Callooh Callay on Rivington Street: what to order and when to go

Go on a weeknight, from 6pm, and book if it is a weekend. Callooh Callay is at 65 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, not on Old Street itself. Old Street (tube and rail) and Shoreditch High Street (rail) are the nearest stations, according to Time Out.

What it is

A cocktail bar named after a line in Lewis Carroll’s poem Jabberwocky, and the bar’s own site says it is inspired by it. It opened in November 2008, when, by the venue’s own account on Tripadvisor, cocktail bars in Shoreditch were few and far between.

The bar says it has appeared in the World’s 50 Best Bars and is now ranked among the Top 500 globally. That is the bar’s own claim. It also says it won early industry awards for Best Bar Team and Best Interior Design.

What to look at

The front room is Victorian in style, with an antique gramophone and an ornate wardrobe, as The Nudge describes it. The wardrobe is the point: ask a bartender nicely and they will open it, and you can climb through to a private bar area. From there you go upstairs to the JubJub, the secret bar.

The JubJub was reported by Londonist as a new opening in September 2010, and began life as members only. DesignMyNight describes it as hidden behind the wardrobe, with classics and party tunes at weekends. The Nudge says it is open Thursday to Saturday and invite-only after 10pm, so do not count on getting in late.

What to order

The menu changes every year, and past versions have come as cassette tapes and comic books. The October 2025 edition, “The Cocktails Thesaurus”, is inspired by Niki Segnit’s The Flavour Thesaurus. Drinks are named after flavour pairings and grouped by family: Martini, Sour, Spritz and so on.

• Flavour pairings: Peach + Basil, Coriander + Mint, Rhubarb + Ginger, Tonka + Banana, Tomato + Mushroom, White Chocolate + Coffee.
• Classics: Negroni (Ford’s Gin, Regal Rogue Dry Vermouth, Ceviche Cordial), Martini with Belvedere Vodka, French 75, Old Fashioned, Painkiller, Paloma.
• No alcohol: NO-cillin, NO-groni and a Peach & Coconut Spritz, all £10.

Older write-ups name the House Daiquiri (a house rum blend with calamansi) and the Cherry Cola as past signatures. Treat those as history, not a promise.

What it costs

On the October 2025 menu, signature and flavour cocktails run roughly £12 to £15, a Classic Negroni is £14, and a Martini or French 75 is £15. Shots (Bubblegum, Pickleback) are £6.50, Guinness £7, Sapporo and Brooklyn IPA £5.50, and wine starts at £8 a glass. Prices may have moved since, so take it as roughly £12 to £15 a cocktail, going on the latest menu published.

Food

Hot Dinners reported in May 2024 that chef Jay Morjaria brought his Korean diner concept Park & Kim to the bar, starting as a three-month residency, with a bulgogi smash burger, mandu & eggs and loaded bulgogi fries. The bar’s food page still offers a food menu download, so check the current food menu before you plan dinner around it.

When to go

The bar opens from 6pm every day and runs later at weekends. Its own pages disagree on the details: one has Friday and Saturday opening at 4pm, with late nights ending around 3am. Check the website for the night you want.

• Weeknights: calmer. The Infatuation, in an older review, recommended a midweek date over a weekend.
• Weekends: livelier, with party tunes in the JubJub, and Saturday is the busiest night. Arrive at opening or book ahead.
• Guest nights: the bar has run guest-bartender takeovers, from 9pm to 3am. Check the what’s-on page for what is on now.

Booking

There is a Book Now page on the bar’s website for tables, and booking is advisable at weekends. Private hire enquiries go to hello@calloohcallaybar.com. The phone number on the site is 020 3833 3965.

Time Out and DesignMyNight both put it at two pound signs out of four.