Different and a very simple menu...in a good way. I adore that there is no electric lights...just candle. Perfect for a date ;-) Their menu is meant to be to French, though I would actually think it's more French meets Italian. Their prices are very reasonable. and their wait staff have a great talent of coming in, serving you and then leaving you to it. I would recommend Le Mercury for date as a primary! Also for a small good group of friends that was a cozy nice place to have a great meal for a great price. I wouldn't go here for big groups or business meetings. read more

I would really like to give this place 3.5 stars. It's good. And great for the price. Three of us showed up at 930 on a Saturday without a reservation, and we were seated despite the place being busy. The service was friendly and fast, and the food was well seasoned. Two of us ordered the duck, while our third companion stuck with a starter. The duck was tasty, and the mash and cabbage it came with were quite good. However, it was realy very overcooked. And it wasn't just mine, it was both of us. Now, at £8, I really wasn't inclined to complain, and I will still go back. As I said, tasty. Still overcooked duck is just not ideal. 3.5 stars it is. read more

Wow wow wow. This place in my opinion is perfect. The food is amazing. I had the steamed mussels to start, duck as the main, and sticky toffy pudding for dessert! Everything was outstanding. The atmosphere is also very nice--kinda like a nice cafe style vibe. On one hand, it's elegant with candle lit tables and on the other it's not too pretentious. My only complaint is that the service felt a bit rushed. The restaurant wasn't too full and after some deliberating we decided it was because the service was poorly organized. Both waiters/waitresses were very attentive, but since they didnt seem to have control over one area and both worked the whole floor it meant that we got asked twice about everything and didnt get much breathing space. For example, we asked to have some more time to look at the menu, but someone was there asking for our orders two minutes later. This was my only complaint and the reason why they only received four stars. However, overall it was a very good experience at a great price and I wouldnt hesitate to come back! read more

Everyone who goes to Le Mercury loves it. You can't go wrong- brilliant value, for well cooked food and super friendly, attentive staff. Its like the blueprint for a successful restaurant! We went one Monday night with friends. We had a cocktail at John Salt beforehand (2 for 1 until 8pm!) and then headed to Le Mercury. We had an upstairs table and service was great-attentive, but not over the top. We all had three courses (huge treat on Monday) but portion size means you don't feel too full. Between us we tried the moules, ravioli, carpaccio and calamari for starters. The calamari was a little disappointing, but all the other starters were excellent. They all cost £3.95, so pretty amazing value. All mains are £8.95. I had the duck which was served on a bed of garlic mash and with some cabbage. If I had one quibble it would be that the duck was slightly over-cooked, but I understand not everyone likes pink in the middle duck. The garlic mash was amazing- I would've been happy with a bowl of that and a spoon! Other people had the lamb, seabass and rib of beef all were well cooked, and the fries the boys ordered were yummy. For desert I had creme brulee. Not bad for £2.95, but the topping could've been slightly thicker. Others had the cheese platter, the rich chocolate tart and the cheesecake. All plates were practically licked clean. We shared two bottles of a decent cab sav and the bill came a few pounds over £100, pretty incredible value! The food here will never blow your socks off, but it's a dependable neighbourhood bistro and we'll continue to come here regularly. Until next time Le Mercury.... read more

Very disappointing! We came here after several recommendations (and reading the positive reviews here), and found the food mediocre at best. I had the crab and crayfish ravioli and the pork belly, and my wife had the crab and avocado starter and the beef stew special. The crab in both appetisers was imitation crab meat, which was not mentioned on the menu and was particularly noticeable in the special. The pork belly was dry and overcooked and the beef stew was virtually flavourless. The two bright spots were the wine and the sticky toffee pudding (which in my opinion is good even when it's bad). Granted, the prices are extremely generous, but considering you can get 2 courses and a glass of wine for £17 at places like Public House, I wonder if Le Mercury is really that good a deal. Maybe we just went on a bad night or maybe we ordered the wrong items, but will definitely not be returning any time soon, particularly with so many other great restaurants in the area. read more

Truly a hidden gem of affordable London dining. I don't know what to add that others haven't said, but you can get a really nice, romantic 3-course meal for around £15. Amazing. Crispy skinned salmon was delicious, and I really like the calamari starter-- super light and crisp, not overly oily or breaded... perfectly simple French preparation. You could probably name each ingredient in every dish (with probably under 5 ingredients in each dish), they are all things you can pronounce and identify, done simply and cleanly. Mark Bittman would approve of this place. In fact, Mark, next time you're in London, check this place out, ok? read more

