A new music-led café and cocktail bar brings carefully curated sounds, playful drinks and exceptional bar snacks to London’s historic Denmark Street.
The Ambience
A few steps from Tottenham Court Road station, Moonrays occupies an appropriate address on Denmark Street, once known as London’s Tin Pan Alley. Music is not just a theme here. Many of the bar staff are musicians themselves, either playing in bands or united by a genuine passion for it.
The young, playful team appears to be having as much fun as the guests. They are enthusiastic about the drinks, happy to chat and clearly enjoy meeting the succession of curious visitors wandering through the doors.
The interiors lean into mid-century cool, with warm shades of orange and brown, low lighting and fairy lights punctuating the quieter corners. Music plays through a carefully tuned sound system, loud and enveloping enough to command attention without making conversation impossible.
Moonrays describes itself as having more than one rhythm, moving from morning coffee and long lunches to cocktails and evening records. This proves accurate during our visit. Over four hours, the room shifts naturally from a relaxed place for food and conversation into something livelier and more mischievous.
Many guests appear to enter intending to try one drink, only to settle in for considerably longer. By the end of the evening, after the bar team has got to know us, the atmosphere has the loose, convivial energy of a particularly good house party.
The Drinks
Moonrays’ signature cocktails are all priced at £14 and cover a broad range of flavour profiles.
The Tallulah is the most refreshing of those we try. Gin-based, citrusy and sour, it is bright enough to cut through the richness and salt of the food without competing with it.
The Tomoki, made with mastic liqueur, is fruity and enjoyable but a touch too sweet alongside the dishes we order. It would fare better as a standalone drink, or perhaps in place of dessert.
The Nord, a whisky-based cocktail described as smoky, earthy and sweet, is unfortunately unavailable during our visit. However, the barrel-aged house Negronis and delightfully dirty Martinis are more than capable of keeping the evening moving once we have exhausted the signature drinks that appeal to us.
Beer and wine are also available for those less interested in cocktails, and plenty of people spend the evening slowly sipping glasses of wine while listening to the music.
The Food
The menu is made up primarily of toasties, sandwiches and salty snacks, but these are much more interesting than standard bar food.
The kimchi and Emmental toastie is an immediate highlight. Molten cheese and fermented cabbage create an intensely savoury combination, rich with salt, spice and umami. It is what is needed when cocktails are arriving at regular intervals.
Sardines in a tin served with cider vinegar crisps are inspired. The crisps bring sharpness, crunch and plenty of salt to the oily fish, resulting in a combination that feels both clever and entirely logical once tasted.
Peated whisky olives are smoky, unusual and dangerously moreish. The spirit adds depth without overwhelming the briny flavour of the olives and we can’t stop eating them.
Three gildas supply another concentrated hit of salt, vinegar and spice through anchovies, peppers and olives. They are assertive little mouthfuls designed for drinking alongside.
Best of all is the tuna melt on dark rye. Rich tuna and melted cheese sit against the earthiness of the bread, creating a sandwich that is difficult to stop eating. Its appeal is not especially easy to dissect, but perhaps that is the point. It is simply very, very good.
The Verdict
Moonrays could easily have treated Denmark Street’s musical heritage as a decorative hook. Instead, music feels embedded in the way the venue operates, from the high-fidelity sound system and carefully selected records to the musicians working behind the bar.
The food is far better than it needs to be, the cocktails are confidently made and the atmosphere evolves naturally as the evening progresses. Most importantly, it is an extremely enjoyable place in which to spend time.
Moonrays works equally well for an early drink, a few excellent snacks or an entire evening that becomes considerably livelier than expected. We intended to stop by and stayed for four hours. It is easy to imagine plenty of other guests doing the same.
The Details
Moonrays
7 Denmark Street
London
WC2H 8LZ
Website: www.moonrays.uk
Instagram: @moonraysldn