The Troubadour Bar

The Troubadour has been a coffee house, restaurant, bar and grassroots music venue since 1954, and it wears every chapter at once. Instruments, posters and photographs crowd the walls; the cellar stage still hosts new performers; the garden provides a quieter counterpoint when the room becomes too full of history. Bob Dylan and Paul Simon belong to the mythology, with later appearances by Adele and Florence Welch, but the address is most alive when an unfamiliar name is playing tonight. At the bar, order a pint, wine or a straightforward cocktail and allow the building to direct the evening. Food ranges from brunch to burgers and comforting plates, useful when one drink becomes a show. Jazz Sundays are especially suited to dinner, though booking is sensible and an entry charge may apply. The service and furniture can feel idiosyncratic, which is part of the bargain at an independent venue that has resisted becoming a polished museum of itself. Come for atmosphere, stay for whoever is on stage, and leave with a new name alongside the famous ones.