Fury as people discover 'tone deaf' bar which is designed to mimic a prison

A video of a “prison-themed” bar in London is circulating – and people aren’t happy.

The video shows a group of friends going to the bar in Shoreditch, in east London. It’s not clear why the video was posted now, although it seems obviously that it was taken recently as several members of the staff who work there are wearing face shields or masks.

The video was posted on TikTok by a user called @darciewilkes.

In it, three women put on orange jumpsuits and masks and seem to be sitting in what looks like a mockup of a cell – with waiters serving them also in orange jumpsuits and on what looks like trays.

People weren’t impressed with the video or with the fact that the bar, which is called Alcotraz, even existed.

People also pointed out that Shoreditch is a heavily gentrified area – that the cost of alcohol at a place like Alcotraz was probably more than what people who leave prison are given per day in the UK (£46).

Others asked why it was just now that people were annoyed about the bar – given that there’s also two other branches, in Brixton and in Covent Garden.

People pointed out that in light of recent conversations around policing and racial injustice, a prison-themed bar is definitely outdated and shouldn’t be something to actively aspire to – especially at the moment.

Alcotraz has been flooded by negative feedback and bad reviews since the video went viral.