New Soho venue Dirty Harry's joins pack of bars inspired by Coyote Ugly

Dirty Harry’s is described as a "rock ‘n’ roll, blue collar bar"
Can't Fight The Moonlight: staff at Dirty Harry’s
Lizzie Edmonds @lizzieedmo23 February 2017

It was the all-singing, all-dancing film about a raucous bar that became a Hollywood hit — and Coyote Ugly is still inspiring new venues 17 years later.

Dirty Harry’s, an American-style cocktail lounge and diner, will open in Wardour Street in Soho on Saturday. From 9pm, bartenders will get on the bar and crank up the music before dancing — sometimes spraying guests with beer for good measure.

In the hit romcom starring Tyra Banks, Adam Garcia and Piper Perabo, the latter plays a struggling songwriter who takes a job at a bar, Coyote Ugly, in New York, where servers dance and sing. The film, which also stars LeAnn Rimes and features her single Can’t Fight The Moonlight, was inspired by a real bar of the same name which opened in Manhattan in 1993. A chain of Coyote Ugly bars was later established across America and Europe, with the first UK venue set up in Cardiff last year.

The arrival of Dirty Harry’s follows a series of high-profile closures in Soho. In 2014, after cabaret club Madame JoJo’s shut, celebrities including Stephen Fry and Tim Arnold launched the Save Soho campaign.

Inspiration: LeAnn Rimes and Piper Perabo in Coyote Ugly
Reuters

The bar will have live bands and dance shows throughout the night and host a team of street food chefs operating on a pop-up basis. From February to April, Cajun chicken specialists Otherside Fried and Burger and Beyond, a gourmet burger outfit, will be providing the food. The team behind the bar described it as a “rock ‘n’ roll blue collar bar”.

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Paulette Minott, Dirty Harry’s artistic director said: “Dirty Harry’s is going to be a great place to come after work or at the weekend and really let your hair down.”

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