Toulouse Lautrec Brasserie & Jazz Bar in Southwark

I went to see and hear Résonances last night, 16th December, and it was an amazing and wonderful experience. It was a fantastic fusion of contemporary music, dance, poetry and visual art. And so colourful as well. The poetry contained some French as well as (mainly) English. Some of the music was (modern) French in style too. All of it was improvised, except for some of the poetry. Bravo to the creators and all the performers of this wonderful, sensual fusion. (I would have included a couple of amazing videos as well, but this site didn't let me attach any.)

I suddenly feel like stepping into a traditional French resto. The smells around me remind me of my beloved Home Town Toulouse. Who would expect to be immersed into an old fashion cabaret when going upstairs. And here you are, sipping red wine and flirting with existentialism. The dim lighting is just right for squinting at your date and pretending you’re in a black-and-white French film. Meanwhile, the chairs feel like they were stolen from your chic grandmother’s dining room—comfy enough to stay for hours, questionable enough to feel authentic. But the pièce de résistance? The whole place feels like home. Not your home, of course—unless your home is a bohemian haven with Parisian vibes and a staff that somehow knows when you need another glass of wine before you do. It’s the kind of place where strangers nod at you as if to say, “Yes, we’re all très cultured here.” If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a 19th-century artist pondering life in a cosy Parisian nook—but with Wi-Fi and less tuberculosis—Toulouse Lautrec is the place for you. Five stars, a thousand accordion solos, and a resounding Vive la France!

Lovely warm welcome and bespoke delivery on the need for a hot rum toddy. Thank you, thank you. And the show was excellent; heartfelt; close-up entertainment. A treat.

Great venue! Went to see the Benedict Brothers Christmas show! They were outstanding and their band were exceptional. Had the best time.

Went there for the French Improvisation show conducted by "Act'in Theatre" and it was amazing! The place is full of history and is the home of real jazz lovers and numerous famous artists in London. The staff and the manager were amazing. I will definitely go back!

Attended the Gospel Sunday, the Amazing Grace Show. Emotional content and fantastic singing and music.

Update: Having read the rather defensive and sanctimonious reply from the manager, I've just added a few details to my review as "recollections may vary"... Enough said. *** Here for a great fun French improv show, much enjoyed. Unfortunately the venue prices are shockingly high (this isn't central London) and service is haphazard at best (barman doesn't appear to know his wines or snacks, waiter mistaken about portion sizes), even rude when my friend queried the latter (manager intimidatingly aggressive). Won't return! First time in over 30 years living here that I've felt that shocked.

I absolutely love this place, I discovered it many years ago when I lived in the area, the food and the live music have always been sublime. The place gives a wrapping, charming and comfortable vibe the you don't want to leave. If I could I'd pay a visit to London just to go back here one more time. A must go !

Excellent place to listen to jazz and excellent restaurant

I loved the attention, the music, everything!!

Lovely atmosphere and great music. A cosy place with good food too! Totally recommend.

We had a great night at the jazz bar. The staff were friendly and welcoming. Food and drink good and reasonably priced and service was excellent. Great jazz! Will definitely return.

Quirky music venue, wear deodorant..its very cosy😂

Chairs are not very comfortable, but great music and tasty food)

Wonderful atmosphere, small venue and felt intimate. Stamatis & Rae sang beautifully together. The host was very funny & the staff warm & welcoming.

Great place! Cheerful staff ! The show was something else! Highly recommend!

Wonderful, definitely recommended

What a gem! Had a wonderful experience and will definitely return soon.

Great entertainment. Love the atmosphere which is warm and friendly. High standard of performers. Very welcoming venue.

First time at Toulouse Lautrec jazz club and I loved it ! So cosy and welcoming ! The drink and food menus were excellent too. Easy to get to. Great venue all around.

