As the last few weeks have seen cars increasingly passing by with red and white flags attached to their bonnets, England flags being draped from house windows, and every other TV programme and commercial bringing some old and forgotten footballers from the woodwork; it can only mean one thing…
The World Cup is right upon us, and what a good mood the nation is in. Finding a place to watch the football in London is never going to be a problem. If it’s anything like previous years, companies even carried their own TVs into the office to make sure that not one kick of the action was missed. When Rooney runs out with his boys in South Africa this year, chances are that most of London will stop to watch. Here are five places for you do the same.
Proud Camden
Former horse stables, Proud Camden, which claims to be the biggest restaurant of its kind anywhere in the world is offering the ultimate World Cup viewing experience.
Seven horse compartments have been equipped with 50-inch HDTVs and one with SKY 3DTV and are available to hire to watch any game of your choice. You and up to 50 friends can hire out a stable from £112 and enjoy special hostess service, pre-ordered buckets of ice-cold beer and free guest passes to the venue’s club nights on the same evening. There are two sittings for each day’s two fixtures – 12 noon to 6pm and 7pm till late – with prices higher for the evening game. As well as watching the football guests are welcome to play pool, use any of Proud’s Xboxes and Play Stations or watch any other sport on that afternoon.
The Stables Market, London NW1 8AH
020 7482 3867
Fever Pitch
London’s only World Cup pop-up bar has been created purely for the beautiful game. Blink and you’ll miss it—you get one shot to head to Fulham’s newest bar, as the whole thing will be entirely dismantled the day after the final match.
Grab yourself a pint and watch the likes of Terry, Lampard and Rooney battle it out on one of the 13 screens spanning 360 degrees, covering every wall of the 400 capacity venue. Large French doors, generous outside space and ample seating make it a great place to enjoy the action this summer.
Customers can enjoy match-day hotdogs and a selection of toasties filled with British classics like ham and mustard, cheese and tomato and even decadent foie gras (perhaps nodding to our friends over the channel?).
Perfect for groups, gatherings, couples and parties, Fever Pitch offers the only chance to watch the World Cup in a pop-up bar, created entirely in its honor. Quite simply, if you miss it, you’ll miss out. So head down to Fever Pitch and cheer on the Three Lions this summer!
474–476 Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 1BY
020 7610 3137
Jetlag
Jetlag’s lounge offers London’s most unique audio-visual experience for watching sport. Boasting a high definition Pioneer cinema screen and an outstanding sound system, backed by an impressive 7.2 acoustic sound system, you’ll see—and hear—every piece of the action.
Watching on the big screen downstairs will be footy fans from around the globe cheering on their team and from a bar that offers an array of international street food, you can guarantee those cheers will not just be in English nor just for Rooney and his boys.
A special World Cup menu will include worldly dishes such as bunny chow from South Africa (the home of this year’s World Cup), chivito or ‘little goat’ from Uruguay (the first winners of the trophy) and coxinhas from Brazil (record five time world cup winners). There are plenty of more familiar dishes too on the Usual Suspects Menu including burgers, quesadillas and sandwiches and fish and chips.
125 Cleveland Street, London, W1T 6QB
020 3370 5838
Stamford Bridge
This is not going to appeal to everyone. Especially not anyone with a dislike of the Chelsea team which arguably could be everyone but their own supporters. Still, with Chelsea players making up the spine of England’s first eleven, it is kind of fitting to head to Stamford Bridge to watch the boys play.
The Premier League club is opening up the great hall hospitality suite for guests to watch all three of England’s Group C games live on big screens. Numbers will be limited and attendance will be ticket only (£15 per game) but you’ll be guaranteed a great atmosphere, a good view and a comfy seat. The entry price includes a free drink from the bar and a hot dog, plus you can turn up two hours before kick-off to make the most of the experience.
For those wanting a more intimate experience, Chelsea have made available some of their private event space where you can entertain friends, colleagues or clients from groups of 10 to 1,500 guests. Packages are available from £34 per person and can be tailored to include a Stamford Bridge stadium tour and/or a past player appearance. Marco Pierre White’s Stamford Bridge restaurant, Marco, is also getting World Cup fever and installing large screens and laying on a special World Cup menu (three courses for £45) for group bookings.
Fulham Road, SW6 1HS
0871 984 1955
Bar Kick
On two floors of an old Shoreditch warehouse, this is the biggest table football bar in Europe, boasting eight tables, four on each floor, and attracting enthusiasts from all over the world. Not surprisingly, the bar is going all out for the World Cup with all games shown live and some in 3D. Over the years, Bar Kick has built up a reputation of bringing multiple nations together over a game of football—be it on the babyfoot table or on the big screen and during the World Cup promises to be no exception.
The Shoreditch venue has three 42″ screens upstairs and two 47″ 3D monitors downstairs on either side of a large cinematic projector screen, so provided you get in, you’ll be pretty much guaranteed a decent view of the action.
Happy hour will run 4–7pm with international and domestic bottled beers all just £2. For those who need to eat too, the kitchen will co-ordinate its menu according to which teams are playing, so you can enjoy a typical national dish with each fixture. Then, once the final whistle is blown, you can recreate all the best moments on the venue’s 10 original French Bonzini Babyfoot tables until the early hours.
127 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JE
020 7739 8700
