Stand-Up Comedy Clubs in London for a Date: Prices, Free Nights and Etiquette, Checked

Why stand-up makes a good date, and how this guide was checked

A comedy club does a lot of the work of an early date for you. You sit side by side rather than across a table, there is something to talk about straight away, and you learn quickly what makes the other person laugh. Most shows run for two hours or less, which leaves a natural point to decide whether to get another drink or call it a night.

Every venue detail below was read from the venue's own website, or from Wikipedia for history, on 14 October 2026. Where a page did not say something, such as a station, a price or step-free access, this guide says so rather than filling the gap. Line-ups and prices change every week, so treat the figures here as a guide to the price range rather than a quote for the night you pick.

This page covers mainstream and new-act stand-up clubs. Queer cabaret and drag rooms, including Phoenix Arts Club, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Bethnal Green Working Men's Club and The Divine, are covered in the separate queer cabaret, drag and comedy guide linked at the end, so they are not repeated here.

The Comedy Store: the big night out off Leicester Square

The Comedy Store's London club is at 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE, between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. According to Wikipedia, it opened on 19 May 1979 in rooms above a strip club at 69 Dean Street in Soho, started by insurance salesman Peter Rosengard with comedian Don Ward, and began as an open-mic night where the audience could gong acts off. It moved to Leicester Square in 1982 and to its purpose-built Oxendon Street room in 1993.

Wikipedia credits the club with launching much of the alternative comedy generation, including Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, French and Saunders and Paul Merton, and says the Comedy Store Players improvisation group formed in 1985, with Mike Myers as an original member.

On the check date, the club's own site listed The Best in Stand Up, which it describes as five stand-up comedians with a host; the Comedy Store Players, with a pianist credited; and King Gong, each with a named MC. The gong format the club started with lives on in King Gong, so if you want a guaranteed polished show, pick a stand-up or Players night instead.

The site says shows are strictly over 18s and to bring ID, so check that both of you have it. Some listings say doors, bar and diner open from 6.30pm, and food and drink can be ordered through the linked ticketing page. The homepage did not show ticket prices or seating arrangements, and did not name a station, so check the booking page before you commit.

• The Comedy StoreStand up comedy club

  1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE

  Strictly over 18s with ID, per its site; The Best in Stand Up, Comedy Store Players and King Gong listed; prices not shown on the homepage.

Top Secret Comedy Club: stand-up every week from a few pounds

The Top Secret Comedy Club runs two Covent Garden sites: 170 Drury Lane, WC2B 5PD, and 23 Kingsway. It is the cheapest ticketed option in this guide on a weeknight. On the check date its listings showed Wednesday and Thursday stand-up at 23 Kingsway at £3, or £2 for concessions, and Wednesday stand-up at Drury Lane at the same price; those cheap shows were already marked sold out, which tells you to book early.

Busier nights cost more. Thursday stand-up at Drury Lane was listed at £18 (£15 concessions) and a ground-floor show at £14. On Friday the listings ran from an early show at 7pm for £12 to a late show at 9pm for £20, with an 8pm and 10pm show at Kingsway at £16 and £12. Headline solo shows were listed at £20 to £25.

Some shows, such as a Saturday afternoon show, carried a £1 booking fee with contributions collected after the show; the site says you can buy a Priority ticket instead if you would rather not be asked for money at the end.

Its FAQ page is the most useful for planning a date. Seating is unallocated and cannot be reserved; it advises groups to arrive at least 30 minutes early, and everyone to arrive early, to sit together. Latecomers may be let in if there is space but will probably be split into single seats, and on sold-out shows unclaimed tickets are resold 15 minutes after the start. The bar does not sell food, but you may bring your own in. Under-18s must come with a parent or guardian.

On access, the FAQ says the Kingsway venue has disabled access and the ground-floor room at Drury Lane is accessible, and that each listing states its room. The homepage was inconsistent about whether it opens seven days a week or closes on Sundays, so check the night you want.

• Top Secret Comedy ClubStand up comedy club, two sites

  170 Drury Lane WC2B 5PD and 23 Kingsway, Covent Garden

  Midweek stand-up from £3 and Friday shows £12 to £20 on the check date; unallocated seating, so arrive 30 minutes early to sit together.

Angel Comedy: free stand-up in Islington

If you want a date that costs nothing but the drinks, Angel Comedy is the obvious choice. Its site says it runs free stand-up comedy shows seven nights a week. On the check date the shows marked free were at the Camden Head, 2 Camden Walk, N1 8DY: Angel Comedy RAW on Wednesdays and Thursdays, plus Friday and Saturday shows, usually starting at 7.30pm, with a second Friday show at 9.30pm.

RAW is the new-act night, so expect a mixed bill of people trying out material. That can be part of the fun on a date: rate the acts together afterwards. Weekend shows are more likely to have experienced comics.

Angel Comedy also runs The Bill Murray, 39 Queen's Head Street, N1 8NQ, a pub Wikipedia describes as its home. Shows there are described on the site as cheap rather than free, and listings for the check week showed starts from 4pm on Sunday to 11pm on Friday, most often 6.30pm or 8pm. The site did not give prices or say whether the free shows collect a bucket, and gave no accessibility information. Each listing has a booking link, so reserve a place even for free shows where it lets you.

• Angel Comedy at the Camden HeadFree pub comedy club

  2 Camden Walk, Islington, N1 8DY

  Free shows Wednesday to Saturday on the check date, usually 7.30pm, per its site.

• The Bill MurrayComedy pub run by Angel Comedy

  39 Queen's Head Street, Islington, N1 8NQ

  Low-cost ticketed shows, most often 6.30pm or 8pm on the check week; prices not shown.