Do you like to be tasked with choosing a place to eat or are you one of those who like to leave it to others? For me, I'm happy either way. These two restaurants serving French cuisine were suggested by friends I was catching up with and that I haven't heard of. One was to celebrate a birthday and the other was visiting friends in town. Let's start with a birthday dinner at Le Mercury. It was a cold windy evening and I was walking with a fast pace dreaming of the warmth that will greet me when I open the doors of the restaurant. In I went and was led up a flight of narrow wooden stairs to my table. It was a very reasonably priced menu with all starters priced at £3.95 We ordered a trio of starters starting with the Calamars Fris which is deep fried calamari with home made tartar sauce and dressed French leaves on the side, Beef Carpaccio with capers and red peppers relish and finishing with the Ravioli de la Mer, a crayfish and lobster ravioli with spinach and shellfish sauce. For mains which were all price at £6.95, there was the sea bass fillet with crushed new potatoes and minted pesto, a rib eye steak served with shallot sauce and a Scottish salmon with sautéed spinach and lobster sauce. We all had a great time soaking in the atmosphere and vibe. It can indeed be quite a romantic place. The food may not be outstanding but is decent and with those prices, reflects a good value. An unassuming place that might not reside in your memories for long but will be thought of fondly if this happens to be part of your local eaterie. read more

MEH. This place is so average, it's painful. It's basic white girl average. It's white converse average. It's ripped on the knees jeans average. And I DETEST, above anything, spending money on average food. Give me a four figure Heston bill with no fear, but dont you come at me with your room temperature white and ultra fatty pork and claim it to be French cuisine. Aint nobody got time for that. And I wont even begin with the service. Im a nice human, seriously, and I hate calling people out on their shit work, but this establishment is famous for underpaying their staff and it shows! THEY ARE TIRED. and grumpy. and so unhelpful. and there were so many people, and it was stuffy and gross... ugh. Nope, not a fan. read more

I was pleasantly surprised at Le Mercury. We decided to go someplace for dinner before a friend's birthday party and we just ended up here. It's advertised as a French restaurant, but there's a bit of other stuff as well. Unless you get a special, the starters are all £3.95, the mains £8.95 and desserts are £2.95. So given the price, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. However, my lobster and crab ravioli was really nice (although the sauce could have had a bit more flavor), the duck was tasty (although it was more medium well than medium rare) and the cheese dessert (for £2.95) was three massive slices of brie, gruyere and blue. While the food wasn't perfect, it was cheap and it was tasty, so that's a bonus. They also had a fairly interesting wine list, and the wine we chose was really tasty and went great with the duck. Finish it off with a glass of port and it was one of the cheaper meals we've had in quite awhile. So if you're on the lookout for cheap and tasty food, head here. We didn't have a reservation, and showed up at 6:15, and they told us they'd seat us if we could finish in an hour. Which we did. So they're willing to squeeze you in as well. (I imagine it's one reason they can keep prices so low, a huge turnover). read more

This has to be one of the best value deals you can find in London. Three of us went there the other night and we were really pleasantly surprised. The restaurant feels like one of this small french bistros you would find in Paris. It is quite crowded and the tables are pretty small. All this helps with the ambience. The food was very good. They offer a selection of french classics with pretty much all the starters, mains and desserts have one fixed price. In the end we ended up with having a three course dinner with two bottles of wine and we paid under £ 100 for three diners. Amazing value. read more

Food is delicious, service is good, bathroom is clean. We tried salad, soup, lamb and duck. For the lunch price 10.95 pound, the portion for both meat dishes were really good. The meat was tender and they broiled the skin somehow so it was a little crispy and fat (just right). Bread came with the lunches. To have French lunch in London with the modest pricing, you got to love it. Too bad they don't make French Onion soup, otherwise the lunch will be just perfect! Enjoy!! read more