I booked a table at Toulouse Lautrec to celebrate my birthday and enjoy a jazz gig. I had an absolutely wonderful time there! One of the waiters stood out for his exceptional friendliness and the way he treated my family—he was so fantastic that I’d go back just because of him. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name, but his service was unforgettable. Beyond that, the food was incredible; I savored a perfectly cooked, delicious steak. Overall, it was an amazing experience that made my birthday truly special.

A really enjoyable evening - great music (Omar Puente), good food, friendly staff, a great vibe

Fantastic place with lovely people and great music! What a gem - thank you <3

Sly5thAve @ the Toulouse Latrec Jazz club. Up close, cosy, and personal! Brilliant end to the EFG festival for me. Great 1st time experience @ the club. Luv the way the staff pop up with your order nearly as soon as you’ve placed it on the app for the table. Sorry, enjoyed more than the experience @ KOKO’s for Mechell N’degicello, Mechell is the business on Bass & poetic Neo soul groove. KOKO layout is WRONG. Sly5thAve & his band…..Baritone Sax Superhero from Texas, hope to see again. Mr Northerner.

charity do for Movember Amazing talent

Great music, very friendly venue

Stylish location with perfectly attentive service and a great jazz ambience. Don't miss it 👍

Service in the restaurant was excellent as was the food. The atmosphere in the jazz club was friendly and welcoming, once again because of the professional and enthusiastic staff. A vey enjoyable evening overall.

Sam Daniel was an absolute champ

Great venue, lovely meal in the Piano Bar before going to watch Tristan, fab performance.

Had such a great evening watching the Jazz Defenders. The pictures on google don’t do the venue justice. It’s a really cool and quirky spot in Kennington. An all round great venue with amazing acts!

The food, the service and the music was exceptional! Great place to come back ! Fantastic experience! Vanna

Absolutely. Amazing. The food was absolutely fantastic, every single dish was delicious. The live music was also so beautiful, perfect for a lovely, entertaining evening.

🎷🎹🎺Bands with top performance, amazing food and drinks and a lovely atmosphere.. Good music every single night with a great variety. I really don't know how they do it, but have never been disappointed! Love this place and would recommend it to everyone without any doubt. Thanks to the friendly and passionate staff✨🤍

The Jazz Club show was amazing, great musicians and singer. They entertained and engaged the audience with their skilful music and singing and talking. We also had a meal downstairs which was excellent: great food and attentive staff. Overall absolutely wonderful experience.

Apart from Parking the evening was great! Samantha-Antoinette was fantastic, great voice & totally involved the audience! Excellent!

Another wonderful night at this venue with the amazing singer Samantha Antoinette. Venue has open feel. Good sound and stage visibility. Good food and drink. Good vibes. What more can you ask for? Well I guess you could try the food in the restaurant downstairs (we did not) but it looked very good and was full. For next time. Bye.

Cozy place with cool music and excellent cuisine

A fantastic evening. Lovely staff, great service, good food and brilliant music. We'll go again! The Fallen Heros were playing - they are incredible! 10/10 on all fronts. 👌

Attentive staff, excellent gins sour and fabulous music

Great venue lovely people. Looking for to coming back!

Really convenient for nearby theatre. Food good and reasonable. The music coming from upstairs sounded great too

Ideal for pre theatre dinner if going to Southwark Playhouse. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was excellent. Only drawback was that washrooms were upstairs.

Lovely people, great atmosphere, good food, good drinks selection. Nolan and team always put up a great show in the Jazz bar.

I was expecting better.... Jazz club and music upstairs is quite commercial, wouldn't recommend it for jazz fans. But worth, the food (in the restaurant) was so salty none of us could finish their dishes! I did mention it and got a "oh, sorry for that, I'll tell the chef"... We were then all surprised to see the final bill and the added £7 cover charge for the music a couple of guys played during dinner! Of course never mentioned explicitly anywhere!

Wonderful evening in a beautiful building with vintage vibes and heartwarming French cuisine accompanied by enchanting singer and pianist. The show was also excellent after dinner in their main club.

Small but incredibly nice place. Dinner with excellent live jazz music.

