The Effra Hall Tavern

The Effra Hall Tavern sits on Kellett Road in Brixton, a short walk from the tube. It is a Victorian pub that has held onto its old school character while becoming one of the area's best loved rooms for free live music. The back room, where the bands play, is the heart of the place.

This is a pub for anyone who wants live jazz or reggae without a ticket or a velvet rope. The crowd mixes old and new Brixtonites, and the music is the main event. If you want a quiet, polished cocktail bar, look elsewhere. If you want a proper neighbourhood pub with a band in the back, this is a Brixton institution.

Inside, a large curved bar leads back to the room where the live acts perform, with a beer garden out back for warmer days. Brixton Buzz describes the pub as keeping an old school vibe while drawing a crowd of old and new locals, with superb jazz and reggae nights. The Victorian bones stay intact behind a light modernisation.

The Kellett Road setting puts it on a quieter residential street just off the Brixton bustle, which gives it a neighbourhood feel the bigger venues lack. The garden is the prize seat in summer.

The bar pours a straightforward range of beer, lager and pub cocktails built for an easy night rather than a list to study. The food leans Caribbean tinged, with dishes like jollof mac and cheese, loaded plantain and a jerk chicken that reviewers single out. The real draw, though, is that the live music three nights a week is always free.

The crowd is a true Brixton mix, old timers and newer locals drawn by free music and an unpretentious welcome. Music nights, usually around three a week, are the busiest and best, with often excellent improvised jazz. The garden fills on warm afternoons and the back room fills once a band starts.

Find more with our London live music bars guide and the London bar guide. Pair the Effra with The Jazz Cafe in Camden, Cafe Cairo in Stockwell, or Bar Story in Peckham. For more reading, see our best live music bars in London pillar and our London hidden gems guide, or browse the bars near me hub.