Hackney Central’s newest nightspot Oslo launches in style

Oslo: Hackney Central’s new food, drink and entertainment hub is now open

“They’re expecting, like, 2,000 people! Maybe even 3,000!” were the words echoing around Mare Street on Friday night as a stressed-out queue formed outside Hackney Central station in various states of dressed-up and calculated dressed-down.

“Guest list on the right! Non guest-list on the left!” shouted a burly security guard. “No wait. Sorry. Guest list on the left, non guest-list on the right!”

The New York-style cattle herding and buzz was thanks to the opening of Oslo, a venue-bar-club-restaurant hybrid located slap bang in the heart of Hackney Central.

Oslo is no fly-by-night pop-up, and at its full potential could provide a welcome reprieve from the immediate area’s sparse food offerings, as well as being a great place to see a gig.  The roster of acts lined up for 2014 is said to be “ridiculous”, with acts such as Dry the River and Shlohmo already confirmed.

But most excitingly, it stands to fill a desperate local need for a slick, slidey dance floor and a state-of-the-art sound system. Psychedelic light shows are an added bonus. The area’s vast number of grimy sweatboxes and sticky floors could at last have something to contend with, a challenge to the market for which we can all be grateful.

And by day, this cavernous space will most likely attract hordes of baby buggies whether it wants to or not.

Built by North London Railway Company as a railway station in 1870, the two-storey building is the only surviving part of the original Hackney Central station, which was closed in the 1970s.

As the name suggests, the repurposed space boasts a Nordic theme, but it’s a quiet one, evidenced mainly by a favouring of smoked fish (beautiful salmon canapés at the launch were a promising start; obligatory sliders always a crowd-pleaser). Edible flowers and hearty meats both feature on the menu. High-backed chairs and blonde wood galore add a rustic vibe to a space that’s really more industrial than Scandi-chic.

On the opening night the bar service was impressive. The place was packed to the gills and booze was on the house, yet it was rarely more than two-deep at the bar – hopefully a hint that this place takes pride in good service.

Brought to you by the Nottingham-based promotions group DHP Family, who came to London Fields last year, with Head Chef Dave Ahern (of House of Wolf fame), the project is an amalgamation of institutions from elsewhere. It may be on your doorstep, but this is not your local. Put your hospitality hats on – this is Destination Hackney.

Oslo, 1A Amhurst Road, E8 1LL. Follow Oslo on Facebook and twitter

Note: this article was amended at 4pm Sunday 19 January 2014: the original stated DHP Family is Leeds-based, it is in fact Nottingham-based.