Le Mercury is a cosy French restaurant on a corner of Upper St and I love pretty much everything about it. My first favourite thing about Le Mercury is the food. The menu isn't huge but everything that's on it is done very well and pretty cheap for saying how yummy it is. All starters and sides are around £3, mains are £8 and all desserts are £4. Recommend the duck, if you have the chance. Unfortunately they stopped doing the dark chocolate truffle cake with Baileys ice cream. The second best thing about Le Mercury is the general cosiness of the restaurant. It's quite plain but not austere, and though it's lovely in summer I've always preferred it on a cold evening. It's one of those few restaurants thats perfect for a date or meeting lots of friends. The atmosphere is cosy-a bit dark though. Make sure to book in advance. Best French restaurant in Islington. read more

Cheap French food? What? Looking for a relatively inexpensive place to eat in Islington, I came across Le Mercury. All of their entrees are priced at £7.45, appetizers are a mere £3.95, and the wines and other drinks are more than reasonable (around £3-4 for a glass of wine). I opted for the crispy-skinned sea bass, which came with some really delicious potatoes and pesto. It was all perfectly cooked and a perfect portion size for me. My friend ordered the steak and he loved it...a rarity for him, since he's usually got something to complain about no matter where he goes! Although we came in quite late without a reservation we were still seated immediately with a quick warning that they were closing in 45 minutes or so...though that didn't end up mattering much at all, since the service was incredibly quick. The atmosphere is a bit romantic-y, with candles and all of that, but it wasn't filled with the kind of gooey lovey couples who might make a night out with a platonic male friend a bit awkward. I just wish I'd tried something from the dessert menu...Oh well. Just gives me an excuse to go back! read more

My guy works late, so if I am lucky during the week we can have dinner together if we can find a restaurant with a kitchen open past 10 and one that won't rush us out at 10:59. So I was thrilled to find that Le Mercury stays open late! Thank you! I love authentic French bistros serving up foie gras, chevre chaud, duck breast, entrecote steaks, etc. And I love it when it tastes delicious. And I love it when the bill comes to £40 for two, we ate lots, and that tab included a very nice bottle of wine! We had a nice secluded table in the corner by a nice round window and had an extremely pleasant meal. It reminds me a bit of Grumbles by Victoria Station--I guess I am just a fan of authentic French bistros at an affordable price. Could this be my new fave in Angel? I think so! read more

I really enjoy Le Mercury. It's simple as that. The food is good and for great prices. And I just love the atmosphere. I love to come on lazy Sundays and have the roasts. On a nice day, the large windows let the street right in. But if you're coming for a romantic dinner, don't forget to make reservations and the buzz throughout the place. read more

Décor: Dark, romantic but not stuffy-uncomfortable. What's amazing is that this place has like 3-4 floors! (How come no one mentioned that???) It's amazing what they did here! The first floor, I could tell was more date-ish, but the second/third floor I was on was great because it was groups of friends (Some dates, not all) and it was just a great friendly atmosphere. Service: Fantastic. Nothing to complain about! Food: - Appetizer: Mussels in a broccoli sort of soup? It was good! Good amount and the sauce/soup it was in was delicious. I've had moules frites (in Belgium!) and this was definitely good in comparison to it. - Pork with confit: I thought it was a bit dry. I ate all of it.. minus a bit of the pork. My friend go the lamb which she enjoyed and I thought had a good flavour to it. - Dessert: Pear- YUM. Bottom Line: Decent prices, decent food. Even though I went with just a girl friend, we liked to say that it was definitely a 'romantic' dinner date, ahahha ;) read more

This place. So cozy. Every time I walk past it, I wish that my plans for the evening involved meeting friends here for dinner. Candles and steamed up windows and just...a buzz. A really good buzz. The food is excellent and well-priced for what you get. The staff is efficient. I dislike the papery table cloths, but that seems like a lame complaint, doesn't it? The chicken is great. Steak is great. Veggie options are great. I hesitate to give it five stars, though. Maybe if it wasn't so hyped, I wouldn't have had such high expectations. It really was good. Really! But I don't feel right giving it five stars just because. The food has been solid every time I've been there, but it's not the best ever. When I take the first bite of a meal in Paris, I often have to close my eyes because it's so delicious and I want to melt. That magic was not recreated here, but it is still really solidly GOOD food. I feel guilty not giving it five stars because I really do like this place! A lot! And now you know just how tormented a place my brain really is. read more

