If Cuban food, rum cocktails and live music sound good, you’ll want to hotfoot it over to Bar La Rampa where you’ll find all that and more just a hop, skip and a jump from Oxford Circus. It’s the perfect pit stop to have up your sleeve when you need a break from the Christmas shopping if you ask us!
The space is a beaut, taking inspo from 1950’s Havana, with a menu centred around banging cocktails and classic Cuban cuisine, reimagined. Live music comes courtesy of the house band Tuesday – Saturday, so there’s always a party atmosphere, no matter what day of the week it is.
We recommend getting stuck into the cocktails as a priority. The drinks list at Bar La Rampa comes courtesy of Marcis Dzelzainis – a man that knows his stuff having previously worked at Sager + Wilde, 69 Colebrooke Row and Dandelyan. Mojitos and daiquiris are a real focus, with variations including the ‘Papa Doble’, a homage to Ernest Hemingway’s drink of choice, and the ‘Jennings Cox’ cocktail, who is said to have invented the daiquiri. We visited when heavily pregnant and can confirm they also make one of the best virgin mojitos in town.
Food-wise, it’s a sharing situ and a visit isn’t complete without trying the vegan-friendly corn ribs with chipotle mayo and lime. Other highlights include prawn ceviche and braised ox cheek tacos with spicy AF red habanero salsa. It’s also worth splitting a cubano sandwich, stuffed with pork belly, ham, and oozy raclette cheese, which was just as good as any we tried in Cuba itself. High praise indeed!
