wanted to play - and indeed, I did a few years of flute. But I just don't think I'm ever going to get around to playing them properly.

[peshwengi.livejournal.com]

Your comment pretty much exactly sums up my feelings about my flute.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

The cafe in the Piccadilly Waterstones opens late, IIRC. And books! Waterstones is open til 10. (I think it used to be 11).

[infinitarian.livejournal.com]

once because a pedestrian walked straight out in front of me, stopped dead, & then after I'd fallen over just glared at me & walked away without asking if I was OK. B*st*rd.

Are you sure they weren't a motorist in disguise?

[peshwengi.livejournal.com]

I hate cobbles. I am always impressed by these (http://www.roadcycling.com/artman/uploads/cancellara_cobbles_mud_001.jpg) guys cornering on wet cobbles at high speed.

[juliet]

I *suspect* this is one of those things where going at speed actually makes life easier... But yes, they are bloody annoying.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

The karen2205 collective seem to go for starbucks. I think the ones in Borders open till 9-10. Obviously the downside is that you're in a Starbucks.

Fully in favour of it myself, but why the enthusiasm for avoiding tasty boozes?

[juliet]

I would really really rather avoid Starbucks, but thanks for the info.

Just a vague feeling that I could do with more days off the sauce - it does have a cumulative negative effect on mood IME. Also a couple of people I know are for various reasons trying to cut down, & finding non-booze meeting places seems like a good plan. And the cafe in Foyles is really nice, so more of those = good!

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

Yes, being in Starbucks is the big downside. But sometimes necessary.

I'm making a vague effort to become Healthy and have given up the stuff entirely.

do you think you are an alcoholic?

[(Anonymous)]

the bastard in [1] was male, right?

[dogrando.livejournal.com]

Remember, an inline flute can save you a stack push, but it can bloat your object.

chilled space

[stellarlondon.livejournal.com]

http://www.candidarts.com/sections/galleryandcafepages/candid_cafe.htm