Brixton House welcomes new flavours with bar opening by Karma Sherpa and Levi Roots

Brixton House theatre is opening The House Bar next Thursday, introducing a new food and drink offering co-developed by Reggae Reggae Sauce founder and Brixton House chair Levi Roots and local chef Karma Sherpa, owner of the Village’s barbecue restaurant, The Joint. 

The new menu blends Jamaican and Latin American influences, featuring dishes including chicken wings, handmade filled dumplings and loaded fries alongside Colombian, Argentinian and Mexican-inspired street food. Signature drinks include a Reggae Reggae Bloody Mary, developed using Roots’s popular sauce, as well as Brixton House’s rum punch, a Cuban rum-based strawberry daiquiri, a Mexican spicy margarita and a Peruvian pisco sour.

The food offering has been designed to complement the theatre’s programme. Ticket holders attending the current production My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar will find the Latin American-influenced menu directly tied to the show’s themes, reflecting a broader intention to extend the audience’s experience beyond the stage.

During daytime hours, the bar will serve baked goods from Madeira, a Portuguese family-run bakery that has operated in Brixton since 1988, alongside speciality coffee and Arabic blends. An espresso martini incorporating Guyanese Caribbean rum is also among the offerings. Evening events will include masterclasses, rum and dominoes nights and late-night music. All spirits, beers and wines have been sourced from local suppliers, including Brixton Spirits, which produces gin, vodka and rum, Brixton Brewery, a Latin American tequila importer, and Brother Joe’s, which supplies sustainable wines and artisan juices.

Levi Roots said: “Working with Karma to create this refreshed menu has been an absolute joy and we can’t wait to bring it to the table for the local community, and hopefully some new faces too! Brixton House is a theatre that offers more than shows, and we have taken the inspiration from our own stories to curate a menu, so there’s going to be something delicious for everyone.”

Karma Sherpa, who grew up in Brixton alongside Roots, described the collaboration as a personal as well as professional milestone. “I feel honoured to embark on this collaboration with Levi Roots. Both Brixtonians we connected and built a friendship around our shared passions for food and cooking, and how dining together brings people together,” he said. “Brixton House is the perfect home to tell our story and many others. I have been honoured to curate this new menu under Levi’s mentorship, sharing our cultural and culinary stories to develop a brand-new food menu for Brixton House in the heart of our hometown.”

Brixton House chief executive Delia Barker framed the launch as part of the venue’s wider role in the community. “We want The House Bar to be part of our story that roots us in Brixton,” she said. “We have found a way to work with local businesses to open up our House as a place to gather and socialise. Supporting talent is in our DNA, and we want that reflected in everything we do, from our stages to our bar and kitchen.”

Barker also acknowledged the difficult trading environment facing the area’s businesses. “We want local people to feel they can drop in whether for a show, to meet friends, or just for a plate or a pastry. Creating this kind of vibe is what showcases Brixton House at its best: open and accessible to the communities around us. Several small businesses in Brixton have been struggling, but this pocket of South London has such a rich cultural tapestry that we feel it’s our civic duty to support efforts to keep its cultural and creative energy alive.”

The House Bar will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 11pm and Sunday from noon to 10pm, with the kitchen serving food from noon till 9 Tuesday to Sunday. 

Food Desk

House Bar is now open at Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8GL. For further information, visit their website here.