Always have a great time at Toulouse lautrec make sure too book your ticket for the late show on the 2nd floor

Great night watching Kalpadruma. Fantastic music, good ambiance and really lovely customer service

I went to hear Asha Parkinson and her band. They didn’t disappoint, nor did the Toulouse Lautrec in any way. Excellent food and wine , perfect atmosphere and thank you for sorting my Uber app out!!!!

I definitely recommend to visit this place not only because of the old French decor and vibe of the place but mostly due to the amazing drinks and food. Tonight I had the pleasure to taste top notch 'old fashion cocktail ' made by Jake. Food was great too sea bream dish was my favourite. Come to try it yourself! 5*

Good food in a very interesting, old building with character. Great jazz on 2nd fl. Sadly, service wasn’t good - drinks took over 10 min (and we’re talking about wine), water bottle wasn’t refilled, and overall attitude of the waitress was cold and not friendly… suggest trying a smile going forward :).

The food was very good but it was my wifes birthday and they wanted to charge to cut up her birthday cake!

The establishment is wonderful. Big respect to the cooks, everything was delicious, thank you.

We went before a play at the theatre round the corner . I had the pork collar - very tasty comfort food with mash and jus ! My partner had the duck - quite nice but not quite as nice as the pork ! Good drinks selection. Warm , friendly helpful waiter . Popped upstairs to the toilet and to see the top room where they have jazz etc which looks lovely .

Great atmosphere and fantastic service

We love this jazz club. The music was great, place crowded. Remember to bring small ventilators as it gets hot and stuffy. AC not working during the performance

I had been to concerts on the top floor few times and love going there but tried the restaurant at the piano room few weeks ago and the food was amazing. We tried snails for the first time and ordered the second plate.

Visited a few weeks ago and can't recommend enough! Absolute fantastic gem of a restaurant. A beautiful 3 story French brasserie style restaurant and jazz club. Beautiful decor and fantastic food. They host many great jazz artists at their jazz club so make sure you check out one of their shows. Nolan and the rest of the staff are extremely friendly. I’ve dined here several times and love their delectable Cousselet dish and chicken dish (I can't remember the name). I highly recommend visiting on the weekend to enjoy live piano music on the first floor while you dine. This place is a true delight and a must-visit!

Amazing, intimate hazy venue with a regular, cool selection of innovative acts.

Excellent local French restaurant in Elephant & Castle. A complete gem. Great Jazz events.

Three floors as I climbed up to the third. I was a little confused and intrigued. But the main performance would bypass the beautiful time period restaurant on the 1st floor...and similarly the 2nd. However, a quaint location on top with a stage and a small bar in the opposite direction. Wooden beams, roof ceiling... a time long ago. The lighting could have been more effectively used. However...this location needs to be given a try. Either you love it or you don't 🙂

Excellent food, wine, music, and staff.

Great venue for an intimate jazz show

We had a wonderful dinner here 7 of us and loved it . The piano player was great and the music loud enough to hear but not so loud as to stop talking so just right . The food was brilliant too and the atmosphere special a must do place worth the trip to Kennington it’s close to the tube .

Lovely environment and outstanding food flavours. A real treat

I visited Toulouse Lautrec with my partner to watch a friend perform in the jazz club room at the top. We were both pleasantly surprised by the beautiful interior of the place. I liked the low lighting, and the atmosphere. The service was lovely too, everyone was really warm. Happy to discover such a cool place not far from home. Thank you!

Lovely establishment off the beaten track which was fabulous. Very talented performers, great bar, and fun ambiance. First floor restaurant, second floor piano bar restaurant, top floor show space with bar and food service during show. Enjoyed cheese plate and hummus. Will definitely return.

Loved this place. Very understated, lovely food, reasonably priced. Brilliant service and live music as well. What is there not to like!?

This place is refreshingly different. Enjoyed the music and the food Update: still like the music, wasn't that impressed with the tomahawk

The food was wonderful, onkenu lunch great value for money and the chef came to bring water for my doggo ❤️. The waitress Austeja was a sweet person, she helped me choose the wine, take care of her when I went to the shower and paid because the card was having a problem, with the utmost patience and grace. Great music too!

