London has live stand-up every night of the week, in rooms that range from pub back rooms to purpose-built clubs. This guide starts with JK Comedy Club’s two West End rooms and then covers five other established clubs across the city, with where each one is and what it puts on.
How we chose these clubs
This is JK Comedy Club’s own guide, so our rooms come first. For the other clubs, we picked venues that run regular stand-up, publish their programme on their own website and are easy to reach by Tube or rail. Every detail about another club below comes from that club’s official website, checked in October 2026. Programmes change, so check the club’s site before you travel.
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden
Our Covent Garden comedy club is at Arboretum, 2A Charing Cross Road, two minutes’ walk from Leicester Square station. It is our largest room, with around 200 seats, and it runs shows seven nights a week, with three start times on Friday and Saturday evenings. The venue has its own full bar, and doors open an hour before most shows, so there is time to eat and drink before the comedy starts.
Every show has a host and a line-up of professional comedians, and the bill changes from night to night. Shows run for about 90 minutes. Monday is the cheapest night of the week; the Monday night comedy page has the current price and dates.
JK Comedy Club Soho
Our Soho comedy club is downstairs at The Spice of Life, 6 Moor Street, three minutes from Leicester Square station. The basement holds around 60 people, so nobody sits far from the stage. Shows run on Tuesday nights at 9PM and Saturday afternoons at 4PM, and you can buy a drink at the bar upstairs and take it down with you.
Tuesday is a good night to try it. Our guide to Tuesday night comedy in London explains the difference between the Soho show and the 8PM Tuesday show in Covent Garden.
If you would rather see comedy in daylight hours, our guide to afternoon comedy in London compares the Saturday afternoon shows in Soho and Covent Garden.
The Comedy Store (Piccadilly Circus)
The Comedy Store has been running since 1979 and is at 1a Oxendon Street, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus. Its programme includes mixed line-up stand-up shows, improv, charity nights and themed nights.
The improvised show by the Comedy Store Players runs on Sunday evenings, with scenes and songs built from audience suggestions. If you have only seen stand-up before, it is a different kind of night. Our guide to Sunday night comedy in London has more ideas for the end of the weekend.
Top Secret Comedy Club (Covent Garden)
Top Secret Comedy Club runs two rooms in Covent Garden, at 170A Drury Lane and 23 Kingsway. Its listings mix regular evening stand-up shows with work-in-progress shows, where comedians try out new material. Both rooms are a short walk from Holborn and Covent Garden stations, so it is easy to combine with dinner in the area.
Angel Comedy (Islington)
Angel Comedy is run by comedians and has two Islington venues: The Bill Murray at 39 Queen’s Head Street and the Camden Head at 2 Camden Walk, both near Angel station. It runs free stand-up shows seven nights a week, alongside ticketed work-in-progress and headline shows.
The rooms are pub venues with a relaxed feel. You can buy a drink at the bar and sit close to the stage. The free shows suit anyone who wants to try live comedy on a small budget, and the ticketed shows give you a chance to see comedians working on new hours.
Backyard Comedy Club (Bethnal Green)
Backyard Comedy Club is at 231 Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green. It describes itself as the largest purpose-built professional comedy club in London and has been putting on comedy in the East End for about 20 years. Its bills mix comedians from television and the club circuit with newer acts.
The club serves hot food and drinks, and its website lists the venue as wheelchair accessible. That makes it a practical choice for a group night out in East London.
Camden Comedy Club
Camden Comedy Club opened in 2014 and is above the Camden Head pub at 100 Camden High Street, between Mornington Crescent and Camden Town stations. Its programme runs seven nights a week and covers stand-up, improv, storytelling and hour-long shows by single comedians.
It is a small room, so you sit close to the stage. Camden Market and the area’s music venues are nearby if you want to make a longer evening of it.
Why comedy suits a night out
A comedy show gives a group something to share and talk about afterwards, and you can hear each other between acts. Most shows finish well before the last trains, which keeps the cost of getting home down. Tickets at many clubs cost less than a West End theatre seat, and some rooms, such as Angel Comedy’s free shows, cost nothing to get in.
Tips for visiting comedy clubs
Book ahead for weekends. Friday and Saturday shows sell out more often than midweek ones, and booking online means you know you have a seat.
Arrive early. Most London comedy clubs, including ours, have unreserved seating, so arriving early gives you a better choice of seats. At JK Comedy Club, doors open an hour before most Covent Garden shows and 15 minutes before Soho shows.
Check the bar and food before you go. Some clubs serve food and others only drinks. Each club’s website says what is available.
Check access. Several London comedy rooms are in basements or upstairs. All of JK Comedy Club’s rooms are reached by stairs, so email [email protected] before booking if you have access needs. Other clubs list their access details on their websites.
Be a good audience. Laugh, clap and enjoy it, but leave the talking to the comedians. Heckling spoils the show for everyone else.
Conclusion
London’s comedy clubs cover everything from free pub shows to long-running clubs with big names on the bill. If you want a central show any night of the week, JK Comedy Club has rooms in Covent Garden and Soho, and you can read what audiences say in our reviews. See what’s on for current dates and tickets, then try some of the other clubs in this guide on other nights.