Fantastic, simple French faire. Stopped by on a whim for dinner last night (thanks, yelp!) and we were not disappointed! I had the braised beef -it says it only comes with spinach, but there was a portion of garlic smashed potatoes underneath, if you order this comfort food dish and you're wondering whether or not to order frites too. We also ordered a bottle of the Rioja- it was a perfect compliment to the beef. The rates are spot on and the mood lit atmosphere makes for a lovely date spot! read more

This French restaurant has a wonderful philosophy of quick service, excellent food and at very reasonable rates. Its no wonder that its always packed - but you don't have to wait long for a table. The steak was the best I've had in a while, soft and tender with a shallot sauce. At only 6.50 pounds, it was an absolute bargain! Starters are also very good, and around 4 pounds each. A bottle of wine is pretty reasonable at 10.50 as well. The restaurant gives the atmosphere of an intimate high end eatery, and the dim lighting and soft candles save it from looking like a bistro. This is a perfect place to go for a pre-theater or cinema meal, as the fast service won't keep you waiting long for a great meal. The Creme Brulee is still a simple favorite that is on the menu. Have with an espresso for the perfect meal! read more

Le Mercury is a great cheap and chic French restaurant situated on Upper Street. The prices really are unbelievable with starters beginning at just £3.95, mains at £6.50 and deserts at £2.95. The crab and lobster ravioli or the calamari are two of my favourite starters although it is is difficult to choose from such a wide selection It has a romantic feel and is certainly an ideal place for a date with food that is impressive but prices that won't break the bank. From the outside the dimmed lighting and minimalistic decor gives the impression of Le Mercury being an expensive snooty restaurant but it certainly is not. Another great thing about Le Mercury is the very fast service- an added bonus when you're feeling hungry and watch the other diners tucking into their delicious meals. read more

Reasonable quality food, hence the price. If the credit crunch is hitting you hard then this a good place to take that special someone without having to spend too much. It is pretty much always busy, maybe I am being too harsh on the food quality rating but I have been to many french restaurants and have had better, because I've paid more. The starter was the best out of the three dishes, it was the mussels in white wine (not as fresh, but they were only £3.95). The salmon was tasty with the lobster sauce but I was let down by the food's temperature, as if it had been left on the side for a bit before serving it. Other than that, decent candle lit place with many tables cramped in a small-ish area but you will be surprised when you realize it is actually a three storey building. read more

Le Mercury - French Near Me - London, XGL

Excellent value on Upper Street, among restaurants that are usually overpriced! The atmosphere is romantic, making this the perfect place to bring a date if you are on a budget. All starters cost £3.95 and all main courses at £6.95. They do have a changing daily menu with more expensive options, but they are only at £7.95. Portions are rather big, making this an extremely good value place. The main courses were a bit slow to arrive, but the service in general was very prompt. The menu has a french slant, with many British dishes as well. Unusual ones include frogs legs, along with the traditional steaks and leg of lamb. read more

Swift service (mind you we were only the second table to be occupied so at that stage there were far more staff than customers), keen prices and good food (my Barbary duck main course was very tasty but the pate starter could have done with a third triangle of toast. Nothing but praise for the chocolate tart dessert) made for a pleasant meal. Despite the above I'm only awarding 3 stars as I can't comment on the quality of the alcohol on offer and once we were ready for the bill we'd become invisible so actually paying up an leaving took longer than it should have. read more

Solid 3.75 stars. Food decent, value superb. Quick mention they didn't have our reservations down, however on an early Sunday (largely empty) they had no problem seating us right away. Menu is full of reasonably priced options. We did have to think a bit. Ended up with beef carpaccio (ehh) and poached pear blue cheese and roasted walnut salad (delicious) for appetizers. For the main course we did duck breast (cooked to medium rare with nicely crisped skin, fairly tasty however could have been a little more tender) and chicken breast (was decent though a tad dry). We enjoyed this with the house Chardonnay (middle of the road). Quick note although the menu says they charge £1 for extra bread, they provided seconds free of charge. Apple tart tartine with creme fraiche (perfect finish to a very solid dinner). I enjoyed a glass of cognac and left with a smile. Would go back again. The ravioli (lobster and crawfish) seemed popular and looked good from a distance). Might ask for a window table if available and plan ahead for fri/sat reservations. read more

