Comments on: The Le Macabre Skull

By: Nick Houston

Nick Houston — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 10:21:04 +0000

I stumbled upon your piece after seeing some exterior shots of Le Macabre in Meard St. Soho in a documentary about Leonard Bernstein!
I wanted to re-awaken my fond memories of the place, so went on-line and found your site.
I was a young film technician working in Meard St. between 1972 and 1974 at Studio Film Laboratories which was located opposite the cafe, and I used eat alone in there having my breakfast before processing motion picture film all day. The tables were coffins and skulls like yours hung on the walls.
The only waiter in there looked like Nosferato and never smiled…He used to shuffle over to my chosen coffin with a plate of eggs, bacon and sausage and a large espresso. Wordlessly, he would shuffle off back to the counter…
It really cheered me up for the day!!

By: Rod Pohl

Rod Pohl — Tue, 26 May 2015 05:38:49 +0000

I was a frequent visitor in the late 50’s, my then girlfriend and I use to go to the Macabre and the nearby 2i’s, my memories seem a little blurred, firstly I don’t remember food being served there, the waiter was dressed in bow tie and tails, and got quite perturbed one day when my girl and I were cuddling and kissing, he came over and said ” please restrain your self as you are offending the other customers” the juke box had classical music on it, the only one I have ever seen like that and milk less tea was served in glasses in a metal frame.
It was a great place for a coofee or tea.

By: john allinson

john allinson — Sun, 03 May 2015 19:43:06 +0000

I was at the Central School of Art Holborn around 1960. Le Macabre was my favorite place to go when I wanted to get away from college. If I had any money I’d buy a frothy coffee and spend whatever was left on the jukebox, a giant Wurlitzer. It was 6 pence a go and I would inevitably play Ella singing How High the Moon. I remember the little skulls on the tables, no one was really interested, they didn’t even try and steal them in those days.The place is an office now, kind of slams you in the face the first time you stand outside. My memories are locked inside somewhere….

By: admin

admin — Sat, 02 May 2015 00:45:32 +0000

Patrizia,

Unfortunately all I know of Le Macabre is from pictures and items people have been able to share with me, which is what I have shared on the site. I wish I could have visited Le Macabre, too, but it was long gone by the time I found out about it. While I don’t know for sure as to whether or not they had skull shaped drinking glasses it would not surprise me! Maybe someone is drinking from one in one of the videos I linked to in the article? It might be worth a look. If only we had a time machine to go back and see it in its heyday! Then we could know for sure if we got to drink out of skull shaped glasses.

By: Patrizia Pili Holmlund

Patrizia Pili Holmlund — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 13:32:49 +0000

In 1973 in Cagliari, Sardinia, a teacher of English told me about Le Macabre. I was eleven and the description impressed and fascinated me. She told me the drinking glasses were shaped as skulls. Were they? Few months later I went to London on a trip, but disappointedlyI couldn’ find this place…

By: ray majors

ray majors — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:19:38 +0000

I used to frequent Le Macabre in the mid 60’s it was the only place to go, the 2 I’s was a little crowded most of the time and the lunch time suits didn’t wanna go there, so you could go and sit at the back by the juke box and listen to the likes of Duane Eddy, Link Wray & The Flee rekkers for free, great stuff, then all of a sudden it’s gone.

By: alan

alan — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 06:11:52 +0000

Hi The small skull at the bottom was used as a kind of cigarette holder. The lit cigarette was placed in the hole in the back of the skull, and he smoke would rise through the hole in the left eye. I have one.

By: Steve menozzi - London - uk

Steve menozzi - London - uk — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 13:30:03 +0000

Nice piece thanks – my dad owned the macabre in the 60’s and had some great stories about pop stars, hippies, and gangland figures

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 18:14:00 +0000

I remember the ultraviolet lighting, sitting on tomb stones and eating from tables shaped as coffins …
I used to drive down from Dunstable – didn’t do the Marquee Club because we had the California Ballroom, literally 1/2 miles from where I lived as a teenager. All long gone now sadly, but wow … brings back memories for me of the mid 60’s.
Now retired and soaking up the sun in Florida … whole different world from what I remember as dark and dingy Wardour Street / Meard Street

By: Jim Weal

Jim Weal — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:08:57 +0000

Like the responder above, I also used to frequent Le Macabre as a teenager, usually prior to a visit to the Marquee Club in Wardour Street close by. This would have been the early 60’s, probably 63/64. It was an interesting place for a cup of coffee, and certainly lived up to it’s name! Well done for capturing what is probably a pretty unique piece of memorabelia.
The Marquee was a fantastic place, and I can recall seeing early, and very intimate, performances from many of the 60’s megastars, such as The Yardbirds, The Who, Manfred Mann and John Lee Hooker, not to mention amazing sets from visiting American blues stars such as Howling Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. Halcyon Days!