A woman dressed as Queen Victoria is strolling around Albert’s Schloss, an enormous new party palace in the heart of the West End. Vic is about to wander into Soho to distribute golden tickets, which offer VIP entry to various shindigs at the bar in July. These might be the sort of do’s to feature burlesque, or sword swallowing, or possibly fortune-telling drag queens who prophesise futures by reading whatever’s left on diners’ plates after eating. Maybe all three.
Albert’s Schloss, named after Prince Albert, is a Northern import that opens next week on Piccadilly Circus, and the fourth of an extremely successful group of Bavarian-themed bier halls (food is also served). The first launched in Manchester almost a decade ago, and three years ago went to Birmingham, then Liverpool. Each city has revelled in the frivolity of these enveloping spaces, where dancing on tables is encouraged and live music continues into the early hours. The Manchester site is famous for shifting more Pilsner Urquell than any bar outside the Czech Republic.