I enjoyed visiting Le Mercury, the food was good and reasonably priced and the atmosphere was great. We were a party of 22 and they were able to accommodate us. The service was very good, if a little slow when it came to billing us which then meant the Manager tried to kick us out, saying we were delaying his restaurant when we were all attempting to pay and had been trying to for a good 15 minutes. I would probably come back here again, just not in such a large party. read more

I was excited to try out Le Mercury after all the glowing reviews on Yelp. Maybe we caught them on a bad day - rainy Saturday for lunch - but there was nothing particularly memorable or good about this place other than the reasonable prices (£5 starters, £10 mains, and a cheap wine list) The service was really, really bad. I think our server's vision was based on movement since the only way he ever dropped by our table was after desperate waving by one or more of us -- take our order, water, wine order #1, wine order #2, dessert order, check (twice). We were exhausted by the end. The food was unremarkable, and not particularly French (just because the menu says "croquette de poisson" doesn't make fishcakes french.) Two of us had the over-cooked swordfish over a bed of cold string beans. A friend ordered a salad that we all agreed looked like the one you get in coach on a British Airlines flight. The crayfish and lobster ravioli (also, ravioli... not french) starter was good but I suspect they bought them frozen from somewhere. I had the chicken entree which was ok. The most entertaining part was the STEEP decent down slippery metal stairs to the toilet. As a bonus the water was running in the dirty sink and couldn't be turned off. One star experience overall, but I'm giving them two stars because it was cheap. You get what you pay for. read more

One of my best meals in London. Mussels were fabulous and they are the meal that I now compare all mussels to. Service was helpful but not too quick paced that I felt rushed. Nice glass of sparkling wine. Easy location from public transit. Highly recommend and will definitely visit on our next visit! read more

I've been meaning to review this place for ages, as it's a regular haunt of mine. There's multiple floors so you can usually get a table if you book ahead despite the constant demand. What I love about this place is the consistency in quality, and the lack of artificial light (candles only after a certain time) so it makes for a really cosy atmosphere. My worst meal here was a Christmas group meal with friends. I hadn't realised the set menu would be quite so bland, and the toast which accompanied my pate was cold... Still, I will definitely continue coming here for meals with my boyfriend, or catch-up dinners with friends. read more

Adequate French restaurant in Angel. There are many to choose from but if you want something cheap then this is ok. You do get what you pay for though. On the standard menu starters are £3.95, mains £6.95 and desert £2.95. There are always specials as well with prices going up to £10. Salmon was nice, steak was gross. Service was prompt but disinterested & I wouldn't return. I did in fact leave without leaving a tip because our waiter gave a bit of a mad serial killer impression. read more

Hello new favourite restaurant! Seriously, is there nothing this place doesn't offer? When someone suggests a French restaurant, you immediately think it's going to be pricey, but this couldn't be further from the truth. All of the mains are under £7, desserts under £3. So what did we have? Well we shared a starter of Crayfish and Lobster ravioli which was yummy. really nice. I think we were both a bit annoyed that we didn't order one each. But the mains were ace too - it's not a huge selection, but it's a good one. I had duck breast on garlic mash with cabbage. It had a great sauce, although I can't remember what was in it. The mash was really too garlicky for my taste, but the duck was perfect. Yummy yummy yummy. We didn't get a side of veg with our meals, but we did spie roasted potatoes and green beans on a nother table and were instantly jealous. My friend's mushroom rissotto was yummy too. Dessert was a mascarpone cheesecake. YUMMY! There was nothing bad about this place, it's a gorgeous little find. We booked ahead, and we might have been lucky but it's not a bad idea. The service isn't the best, but my friends and i were catching up so we didn't really mind that they didn't take our order for a while - in fact I think they were waiting for us to shut up! In the meantime we ate all of the bread that they gave us. Freshest bread eve. The place is open very late (1am on weekdays, 2am on weekends) so you could even pop in after going to the cinema. It's a little further up Upper Street than the main drag, but that's a good thing. If I was just looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat, I wouldn't have walked up this far. I'm so pleased I did! So one starter, one dessert and two very yummy mains, plus a couple of glasses of wine costs us £26. Very impressed indeed. Do come here! On a date, with friends, whatever. Just come here. We were in such a mood for all things French that we've booked the Eurostar to Paris next month! Doesn't get much better read more