Up the Creek: south-east London's late-night comedy club

Up the Creek is at 302 Creek Road, Greenwich, SE10 9SW. Its site says the DLR stop at Cutty Sark is about a minute's walk away and the train station about five minutes. According to Wikipedia it was founded in 1991 by Malcolm Hardee, who was a regular compère there, and the panel show No Such Thing as the News was filmed at the club.

The club runs Thursday to Sunday, with doors at 7pm on Thursday, 6pm on Friday, 7pm on Saturday and 6.30pm on Sunday, per its homepage. It serves pizza, with a separate food page. The homepage did not give prices or an age policy; individual show links carry those, so check them before you book.

Greenwich makes this a good date for anyone who lives south or east of the river: pair an early walk along the riverside with a show, and you are close to the DLR for the trip home.

• Up the CreekStand up comedy club

  302 Creek Road, Greenwich, SE10 9SW · Nearest: Cutty Sark (DLR)

  Open Thursday to Sunday with pizza, per its site; founded in 1991 by Malcolm Hardee, per Wikipedia.

Queer-led stand-up: the Queer Comedy Club

The Queer Comedy Club describes itself as the UK's first LGBTQ+ comedy club. Chortle reported in April 2023 that it was set up by comedians David Ian, Jeremy Topp and Kate Dale, who had run their own regular night, and that it launched on 11 May 2023 at Siorai Bar on Junction Road in Archway. Ian told Chortle the founders had felt uncomfortable bringing queer friends into what he called a very straight and macho environment on the wider circuit.

The club has since moved. Its own site now says it is about five minutes' walk from Elephant & Castle tube station, though the homepage did not give a full street address; use its contact page or the ticket listing for the exact door. Its listings for 15 to 27 October 2026 included Queer Comedy Club RAW for new acts and new material, All Star Fridays every Friday, Best In Queer Comedy, and themed shows such as Gossip with a Gay Therapist.

Tickets are sold through each event's linked booking page. The homepage did not list prices or an age policy, so check both on the listing. The 2023 Chortle report said new-act nights were then free and the main Thursday show cost £10, but that is three years old and the format has changed with the move, so do not rely on those figures.

For a first date between two queer people who have both sat through one too many jokes at their own expense, a room where the comics and most of the audience share that experience can feel noticeably more relaxed.

• Queer Comedy ClubLGBTQ+ stand up comedy club

  Near Elephant & Castle, SE London · Nearest: Elephant & Castle

  RAW new-act nights, All Star Fridays and Best In Queer Comedy listed on the check date; prices on each listing.

Soho Theatre for touring stand-up shows

Soho Theatre on Dean Street is covered in detail in the queer cabaret guide, so only its comedy listings are summarised here. It describes a year-round programme of theatre, comedy and cabaret with upwards of six shows a night across its rooms.

Unlike a club night with several acts, most of its comedy is a single comic's hour-long show. On the check date its listings showed performer-led shows from £16 to £27, with start times between 7.15pm and 10.15pm, including Ahir Shah, Ivo Graham and Sophie Duker. That suits a date where you want a fixed seat and a set running time, followed by a drink in Soho.

Front-row etiquette and how to enjoy the night

Comedians talk to the front rows. If you sit there, expect to be asked your names, what you do and how you know each other, and on a date that last question will come up. If either of you would hate that, ask for or choose seats further back; at clubs with unallocated seating, such as Top Secret, arriving early gives you the choice.

If you are picked on, a short, friendly answer is the best approach; the comic wants a quick laugh and to move on. You are not obliged to share anything about your relationship, sexuality or work you are not comfortable sharing, and a simple 'we'd rather not say' usually gets a laugh of its own. If a comic's material about queer people crosses a line for you, leaving at the interval is fine.

Heckling is part of the folklore, especially at the Comedy Store, whose founding night let the audience gong acts off. In practice, talking during sets annoys the people around you and rarely goes well; save the conversation for the interval and the walk home.

Phones are the other common irritant. Keep them on silent and out of sight, and do not film sets: new material is how comics earn their living, especially at RAW and new-act nights. If you are at a free night, buying a drink from the bar or putting something in the bucket, where there is one, helps keep it free.

Before you go

• Book ahead, even for cheap or free nights: several £3 Top Secret shows were sold out on the check date.
• Bring photo ID to the Comedy Store, which says its shows are strictly over 18s.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes early at unallocated-seating clubs if you want to sit together, and choose your distance from the front row deliberately.
• If you need step-free access, check the room on the listing: Top Secret names its accessible rooms, but the other clubs' homepages gave no access details, so contact them first.
• Late shows can finish after 11pm; plan the route home before you go, especially from Greenwich or Elephant & Castle.

Questions people ask

Where can I see free stand-up comedy in London?

Angel Comedy says it runs free stand-up seven nights a week. On 14 October 2026 its free shows were at the Camden Head, 2 Camden Walk, Islington, from Wednesday to Saturday, usually starting at 7.30pm. Top Secret also had midweek shows at £3.

How much are tickets at the Top Secret Comedy Club?

On the check date, Wednesday and Thursday stand-up started at £3, or £2 for concessions, while Friday shows ran from £12 to £20 and headline shows £20 to £25. Prices vary by night, so check the listing.

Is there an LGBTQ+ comedy club in London?

Yes. The Queer Comedy Club describes itself as the UK's first LGBTQ+ comedy club. It opened in Archway in May 2023, according to Chortle, and its site now places it near Elephant & Castle, with new-act, Friday and best-of nights.

Will we get picked on in the front row?

Quite possibly. Comics usually talk to the front rows and often ask couples how they met. If you would rather not be involved, sit further back; at unallocated-seating clubs, arriving early gives you that choice.

Is the Comedy Store 18+?

Yes. Its website says shows are strictly over 18s and asks you to bring ID.