Best restaurants for jazz and live entertainment

London has more than its fair share of restaurants that seek to entertain diners, as well as feed them. Find bawdy burlesque shows, sexy striptease, live music or dance, and all that jazz with Square Meal’s pick of some of the best restaurants and bars with entertainment in town.

Bathhouse (pictured, left)
Nightly performances in this whimsical underground cabaret bar-bistro range from pianists to burlesque dancers, and the atmosphere manages to be charming rather than contrived.

Bentley’s
Knock back a few bivalves in Richard Corrigan’s relaxed oyster bar and enjoy strains of live jazz, which plays here every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening.

Big Easy (pictured, right)
This perpetually busy all-American homage to ribs and root beer is an absolute riot. Ask for a basement table to enjoy rock bands playing covers of Nirvana, The Eagles and Springsteen.

The Blues Kitchen
Readers love this Camden classic’s ‘super-cool blues bands’ and superlative soul food – the perfect place for kicking back and relaxing.

Boisdale
Boasting its very own Boisdale Blue Rhythm Band, and regular performances from acts including Judy Carmichael and Jools Holland, the swish steakhouse chain knows how to entertain diners. A cover charge of £4.50 applies to all four venues, which rises steeply after 10pm.

The Box
Having courted controversy since it opened, this risqué burlesque joint mixes sex and striptease with circus and show. The door policy is like no other so dress in all your finery to make it past the bouncers.

Hideaway (pictured, left)
This revamped snooker hall in Streatham is now a live music-and-comedy venue with a swanky stage and top-notch sound system.

Longitude 0°8’ at Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel
This hotel bar has launched weekly jazz nights every Thursday from 6-10pm. The sessions coincide with ‘aperitivo hour’, where all drinks come with complimentary canapés.

Oxo Tower
The sky-high brasserie combines beautiful views of the Thames with a wide roster of live bands in the evening, from bouncy Latin jazz outfits to soulful divas.

Ronnie Scott’s (pictured, right)
Ronnie Scott’s is the daddy of cool-cat tunes – sit at the tiered tables and soak up jazz from some of the world’s best musicians.