Popped in at about 5.45 to watch a show at nearby theatre at 7. Commented restaurant was hot to daughter when I walked in (hot day!) but they immediately offered us seats on the outside terrace. Really impressed at how quickly they managed to served us duck burger and poulet knowing we had a very quick turn-around. Good food and service and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the nearby playhouse. My ONLY negative would be the three very full bucket-style ash-trays left on a windowsill of the terrace.

A lovely unique destination for dinner and live entertainment. Jazz bar upstairs always great with good variety of things on, nice crowd and restaurant is pretty decent. Have been a few times and will continue checking out events for a fun night out Please bring back burlesque/cabaret shows in the evenings!

Food was ok , piano player and singer good , but needs air conditioning, was stifling hot, no draft. At the end of meal felt rushed to leave as staff wanted to be off home, which is fair enough but they shouldnt take such late bookings, didnt enjoy enough to return.

We went here for the live music in the piano room. Realised we were the only ones on the floor. The dining want as popular as we thought. The food was really good though. Enjoyed all the meals and desserts served. The staff are super nice too. Will try to go again to listen jazz to jazz music.

Colette and Anton made the evening for us. The ambience of the Piano Room was incredible, a perfect blend of great food, company and entertainment. It was truly wonderful to see the connection between two Jazz artists at the top of their game. Not only did they delight the 'wrapped' audience but found time to mentor the young 'wannabes' of tomorrow.

Colette and Anton made the evening for us. The ambience of the Piano Room was incredible, a perfect blend of great food, company and entertainment. It was truly wonderful to see the connection between two Jazz artists at the top of their game. Not only did they delight the 'wrapped' audience but found time to mentor the young 'wannabes' of tomorrow.

One of the best places to listen jazz music in London. Nice terrace to spent time, to talk and for those who smoke as well. Good little hall. Enough space. Good food. On the first floor is bar to drink. On the 2nd floor is like a restaurant with live music. On the 3rd floor live music (jazz or so) and to drink. Very nice and comfortable place. Very nice atmosphere and service. Good quality music. I recommend it

Excellent service and food quality

We had some delicious dishes, enjoyed a wonderful performance in the piano room (thank you Anna Incontro duo!) and we're served by nice and helpful staff. We recommend this place!

Beautiful staff, great service, fantastic music, loved every minute of it.

Love going to the jazz club here for Funk Jam Session ! It’s great vibes and great live music.

A hidden gem a few stops away from London Borough Market, The Shard. French cuisine 10/10, entertainment 10/10 and staff are professional, personable, they just go that extra mile.

Cool jazz club and restaurant with friendly, helpful staff. Good range of French classics on the menu and a good drinks list. Well worth a visit and great when there is live music.

The croquettes and foie gras were delicious. Last time I had the cassoulet which was tasty. This time I wanted to try the confit duck burger but was disappointing. There were big chunks of duck which made it difficult to eat and enjoy. A bit pricey for the quality of the burger. The staff was lovely.

Really enjoyed the food, the service and the whole ambience. We sat on the piano level and the pianist was great. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will go back as almost daily they piano and jazz performances.

I've been coming here for years and what a wonderful place this is. The kind of place that few people know about and that's absolutely ok as it allows it to keep its charm. Nolan has always been awesome and really made this place into the unique experience that it is today.

Very pleasant evening spent in music while tasting very good food. I recommend you without hesitation.

Went on a quiet bank holiday afternoon and loved this place. The food was excellent with delicious classic French dishes and we were made to feel very welcome. Will definitely go back to sample the piano bar and jazz club one evening

A super intimate and friendly respite a fabulous jazz pianist. Good brought out quickly by great waiters and there was a nice buzz about the place.

The food tasted good and the live music really added to the atmosphere. The space is a bit small but it is intimate.

Great pleasure with amazing jazz live events.

