Troubadour Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "Great concert venue downstairs."
• "Lovely quirky little place to eat."
• "Iconic Cafe-bar and music venue. Full of music history."
• "The Troubadour is something of a West London institution."
• "What a beautiful gem in the rough."
• "The place itself is really nice and with a good atmosphere."
• "A very nice place with a medieval vibe."

Cons:

• "I used to come here quite regularly, maybe 12 years ago. Visited a couple of weeks ago and I don't think anything has changed, and not in a good way."
• "Just wonder if they've ever taken a duster, broom and mop to the place? The musty smell certainly grabs you by the neck and made my eyes water."
• "But omg the place downstairs is so unfit for large groups of people. Nowhere to sit, nowhere to stand, toilet behind the scene, so that you can't get in there while the band is playing."
• "A bit dirty inside and seams a little dated for the modern age."
• "The Garden is a bit small and it felt a bit cramped."

Food & Drink

Pros:

• "Food is great, though a bit more pricey but still worth of the overall vibe and the experience Troubadour offers."
• "Super friendly staff and although I wasn't a fan of the beans I strongly advise you visit and try the Traditional Troubadour breakfast 😍 with beautiful sourdough toast."
• "I had the brisket sandwich, very tasty and perfect portion."
• "The food is very tasty (if nothing out of the ordinary)."
• "The breakfast was good and customer service was great."
• "Has really tasty menu."
• "The Huevos Rancheros were a true delight to behold, with their vibrant colors and tantalizing aroma."

Cons:

• "The only delta for me is that it’s really cold inside because of the door that sometimes stays open for a while."
• "Food average, their chips are cut a bit big."
• "The food was average and overpriced at best."
• "However, the food was overpriced and not very nice! We went for brunch and ordered eggs and smashed avocado on sourdough."
• "The potatoes were overcooked to the point of being crisps and the whole dish was an unappetising shade of brown."
• "The dough of the tart was way too thick and soggy, the breakfast sausages also being rather mediocre."
• "Brisket burger had a lot of meat, but was not very good."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "Lovely venue, polite, attentive, helpful staff who couldn't do enough for us."
• "The staff here are always so genuinely happy and helpful."
• "Very friendly staff and a comfy atmosphere."
• "The staff is very friendly! I recommend!"
• "Staff super friendly and attentive despite us being outside/tucked away."
• "Staff are nice, polite and welcoming as well as professional."
• "Excellent service and genuinely lovely staff."

Cons:

• "All except the managers who seemed constantly stressed thus taking the edge of an otherwise perfect evening."
• "The place looks cute in pictures, but the staff are so rude and you feel like you're annoying/inconveniencing them with your presence."
• "Initially, the staff were friendly, but towards the end of our visit, we felt unwelcome and ultimately decided to leave."
• "However, the staff can be a little slow-ish and that is my main reason for the four-star rating."
• "Unfortunately, not a warm approach from 'a customer service individual' curt would be the word."
• "The staff seemed annoyed of our presence, the customer service is non existent."
• "The last few times, the service was so brash and unfriendly."

Value & Pricing

Pros:

• "Music downstairs was excellent three bands for £8."
• "Two dishes and two alcoholic beverages cost us 60 pounds, which is normal for London."
• "Prices are affordable if not cheap."
• "The £10 ticket price felt like a steal for the quality of entertainment delivered."
• "Staff were friendly, jazz trio were spot on and drinks reasonably priced."

Cons:

• "Cocktails are over priced and not great."
• "Extremely too expensive without any reason and staff is not kind as should be, I would never return to that place."
• "After being charged 12.5% of service just for two beers is unacceptable!"
• "Food prices are a tad expensive."

Entertainment & Music

Pros:

• "Stopped here for breakfast earlier today, place had a lovely old style vibe, some really nice jazz and swing music playing."
• "Honestly, I come here because of the live music."
• "The upcoming band night showcased emerging talent."
• "Live jazz on upper floor was great fun and disco downstairs had a dj playing punk!"
• "Great ambience at The Troubadour and amazing to hear live music again after so long, with the audience singing along too."
• "I'll come back one day for their live music performances and they sell the tickets on their website."
• "It's proper jazz music here, as opposed to a number of other 'jazz' clubs in London."

Cons:

• "The volume level of the young revelers the Tuesday night I visited was almost unbearable."
• "We were drinking downstairs and some employees started charging us for entering the place, even though we were here for hours…"
• "Went to see some live music in July 2014, and whilst the its an ok venue, some of the staff are a bit pretentious and up themsleves."

History & Character

Pros:

• "Iconic Cafe-bar and music venue. Full of music history."
• "The Troubadour is something of a West London institution."
• "Fantastic and rightfully famous venue that dates back to 1954 and is the only remaining coffee house where you can experience the atmosphere of the British folk revival of the 1950s and 60s."
• "Over the years The Troubadour has expanded to include the buildings either side, but the initial building retains all of its intriguing character and the cellar venue hosts regular live jazz."
• "Lots of interesting pictures on the walls of rock music if you're a music fan."
• "Lots of interesting displays about the history of The Troubadour and some of the many famous artists and bands who have played there in the early days of their careers in the music industry."
• "A real sense that you’ve been somewhere steeped in history and full of stories!"

Cons:

• "They seem to be riding on the coat tails of a bygone great era. They won’t be bothered by this review, because nothing seems to bother them."
• "Not what it was in the 1960s and 70s of course. Chess games and drinking a coffee which lasted ages while people raved against the bomb and then the Vietnam war. Vibrant and interesting people. Sigh! Now it's a pleasant enough place but has lost its soul inevitably...."
• "This wisened and hardy survivor of the 'pre-swinging' London’s hip boho coffee club scene, morphing into a significant incubator/hangout for the burgeoning sixties 'folk explosion'+ subsequent proliferations."