90's London

[Sweetasstevia]

I've lived in London for nearly 25 years now but rarely get into the centre these days (I last worked in town in 2008.) I'm always stunned how much things have changed and have been feeling very nostalgic lately for the London of my uni years and youth: 1990 - 2000.
For starters I miss how Covent Garden used to be with the mechanical toy museum and Neal street East around the corner. I miss burgers at Ed's Diner and Jonny Rockets. I miss seeing arty films at the ICA, the montepulicano lounge club and whirligig, the mad market in South Kensington and how Camden used to be before it got all posh!
What things do you miss?

Sweets

When I first lived in London I lived in Barnes - memories of drinking in the Sun Inn sighting with lots of music ledgends including Van the Man. And the pub by the river (the moon?) which had jazz nights. The shop that sold over-sized sweatshirts run by an ex model -Sloppy Joes and Tootsies for great burgers.

Oh my goodness Tape & Record Exchange. Loved that place.

Ha! The Sun, many a weekend afternoon recovery spent in there.

Tootsies. On man I'm all nostalgic now. Texas Lone Star and the 7/11 at Gloucester Road too at stupid o'clock.

I worked at tootsies too for years! Used to go to the Belevdere in Richmond JAZZ

We got taken over at Tootsies by a big corporate co in the early 90s and it was never the same.

You didn't go to Roehampton did you Gloombands (90 - 93)?

for serious throwback, how about when tootsies Fulham Road was the Great American Disaster? (opposite the Goat in Boots, which Seb Fontaine's mum owned & he lived in the flat above it)
Record and Tape exchange is still going strong, still lots of copies of Yazoo on vinyl and searing judgement of you and your musical tastes from the counter staff!

I'm sure the Stockpot is still there. I had dinner with my student daughter earlier in the summer. Prices have gone up considerably though from the less than a fiver including wine rate I used to pay in the early 80s.
I kind of missed the communal tables too.

I worked at the fulham one for years when the cinema was opposite.

Oh, and the Protein man's banner is now in the Museum of London.

Tape & Record Exchange in Notting Hill is still there - still sells overpriced "vintage" clothing and books and records.

Anyone recall "Plastic People" on a Friday - deep house night in that dodgy basement club on Oxford St - nr the Tottenham Ct rd end. And Dingwalls in Camden - on a Sunday I think, with Gilles Petersen?

Does anyone else remember buying the Sunday papers on the way home late on a Saturday night. IIRC, you could always buy them outside Leicester Square tube. In those pre-internet days it was quite exciting - felt like I was getting the news before everyone else

There was a Tape & Record Exchange in Upper Street near the cinema (or certainly a shop that did the same job!) I mentioned to my ex, at the time my potential(!) that I liked Nirvana and he went in their and bought me everything they'd ever released!

stubbornstains - I liked the Robey and used to go because I lived at the top of the road from there (the street that had all the fashion wholesalers). I used to go on my own because I was a bit crossover biker/goth at the time and none of my biker mates liked the Robey. I was mates with the bouncers though - the Skunk Brothers, remember? Did you go to the rock/goth nights at the Manor House pub? I was just thinking about that the other day.

As I wore long goth skirts I was able to hoik them up and wazz in the basins at the Robey so limiting my exposure to the floods in the toilets. Used to dive in the mens if I couldn't be bothered to queue for the ladies too!!

pieceoftoast - yes! Metro!

Most of my London experiences are more recent than many of yours on here, but it really is a different place from the one I moved to. Me and my friends managed to always find cheap places to live, survive on low-paid temporary jobs and still have an amazing time. From chatting to those younger than me at work, today's 20somethings have it so much tougher.

Protein Man's Banner is in a MUSEUM???

Left 15 yrs ago and have never been back yet - want to but think it might ruin the memories and I'm thinking I wouldn't recognise anything.
It was already changing then - in late 80s The Stock pot, Kensington Market, Brick Lane (used to buy dirt cheap chef's clothes from there...there was always a musty stinking pile that needed a boil wash & bleach - last time I went - early 90s? it was already going up market no more stinky whites - I had to pay new from Denny's in Soho. The Scala (that wouldn't have survived the smoking ban ). Bar Italia - if that was the all night cafe in Soho? - when clubs etc weren't 24hrs. And clubs - Heaven was always good fun and Kinky Gerlinkys (sp?) the fetish thing???

Up all night on the Fulham Rd and Ed's Easy Diner on Kings(?) road.
Spend most of my time in Clapham North then Brixton though - so Cool Tan and then Taco Joes (I loved 'the restaurant' Taco Joes - late night drinking before 24 hr licences and live jamming - the the police raided once and found something like 300 people in there and they had sold 10 plates of nachos all night !!!) ...and the Fridge (open till 6am but didn't sell alcohol after 3am ) and Brixton Brassiere and the department store opp the tube and the cheap shop next to the tube - that sold everything... and the market - the indoor one for great fabrics. Saw something on TV filmed there a few years ago and it made me want to weep...And the bakery on Acre lane that sold the best Pattis... I could really murder one of the beef ones now ...

TranmereRover, my husband used to work in Mr Henrys!! We spent a lot of time in the Kings Road...

YY to the 7-11 in Gloucester Road!
and some kind of Brasserie just along from there.
And Quekkers or Quekkas (???) on a Thursday night..

Yes Joe's Cafe - I had my 24th birthday there -

Used to go to Goat in Boots lots - and later they had a sort of club above it called Upstairs I think..

gloombands I MUST have come across you sometime....

Has Bar Escobar been mentioned?

Scala in Kings cross is still going strong!

Bagleys alas went in the great regeneration project , but most people decamped to either Turnmills or the Egg Club

The Dive Bar in Chinatown - how we loved it there in the late 80's/early 90's

thornrose yy to the Fridge and Soul to Soul and The Loughborough's Mambo Inn

unlucky, I spent a lot of time in The Landor in Clapham North at that time too - did you go there?

And HyperHyper and the old Kensy and Camden markets!

sad to read here that the Phene and the Surprise have both closed down, and even worse, the Piccolo

p.s. I'm not and never was a Sloane just for the record..!!

oh my god did you ever encounter the older gay gent who used to frequent Bar Escobar and invite all the kids (trans: cute boys and their friends) back to his flat on the same road for pop & chop? He'd lure you away from your sol with lime in to go back to his, & you always would because he had free drink & so on
There was also that really terrible late / illegal drinking place called Steve's in a basement on the corner of Old Brompton Road and Earl's Ct Road (near the Coleherne, which is now a fancy gastropub with no leather queens in sight) - the barmaid / hostess knew everyone and there were lots of flaming cocktails. Then of course there was Cafe des Artistes in another nearby cellar where you'd get a meal ticket with your entry fiver and a plate of spaghetti or lasagne thrown in. Must've been some kind of licensing dodge surely? lots of naughty cellar nooks and crannies to hide in (& a dj who looked like peter stringfellow)

Nigella Quackers at Roxannes?!
I was a REGULAR there!