Set in the centre of the Old Street roundabout, The aptly named Magic Roundabout has taken a decent stab at creating an outdoor sumer utopia in the midst of the City of London. And, if you’re willing to forgoe the brief encounter with the smell of 15-year-old cat piss that greets you as you enter (the entrance is sadly located underground en route to the tube) you’ll be glad you made the slightly dubious journey. After all, not all nice things come in nice packages (my shabbily wrapped christmas presents don’t anyway).
Everything is outdoors, but there are a couple of roofs to work against the inevitable London summer showers. The decor is bollywood-themed, and there are some Bollywood dancers and a Bindi Station for the bloody mad things who fancy a bit of facepaint on a Wednesday evening. The dancefloor holds irregular performances by Bollywood dancers, and there’s a strong chance you’ll hear ‘Jai Ho’ if you’re there for longer than 15 minutes.
The food and drink offerings are not to be sniffed at, with highlights ranging from tasty Gin slushies (the Pina Colada is bloody fantastic) to some fucking incredible jerk and fried chicken by street-food vets White Men Can’t Jerk.