The desire to establish a local, neighbourhood jazz & blues bar has a long history, ever since Lonnie worked at the famous Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues bar in Central London in the mid-1990s. Even cleaning the toilets at 4am after another down’n’dirty full-house Saturday night wasn’t enough to dampen the ambition to one day open a juke joint of his own! Now, some thirty years later, that feverish dream to ‘one day have me one of these!’ is about to come true.
After six years of successfully running Nanima Asian Kitchen, establishing that unique venue as an institution in the culinary and cultural life of Kemptown Village, and Brighton & Hove more widely, Lonnie and his wonderful wife Nicky are embarking on a new adventure, aiming to significantly add to the nightlife of the local area and beyond by establishing Brighton’s only dedicated jazz & blues bar.
The renamed Nanima Kitchen Café will still be responsible for all the fantastic food and damn fine coffee available throughout the day, with a wide selection of fresh sandwiches and speciality savoury snacks, awesome homemade cakes and pastries, daily special main meals and evening small plates, but now as an integral part of Deep Dive Jazz & Blues Bar, adding a full bar with great cocktails, lots of live music, guest DJs, vinyl listening parties, album launch events, swing dance nights, conversational salons and lots else.
Finally, Kemptown Village will have it’s very own jazz & blues bar; a place to eat and drink, hang out with friends, listen to great tunes, and get up and boogie! Do get involved, and tell everyone.