Mixed feeling. It is a nice concept. The music was good. The service excellent. The food good - but it is rather expensive and somewhat pretentious.

Sat upstairs by the piano. Incredible menu and enjoyed every plate we ordered. Music performer was incredible playing and singing jazzy versions of modern songs. Definitely will be back!!

I had the pleasure of dining at this charming establishment, the atmosphere was delightful and the staff made me feel incredibly welcome, and their attentiveness was impeccable. To my surprise, I was even treated to a complimentary glass of wine, which tasted so good. As someone who has been enjoying escargots since childhood, I couldn't resist ordering them. While I found them a tad salty and rich with parsley, it's purely a matter of personal preference. The other dishes I sampled were superb; however, I must admit, the portion size of the cheesecake left something to be desired especially with an abundance of fruit topping somewhat overshadowed its true flavor. Despite this minor hiccup, my love for French cuisine was reaffirmed by the wonderful experience I had at this restaurant. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a taste of France right in Kennington and Elephant and Castle neighbourhood.

Very nice and friendly staff plus delicious food…😉

We booked the late sitting at the piano bar for valentine's day, at 8:45. This had a set menu. Be weary of events here with set menus - I will one day go back and try their normal dining service if I can convince my partner, as I'm sure it's better than this. The set menu consisted of a Crab and Lobster tartlet, braised beef cheek and a raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake. The total per head to be sat at the piano bar was £65 (£130 total). The normal seating not at the piano bar was £55, making the piano performance technically £10 per head. The starters were nice, and I ordered a vodka martini which was really great. My partner enjoyed his Old Fashioned. We were sat at 8:45. The pianist was on a break and did not play 9, and he sat on his phone until then - absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break but not exactly a vibe when guests are all bring seated. Our starters came.ojt within minutes,.so we had them without any piano music playing. Things went a bit downhill at the mains. They also came out very fast - it had been about 20 minutes since we were seated, and only a few minutes since our starters were taken. The mashed potato side was cold in the middle, and the beef was piping hot. The turnaround time of these dishes heavily implies that they are being microwaved. Not unusual for a set menu, but for the price, considerably disappointing. Beef cheek is a cheap cut of meat, chefs are expected to QC and remove large areas of fat and trim it before stewing. A large portion of my beef was a big chunk of gristle and fat. I brought this to the attention of the staff and manager. They were understanding, and offered me something else. I declined - and was excited for dessert. Dessert arrived within minutes again. It had been 45 minutes since we were sat. The pianist had now stopped playing at around 9:30. The cheesecake was in fact a mousse that had been defrosted - it had a vegetable fat in it and really was vile. Both my partner and I sent these back and just asked for the bill. We wanted to go - there was no piano, the food had been bad and having come from a Michelin lunch that cost just £10 more per head, we were really surprised. The manager compensated us for our experience to an amount I considered fair. I cannot fault the floor staff for their politeness and their service. However, charging the amount per head for the food that was served that lacked effort and quality, and am extra £10 for a piano bar with a very short performance, AND for an extremely rushed service (we would have been in and out in 30 minutes if we hadn't kept food on our plates I'm an effort to slow down the staff) leaves this at three stars. This was a dinner on my fiance's 30th and it would have been two if it weren't for the lovely waitresses and for their understanding approach to our issues. However compensation cannot take back the fact that this was for my partner's 30th birthday as well as valentine's- disappointing.

Charming and cozy place in between Kennington and Elephant and Castle. I went for a drink and some jazz and I was not disappointed. The staff are super friendly and I enjoyed a lot the live music. A bit pricey on the drinks and dishes but overall a small hidden gem worth discovery.

Worth seeking out. A little gem in a slightly unpromising location near Kennington tube. Food tasty and venue very charming. Service was friendly and knowledgeable without being obtrusive. Recommended. Very handy for the Southwark Elephant theatre (see photo).

Got food poisong here! Owners are verbally abusive to their staff. STAY FAR AWAY! very sad how they were treated...i'm suprised they are open.