Best Comedy Clubs in London: The Honest Ranking
London has one of the best live comedy circuits in the world — partly because the BBC and Channel 4 still tap it for talent, which means international touring acts pass through regularly. But the circuit varies enormously in quality. These are the clubs worth your time, ranked by what they actually deliver.
1. The Comedy Store — the benchmark
The Comedy Store on Oxendon Street (a two-minute walk from Piccadilly Circus) is the most important club on the London circuit. It opened in 1979, gave early stage time to Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, and French & Saunders, and still runs the two shows that made its reputation: the Comedy Store Players (long-form improv, Wednesday and Sunday) and Cutting Edge (topical satire with a rotating panel, first and last Tuesday of every month).
The Friday and Saturday headline shows book solid touring acts — people you'd recognise from TV — in a 400-seat basement venue with decent sightlines and a full bar. The room feels lived-in in a good way. Tickets run £22–28 for weekend shows, less midweek.
Best nights: Comedy Store Players (Wednesday) for the purest improv; Cutting Edge (Tuesday) for opinionated political comedy; Saturday headline shows for mainstream stand-up.
2. Soho Theatre — where careers start
Soho Theatre on Dean Street has three performance spaces. The main stage hosts established touring acts; the upstairs room (Bar) runs the new-act nights that matter on the circuit. If you want to see someone before they get famous, the Monday and Tuesday new-act nights (£5–8) are the place. The curation is sharper than most comparable nights because Soho Theatre's bookers take it seriously.
The venue also has one of the better-run bars in the area. Getting tickets for sold-out downstairs shows is difficult; getting into the upstairs new-act nights on any weeknight is usually easy.
Best nights: New act nights (Monday–Tuesday, £5–8) for discovery; downstairs main stage for established acts.
3. Up the Creek — Greenwich's anchor
Up the Creek has been running in Greenwich since 1988. It's slightly out of the way (20 minutes from central London on the Elizabeth line to Cutty Sark DLR) but has a loyal following because it books well and keeps prices reasonable. The Saturday night show is the main event — a four-act lineup of touring professionals in a proper comedy club room, not a pub function room.
The audience is local and knowledgeable, which makes the room better than venues in the West End where tourists are a significant proportion. Tickets around £12–18 for weekend shows.
4. The Banana Cabaret — Balham on a Saturday
The Bedford pub in Balham runs the Banana Cabaret on Friday and Saturday nights — a well-established circuit show in south London with a reliably good bill. It's a proper comedy club setup (stage, fixed seating, MC + three acts), not a pub-back-room affair. Balham itself is a good area for dinner before the show. Tickets around £15.
5. Covent Garden Comedy Club
More tourist-accessible than the others given the central location, and the bills are solid. Runs Thursday–Saturday in a bar space near Covent Garden market. The Friday and Saturday lineup typically includes one name act and two supporting acts from the circuit. Good option if you want comedy without the commute to Soho or the trip to Greenwich.
Other reliable venues
- The Pleasance London (Islington) — Known primarily as an Edinburgh Fringe venue but runs year-round London shows, often previews and touring solo shows.
- Angel Comedy (Islington) — Free admission new-act nights at the Camden Head pub every Monday. One of the best free comedy nights in the country.
- Comedy Virgins (various pubs) — Floating night focused on brand new acts, often their first or second time on stage. Chaotic, sometimes brilliant, always cheap.
- Backyard Comedy Club (Bethnal Green) — Lee Mack's venue in east London. Weekend headline shows with a proper backstage circuit feel.
How to find what's on
The two most reliable sources for the London comedy circuit are:
- Chortle.co.uk — industry listings site, covers everything from pub rooms to arena tours. The most complete picture of what's on any given week.
- Time Out London (comedy section) — curated picks rather than comprehensive listings, better if you want an editorial steer.
Most venue box offices allow same-day online booking. The Comedy Store's weekend shows sell out; Soho Theatre downstairs shows sell out for established acts. Book at least a week ahead for anything on a Friday or Saturday.
London entertainment goes beyond comedy
GetYourGuide lists a wide range of London evening experiences — from dinner cruises to theatre tickets to guided evening walks. Useful for comparing options if you're planning a night out.
London Comedy Clubs: Frequently Asked Questions
The Comedy Store on Oxendon Street (near Piccadilly Circus) is the most consistent — it's been running since 1979 and pioneered the British alternative comedy movement. The weekly King Gong and Cutting Edge shows are the flagship nights. For discovering new talent at lower prices, Soho Theatre's upstairs room runs the most respected new-act nights in London. For cabaret-style comedy in a bigger venue, Up the Creek in Greenwich consistently books strong touring acts.
Tickets range from £5 (new act nights, Monday–Wednesday) to £30–35 (headline shows at the Comedy Store on Fridays and Saturdays). The Comedy Store's weekend shows typically cost £22–28 in advance. Soho Theatre comedy tickets range from £10 for new act nights to £25 for established touring acts. Some nights have a minimum spend at the bar instead of or in addition to a door charge.
Most London comedy clubs sell out weekend shows in advance — particularly the Comedy Store on Fridays and Saturdays. Weekday shows and new act nights usually have capacity. The safest approach: book in advance for any Friday or Saturday show at a major venue, and expect to walk in freely for Monday–Thursday shows at smaller rooms. Check each venue's own website for availability.
Yes — most London comedy is in English and pitched at a general audience. The Comedy Store in particular draws a mixed crowd including many tourists. Some shows involve audience interaction — new act nights and improv shows tend to involve more crowd work; established headline shows are more passive. If you want guaranteed seating and minimal participation, a headline show at the Comedy Store or Up the Creek is your best bet.