Ordering a cocktail called a filthy martini has the potential to put you in a particular headspace. It carries the seed to pleasantly and mischievously lubricate an experience – something necessary at The Marquee Moon, where I ordered my first. Billed as Dalston’s new Hi-Fi bar, it only partly delivers on that sonic promise. The East-Asian-influenced menu is tasty and comes in decent portions: from Ortiz tuna and watermelon salad down to pork belly skewers and Dan Dan noodles. The hot Alfonso margarita was delicious – but also seemed necessary to stop caring about your vocal cords going down the drain. Having a conversation with a friend who’s an arm’s length away is challenging, even on a weekday evening at 7 pm. Perhaps Zellenials actually enjoy Vocalzones for breakfast?

Theoretically, it’s great that London has entered its ‘listening bar’ era. If only achieving success in this domain was as simple as paying a visit to Audio Gold and picking up a remake of the L100 JBL system which The Marquee Moon chose to install. Every ‘Hi-Fi restaurateur’ I’ve spoken with muses about satisfying the customer’s every sense: from smell to vision to sound. It’s just a shame when said restaurateur chooses a building that doesn’t particularly cater to the latter.

But perhaps it’s too easy to blame the place. In all fairness, the bums on the seats do get buzzed to be in a new hype place eyeing a wall of vinyl, fancy speakers and natty wines the colour of Lucozade. I loved Goodbye Horses when I visited for the first time (see The Pass volume 02) but struggled with the incredibly loud chatter that took over the venue during my next visit a few months later. You can do everything right on paper, but a space changes as people fill it. Bambi in Hackney is another such venue that comes to mind: insanely tasty pickle martinis, scandi-chic decor and an awe-inspiring record collection – but arrive any later than 9 pm and you’ll have to shout as though you’re in a nightclub. Is that the thing about listening bars in 2025? That it becomes so impossible to have a conversation that all you’re really able to do is give up, order a round of cocktails, close your eyes and actually listen? Well-engineered, hats off.