Wax Jambu

I adore Wax Jambu. It's often quite hard for bars to be intimate, without being claustrophobic; accessible yet not overly commercial – but Wax manages. Upper Street is a bit of a mixed bag and it's always delightful to happen upon a place where you can have an expertly mixed cocktail prepared for you by (and I show my prejudice here) an uncommonly attractive bar person and then just relax.

This place is a delight – a welcome break from the meat markets, poseur driven ‘drawing rooms’ and grunge fests which surround it. even the door staff are friendly. I would highly recommend dropping by if you're in the area.

I had my birthday party at Wax recently on a Friday night and it was just perfect! I’ve booked a table in the upstairs bar ‘Wax Cove’, it has recently been refurbished and it transforms you somewhere in the Caribbean with palm trees and exotic rum cocktails. It really helps considering the cold London weather this winter brrrr.. :)
I had about 40 people and it ended up being almost private hire, we had our own bar, friendly and knowledgeable bartender who prepared some amazing cocktails to share :) Also I was able to request my own playlist, how cool is that!!!? I definitely recommend this place for private parties, especially if you are a rum lover as they have some impressive list of unique Caribbean rums in pretty bottles :)

We spent Saturday evening at Wax Jambu for a friend's birthday. She had reserved a space which was great as the bar was soon packed and a long queue appeared outside. The decor is quite eclectic; Swiss chalet meets loft conversion (lots of exposed brick and dark wood panelling). We didn't eat anything or see any food being eaten but were rather disappointed by the standard of the drinks. It took ages to get served at the bar and the cocktails were a real let down. A mint julep was rather watery and lacked any mint. In fact, it bore very little resemblance to any one I've ever had before; at £7, I felt I'd paid well over the odds for a mediocre drink. While the place has a good vibe, the music was too loud to make conversation and I don't think we'll be rushing back. There are much better bars along Upper Street.