The Crazy Coqs: A class act

In the four years since it opened, Brasserie Zedel has become a mainstay of the London restaurant scene, impressing with its grand Art Deco dining hall and surprisingly good-value classic French cuisine.

Less well-known is The Crazy Coqs, a hidden gem of a cocktail bar and entertainment space that's part of the same building and enterprise and which exudes just as much glamour as its foodie counterpart.

Regularly home to cabaret, burlesque and other live acts, the intimate venue is taking it up a notch with a new programme bringing together some of the biggest names in music, comedy, theatre, arts and culture. Launching in September, Live at Zedel will also spill out into the brasserie, allowing it to accommodate larger acts such as its orchestra in residence, the Philharmonia Orchestra.

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For the autumn season, songwriter Scott Alan takes the reins as artistic director, putting together a line-up of musical theatre that includes weekly open-mic nights hosted by Avenue Q's Julie Atherton and Simon Lipkin and a regular series of talks featuring a rotation of top West End stars and chaired by Mark Shenton, the associate editor of The Stage.

The Crazy Coqs will welcome back some of its previous regulars, including cabaret acts and jazz singers, as well as a number of new names making their debut at the venue. In addition to a broad comedy line-up, there will also be one-off spoken word performances, including Grayson Perry's Typical Man in a Dress show, in which the artist discusses the notion of masculinity.

Adding further diversity to the schedule are a number of themed events, such as Food Week, when Dragons' Den favourite Levi Roots and food writer and chef Gizzi Erskine will both host nights. Critic Jay Rayner, meanwhile, will trade pen and paper for the piano as he performs as part of a jazz quartet.

Sounds like the hedonistic spirit of the Roaring 1920s is alive and well.

brasseriezedel.com/live-at-zedel