Elephant & Castle has a new queer kid on the block, and this one wants you to pull up a chair, order something delicious and stay a while. Say hello to The Nellie, the newly opened LGBTQ+ bar bringing good drinks, easy conversation and a proper sense of community to Elephant Park.
London’s queer scene has never stood still. While Soho, Vauxhall and the East End will always have their place in our hearts, some of the capital’s most exciting LGBTQ+ spaces are now appearing beyond the usual postcodes. And down in SE17, The Nellie is giving us another very good reason to head south of the river.
Located on Ash Avenue in the heart of the regenerated Elephant Park, The Nellie describes itself simply as “a queer bar for good drinks, curious company and unhurried evenings.”
That last bit feels particularly important.
Not every queer night out needs to involve a thumping bassline, a 2am tequila shot and waking up the following morning wondering why there’s a traffic cone in the hallway. Sometimes you want somewhere you can actually hear the person sitting opposite you, settle in with a decent drink and see where the evening takes you.
That’s the space The Nellie is setting out to create.
A New Kind of Queer Local
There’s something wonderfully grown up about The Nellie’s proposition. Rather than trying to be the loudest venue in town, it’s positioning itself as somewhere to linger.
The emphasis is on conversation and “curious company”, with cocktails, wine and drinks providing the accompaniment rather than necessarily being the entire reason for the visit. The venue’s own line, “Some nights are worth lingering over,” rather beautifully sums up the mood.
And frankly, we think London could do with more queer spaces like it.
The LGBTQ+ scene has always been brilliant at giving us places to dance, party and celebrate until the small hours, but queer community exists at 7pm over a glass of wine too. Having spaces where you can meet a friend, go on a date, pop in alone or turn one drink into an entire evening is every bit as important.
The Nellie feels designed for exactly that.
Elephant & Castle’s Queer Moment
Its arrival also feels like another vote of confidence in Elephant & Castle.
Elephant Park has transformed this part of SE17, bringing new homes, restaurants, bars and public spaces to the neighbourhood, and having an openly queer venue among them gives LGBTQ+ Londoners a new social destination away from the capital’s traditional gay villages.
The Nellie isn’t trying to recreate Soho south of the river. If anything, that seems to be rather the point.
It’s a neighbourhood queer bar with its own personality: relaxed, sociable and welcoming, whether you’re dropping in for a quick drink after work or finding yourself several hours later still putting the world to rights.
From After Work to Lazy Weekends
The opening hours give a good indication of what The Nellie wants to become.
From Monday to Thursday, doors open at 5pm for those post work drinks, with Fridays stretching through until midnight. At weekends, things begin much earlier, with The Nellie opening from 11am on both Saturday and Sunday.
That gives the venue the potential to become as much a daytime meeting place as an evening one, and we rather like the idea of a queer local that doesn’t make you wait until darkness falls before popping in.
Because ultimately, the best LGBTQ+ venues aren’t just places we visit. They’re places we make our own.
The Nellie is only just beginning its story, but its promise of good drinks, curious company and unhurried evenings sounds like a pretty lovely place to start.
So next time you’re heading south of the river, make a date with The Nellie.
Just don’t necessarily make plans for afterwards. This sounds like the sort of place where “just one” could very easily become another.
THE NELLIE
18 Ash Avenue, Elephant Park, London SE17 1GQ
Monday to Thursday 5pm–11pm
Friday 5pm–midnight
Saturday 11am–midnight
Sunday 11am–10pm
