The Pit Bar

I love that this bar’s hours are listed as «6pm to late» on their website.
The Pit Bar is the drinking spot of the Old Vic Theatre. It’s only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday and there for drinking after a show (although anyone is welcome in.) When the pub we were at closed down at 11pm, a friend knew this spot and off we went.
This is a great hidden gem. It’s literally underground as you’ve got a set of stairs into the basement of the building. As far as I know, there wasn’t a sign for it. You either know it is there or you do not.
The Pit Bar is a small one-​room space with a long bar, and as the night goes on, it gets louder and more crowded. There are a few tables and we were lucky to snatch one. It was great until about midnight when we actually could no longer hear each other talk without leaning in. Not a problem when you just want to drink though, the space has amazing energy.
I hear they bring in live music from time to time, which would be very cool to see, as it’s incredibly intimate.
Good drink prices, good spot to grab a drink when everything else is shutting down.

Bit of a hidden gem this. I love an underground bar.
Perfect for a late night tipple when most other bars and pubs in the area close — it’s open until 2am.
Lots of actors milling about, all very relaxed. Music was fun and loud enough so not to ruin a conversation but you could have a wee dance if that took your fancy.
Liked this place a lot and will remember to come here when in the area next. But obviously avoiding the pre and post theatre rush — that’d be no fun at all.

Nice little place to pop into for a late night weekend drink with a very civilised crowd. Can get a bit busy though

In a city where nightlife ends early, it’s nice to find a bar that stays open until 2am. Great laid back vibe that my friend described perfectly: it feels kind of like you’re hanging out in someone’s living room. Quiet enough that you can have a conversation, but also has music and dancing. Great place!

This is the theatre bar located underneath the ever popular Old Vic Theatre. I absolutely love this place; a great friend of mine used to work at this theatre and so i found myself coming here a lot.
It gets very busy post performance of an evening, i even spotted artistic director Kevin Spacey in here one evening and congratulated him on his performance (i get terribly sycophantic when confronted with anyone remotely famous).
They serve food and bar snacks, although you’ll have to pay a price for them. Can be a little cliquey in here, with cast and crew sticking very much to their own, but if you’re fascinated with the world of theatre and its pretensions (as i am) then i recommend you go in here. A perfect location for a pre and post play tipple.

The best thing about the pit bar is that it is open later than any other bar on the street (apart from the well dodgy Italian opp) which has to be worth something in itself!
By Thursday night at 11pm it is really going some and it has a really good atmosphere. You often end up chatting to all manner of people which is quite good fun. I dare say that might have something to do with the fact that most people by then have downed a few sherrys!
Also in the week the cast of whatever play is on can quite often be found here and I have seen Kevin Spacey (artistic director of the theatre above) in here on quite a few occaisions for a bit of an added bonus.
The bouncers are pretty friendly so as long as you can stand up straight and give them a smile they seem to let you in!

The Pit Bar is a great little theatre bar under the Old Vic Theatre. The staff are great and really friendly. The bar open from 12pm in the day and is a great little stylish place to have a coffee in the afternoon or a funky place to grab a nice glass of wine in the evenings. Also the actors do use this bar to drink in after a show at the Old Vic so if you’re a Kevin Spacey fan you never know you could be having a drink with him in the great little bar. I love this place, just to let you know.