HiJezzer
Can you tell me where the Mexicano was? I have been trying to locate it for a couple of years now. I used it occasionally in the mid 60's but seem to have lost the memory of its location.
Phil.
You sure that was coffee ?"boring, lacking atmosphere"
It was a place where individuals created the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to deities or authorities creating it for them. We postulated that the absence of a transcendent force means that the individual is entirely free, and therefore, ultimately responsible. In existentialist views, personal articulation of being is the only way to rise above humanity's absurd condition of much suffering and inevitable death.
Only kidding![]()
Eric,
They may have had the same owners, but they certainly weren't the same premises. Our clique didn't like the Stage Door, don't ask me why, and my brother spent more time in the Zambesi than I did. The latter seemed to get far too crowded for my liking, but his girl friend at the time liked it. We much preferred the one just inside the top of Martineau Street. The Zambesi had a jokey folk singer, which was probably why it attracted the crowds, and it was on the ground floor only.
Pretty well most coffee bars practised the "Everybody out, we're closing" and then reopen a few minutes later, just to get everyone to buy more coffee. Otherwise we would sit there all night smoking with just one coffee. Frequently we just stood outside chatting until they reopened. At least one exception to this was the Jungle in Snow Hill, but the jukebox kept the funds pouring in there!
Maurice![]()
Hi Trevor,
And welcome to the Forum. If you put "El Toro" - it's important to remember the quotes - into the Search Forum box at the top of the page, you will bet a list of links to mentions of this coffee bar, which I remember well as I used it myself at least once a week.
Maurice![]()
What a Handsome chap![]()
Just spotted this interesting thread. In the 1950s, I frequented the Stage Door Club and when I was a student at Gosta Green CAT we used to frequent La Boheme which was opposite.What an interesting thread that was!
I well remember both the Stage Door and The Firebird from the late 1950s. Until he moved to Richmond or Kingston (can't remember which), Surrey, the Firebird was run by an Hispanic American called Chris Padan and his Spanish omelettes were something to die for! He also knew all the visitng American jazzmen (the Musicians' Union ban on visiting American jazzmen had not long been lifted then) so, being a musician myself, I got to meet quite of few of them. I got to play with Acker Bilk one night and also the late Roy Castle on several occasions before we both moved to the south coast and I got to know Roy better.
Yes it was a name change. I used to hang out there about 1958 to maybe 1965 ish. . it's been a few years but I seem to remember that the "Zambesi" and the " Stage Door" , may have been the same place , possibly after a name change ? It had seating on the ground floor and usptairs . The upper level got so busy on weekend nights that they would kick everyone out around 9 pm and we'd all wait in the street below while they cleaned the place up and then re-open after about half an hour . I'd often walk home, late at night ,from there to Alum Rock . . good luck doing that now !
Welcome to the Forum Emo! a really great place with great people. I used to hang in these places, 57 to 62.Yes it was a name change. I used to hang out there about 1958 to maybe 1965 ish