Over in Spitalfields, you’ll find a rundown old building, with letters falling from their perches and paint and posters peeling slowly away from the walls. And it’s there that you’ll find Discount Suit Company. It’s an old, tatty-looking shop, with an unimpressive facade. In fact, it would probably be your last choice of shop to buy a suit from. But what did your parents always tell you? ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. Especially since you’re not here for a suit. You’re here to check out one of London’s best, hidden cocktail bars.
Ignore the misleading facade which promises “alterations while u wait”. Discount Suit Company is found in the former stock room of the tailor’s shop above, and getting in requires a touch of know-how. For first-timers, the trick is to spot the small black door at street level and head down into the bar.
Discount Suit Company is a cosy little place that can be a bit of a tight fit sometimes. Between the low ceilings and small floor space, the bar can fill up rather quickly. Touches of its past life remain. The bar, for example, is actually a repurposed cutting table with stock drawers and various tools and detailing. Otherwise, the space has been stripped back to bare brick walls and shabby ceiling rafters. But that doesn’t mean the bar is lacking in comfort, or feels at all industrial. Instead, there’s almost an air of an old tavern, with tankards hanging from the ceiling, and squashy sofas and cosy armchairs scattered about.
Topping off the speakeasy experience are Discount Suit Company’s powerhouse playlists. A huge supply of vinyl records means your evening drink will be soundtracked with a top mix of Motown, soul, and classic rock and roll – although you’ll be a little hard-pressed to find space to dance.
Discount Suit Company’s Drinks
The cocktails at Discount Suit Company lean on classic drinks, but with unique techniques and ingredients. Drinks may sound familiar but could include such ingredients as kombu or tepache, among many others. New visitors to the bar are in luck because a period of cocktail development has seen the bar launch an all-new menu of house cocktails for the autumn/winter season.
Fans of tropical drinks and fruity flavours will want to make a beeline for the Wigan Casino. Mixing up gin, passionfruit, rambutan, Green Chartreuse, kombu, and Tokaji (a Hungarian wine), makes for a delightful fruit-y sipper. But who could resist a drink called a Drugstore Cowboy? And with a bend of mezcal and tequila, accompanied by peach and yuzu tepache (a fermented pineapple-based beverage) it’s got kick and tang to keep you coming back for more.
For the utmost autumnal vibes, though, the Birch Plz is the obvious choice. It’s got red maple sake, pecan, birch, and bourbon to warm you up and get you feeling all cosy from the inside out.
And if you fall in love with a drink, and want to find a similar experience elsewhere, Discount Suit Company is kind enough to help. The menu annotates each house cocktail with ‘if you like this, try this’ suggestions of drinks that you should be able to order from any self-respecting cocktail bar. The Birch Plz, for example, directs drinkers to try out other whisky-forward cocktails, like a Toronto or a Godfather.
As well as all these drinks, there is also a monthly guest cocktail, and a curated selection of beers and wines, as well as classic cocktails that have never left the bar’s menu. If you get peckish, they’ve got some snacks to graze on, but don’t go expecting a meal. Remember, they can’t actually adjust your clothes if you overindulge…
Between the cocktails and the cosy vibes, Discount Suit Company is beginning to look like a pretty good fit. Ooh, suits you sir!