Aces & Eights Saloon Bar

You tread a very fine line with irony these days.

The potential for offense is everywhere and if you intend to be ironic about something, it needs to be made clear.

A friend recently told me that if irony is to work then it has to be understood on both sides, where both parties are aware of the intent of the statement or the action.

I was thinking about this after spending some time in Aces & Eights, the new bar in Tufnell Park. Talking to the manager, I found out that if women remove their bras and donate them to the bar, they stand to gain a bottle of champagne. If they go further and show their boobs, it’s a free round of shots.

The possibility for offense is clear. However, the sight of a line of pink, black, green and white bras hanging from a rail above the bar, as well as chatting to a few of the female drinkers, shows that the opportunities are being taken in the right spirit.

But to concentrate on lingerie ignores the more sophisticated charms that this bar has. It has an American dive bar aesthetic but with all the insalubrious features, like drug addicts in the toilets, taken out.

As might be expected from a rock ‘n’ roll bar, the music features bands like The Doors, The Rolling Stones and other long-haired ne’er-do-wells. However, it is kept at a volume that makes it easy for people to share a beer or two over conversation, which it seems is what the majority of people in the bar come here to do.

The place also does some good value pizzas that are made on site by the chain Il Bacio. There is a good range of beers, with imports such as Brooklyn Beer and Blue Moon. If you’re looking for a cocktail, my particular recommendation would be the Parma Violence, which has a luxurious taste and slips down very easily.

Aces & Eights has an accessible uncouthness that could be dismissed as ersatz. It is not as ragged as an authentic dive bar needs to be. But then again, who really wants to have their feet sticking to the floor and have their teeth knocked out of their mouth for giving people queer looks?

Aces & Eights is a fun venue that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts the emphasis on making sure its customers have a good ol’ time, even if you are unlikely to see tits.

Aces & Eights
156-158 Fortess Road
Tufnell Park
NW5 2HP

Image by Orin Zebest courtesy of Flickr