Trailer Happiness

Address: 177 Portobello Road, (corner of Elgin Crescent), London, W11 2DY, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7041 9833
Email: reservations@trailerh.com
Website: view Trailer Happiness’ website
Hours: Mon-Wed 17:00-00:00, Thu 17:00-00:30, Fri 17:00-01:00, Sat-Sun 16:00-01:00
Door: Make reservation
Style: Tiki bar
Food: Bar Snacks
Established: 2003

Review

In November 2003, Jonathan Downey, the entrepreneur behind London's influential Match bars, took over this tiny basement in the heart of Notting Hill and created a very special den.

To quote from his press release at the time, Trailer H has the "e-z-boy feel of a low rent, mid-60s California valley bachelor pad... a retro-sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded trailer park glamour - cork tiles and shag pile, love songs and vol-au-vents." From the outset, Trailer H appealed to fans of Tiki culture by serving Zombies, Mai Tais and rum-laced cocktails in Tiki mugs and volcano bowls. However, Trailer H also had an appealing touch of 60s kitsch with flying ducks competing for wall space with prints by J.H. Lynch and Vladimir Tretchikoff.

As Jonathan Downey's bar empire was broken up so Trailer H passed to new owners and by 2012 was not in the best financial shape. Hearing that his beloved local bar risked going out of business, local Sly Augustin stepped in and saved it. Under his tenure, this acclaimed mid-century community Tiki bar has gone from strength to strength to become internationally famous.

Trailer H caters for both locals and international bar tourists who come here to enjoy tasty rum-based cocktails but mostly to soak up the special atmosphere of this small basement bar.