Time and time again this place does not disappoint. Just to add to everything that they do fabulously, I celebrated my 25th birthday here and was a bit obnoxious about the reservations because I started with 9 and called them almost every day for a week to up the number to 15. As it was a Monday night, there was no problems and we were pretty much given the entire top floor (maybe because we were also pretty happy, loud and drunk). We all got 2 or 3 courses, the food came out promptly, had about 8 bottles of wine, a few beers and the total came out to £21/person. I can't stress how amazing it is to have GOOD food for such a great price, it's really a good place for large groups as it keeps things cheap but a fabulous meal! read more

I'd heard great things about Le Mercury and it didn't let me down. Although it's best to book, we were lucky to get a table upstairs on the spur of the moment one evening. My God, it's so cheap! It's a simple menu with lots of French classics to choose from, but the food is delicious. OK, the service isn't the best, but Le Mercury still has charm and atmosphere, and at those prices you really can't grumble. read more

Don't be fooled by the size of the downstairs room- the restaurant runs across several floors and has a lot of space. I came here as part of a party of 10, and we fit in very easily. The restaurant itself is nothing special to look at, but candle lit and simply done out. We each had a three course meal with drinks (wine), which came to only £26 a head, which is very reasonable. The food was served promptly and no-one had any complaints. My steak was cooked rare to order and was really good. The starter was OK - a bit basic, but others' looked really good. Service was friendly and on the whole food and drinks were very good for the price. read more

We ate on a winter evening, and this place was dark; I had to use a torch to read the menu! There was a relaxed atmosphere up on the top floor and the service was really friendly, so we were happy to be there. For starters, I had calamari, delicious. Main course was steak frites, no complaints whatsoever! Dessert, a banoffi pie. A reasonable size, and a third delicious out of three. We had house red wine and it was surprisingly good. I'd almost give this place five stars for a cheap and good French dinner. read more

The food was absolutely amazing. I couldn't fault anything. The ambience was more romantic as opposed to going out with a friend but we enjoyed it all the same. read more

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I cannot complain avoid the food, but I will not return. The service was impossible. They would drop of the menu or the bill and vanish for long periods. We sat for almost half and hour waiting for someone to take our finished plates and ask if we need anything -- and not for lake of trying to get their attention. The whole experience was extremely frustrating. read more

Comparing this to the type of service and food I would have in the States, an incredible value. For tourists, its a bit out there (~ 21 GBP from victoria by taxi), but def. worth a visit. I went with a few other friends from across the pond and we all loved the atmosphere (nice, but not pretentious), service, and food. None of us were French food snobs, but we all thorough enjoyed the lamb, salmon, gnocchi, and casserole (though the casserole was a bit bland and very heavy on the beans). The apps were great, and paired very well with our French wine. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with what a nice dinner like this cost us. Check their website for details. Also, I would recommend setting reservations for parties larger than 2, even on a weeknight as many people have found this gem. read more

Le Mercury is a great find. The food is really great and the service outstanding. The restaurant is right across the road from the Almeida Theatre which makes it a great place for pre or post theatre dining. If you tell them you have a show to see, the service is even faster. read more

A solid and well priced French restaurant, it's been on Upper Street for 30+ years for a reason - because it serves decent food at a great price. The crayfish and lobster ravioli is very nice, as are most of the starters. I've had the steak and chips and lamb for main and have been happy, never blown away. You get more than what you pay for here. We also checked out the new one, Mercury Deuxieme the other week and it was good too. read more

Le Mercury is a real gem. It's not very fancy, but it has loads of atmosphere with the lighting provided by candles in wine bottles and street lights coming through the windows. Things can get packed in pretty tight, so it's best to make a booking (even on a Monday night at 8pm we wouldn't have been able to get a table if we hadn't already reserved one). The food is quite good, even if the menu isn't terribly extensive. My sea bass was fantastic, nice a crispy on the outside but really moist on the inside. Their desserts are really nice too, but don't expect anything on the lighter side. But the portions are perfect, just enough to leave you feeling satisfied without feeling stuffed. And things are relatively cheap with three courses costing only about £15 (excluding drinks). It's a really good late night spot as well; they're open til 2, and they won't rush you if you want to sit around and chat after your meal. It can get a bit noisy in there, but still a good place to bring friends. read more