Barbican Centre, Moorgate, London

went to see london symphony orchestra here was wonderful as expected reasonable price nice seats big and comfy went and eat in the tapas restaurant first which was great

LOVELY place to walk around in the summer, it’s like a little oasis in the middle of the city!

Love the cinema here (the one in the basement). Nice big seats and really step angle means nobody’s head gets in the way. Shame they don’t show big films for very long (normally one week).

I've been here and watched word famous conductors with fantastic orchestras, I've watched american country singers & listened to them doing their thing & I've even listened to not so well known 'pop bands' in the foyer & its all been fantastic. The toilets are clean, the refreshments not too badly priced &the staff lovely. Its a great place with the best acoustics & I can't think of anything bad to say about it, apart from why oh why do I always get lost when i leave!!

My partner and I love the Barbican Centre! He's particularly obsessed with it :P It's a great place to chill out with a book or a couple friends and have a chat. We went while there was an orchestra playing, and though we didn't go into the actual theatre, we sat in an area above it and could hear it perfectly. Really great! The outdoor area with all the fountains is really nice on a sunny day. There's normally a free little art exhibition that you can take a look through too.

I agree with a lot of people saying that the food hall really needs to be changed. It's way overpriced and not very good!

Don't miss it! Sure, it's not breathtakingly beautiful on the outside, but it the place has a lot to offer. Art, theatre, cinema, cafe, shops - something for everyone. I caught an opera on a Saturday afternoon and the theatre is really something to behold. Not a bad seat in the house. I'd go again and explore on a rainy day.

A place not to be missed. If you have a few hours to kill or are going into London specifically to visit the Barbican centre u wont be disappointed!!!

The Barbican Centre is a wonderful hub of culture and but my goodness their Food Hall needs some urgent attention. Aesthetically it looks lovely on the inside, it has a contemporary feel, nice lighting and a generally inviting vibe. When it comes to the quality of the food and drink though - I would rather bring my own sandwiches and a flask next time.

Not only is it overpriced (as is everything in these types of places) but on visiting there a couple of weeks ago saw an excellent exhibition but had very disappointing coffee and lemon tart to follow.

The Lemon tart tasted slightly off, pastry quality poor and filling tasted of fairy liquid.

As for the coffee it looked like it would be good but I had a dirty mug and asking for soya milk for a hot chocolate was like asking them if I could have some kobe beef milk hand churned and served in a dish with a floating lily.

For the prices they wanted for things I found this a massive let down and t felt like a rip off.

They were presenting themselves as something better than what they could deliver.

I won't be ordering anything from there again.

How did I not know this place existed until now? The exhibition space is great and there are a whole host of activities, films and other events taking place all the time. I went for a panel debate and we were served food and drinks in the conservatory before hand which was really nice. A little oasis in that end of London.

I'll be keeping an eye on the schedule of events - I visited the Surreal House exhibition which was good although I'm not sure I would have wanted to pay the full entrance price for it. Great to know that it opened till 10pm on Thursday though.

The Barbican is one of those places that I don't visit often but when I do a wealth of childhood memories come flooding back!
Walking up the steps from the Barbican tube station I feel like I've stepped straight back into the 70's. The above-the-city walkways lead you straight to the Barbican Centre. You stumble across it so suddenly it's like an urban Secret Garden complete with fountains and a little river/canal.
You could spend the whole day in the Center looking at exhibitions, eating in the cafe, watching a show or not doing very much at all! Definitely one of London's forgotten gems.

The place has wonderful acoustics and atmosphere for classical music concerts of which I have been to a few here. There are also lots of different facilities in the building for smaller concerts and the art gallery has some absolutely great exhibitions.

I also had my graduation ceremony here :-)
The outside has some lovely fountains.

My first visit here and I will make sure it isn't the last!

We ate in the cafe/restaurant which was quite pricey, but the hot food was more reasonable than the £5 small salads.

As others have said, it's not easy to find your way around... which was quite frustrating. However, the journey there from the tube station was well signposted and enthralling. All part of the whole experience, wondering what would greet you around the next corner, with the splendid sight of water iris at the end - if you are there at the right time of year.

The acoustics were excellent and we passed a free act on the way in, which is one of the many things about this venue that make it worth a return visit.

A truly wonderful space, complete with 'erudite' graffiti in the toilets - arguments for and against the virtues of not flushing sanitary items with the solution of purchasing a moon cup. Who could ask for more?

Like Ian's review below this is situated in the weirdest settings ever. My Qype buddy Skin explained the reason behind it ie urban rejuvenation etc etc.

Anyway, this place is a great way to spend a day. I had some time to kill so I ventured on over to it.

Not sure if you are meant to get lost in the place or if it was just me but a helpful security guard explained what was on and I went to the Ron Arad exhibition. Running from 18th Feb to 16th May 2010 and it was really amazing. He likes chairs, so he has designed some amazing pieces and he has also designed some amazing buildings. All in all a highly recommended exhibition (well it was for me anyway...) .

Overall an amazing venue and huge. Check out the site to see what's going on.

Ah the Barbican... what a bizarre, inspiring, ridiculous monstrosity.

Just walking there from the tube station is an experience, across walkways and bridges, through high rise appartments that seem oddly out of place with the rest of the surroundings and past courtyards where you expect to see gangs of skateboarders. You don't of course - it is a nice area after all.
Once you actually make it inside the feel is of Flash Gordon or some other plush sci-fi setting. With confusing bar areas, staircases and toilets tucked away beneath the lot - it's great

The concert hall provides a comfortable experience for those more sedate gig adventures with good acoustics as you would expect.

but yeah - go for the experience and the decor!

Had a scoot around to see Hynotic Brass Ensemble; excellent. Theres somethin homely about anywhere that still has carpet on the floors! Lots of nooks and crannies with far two many cool things happenin…

I adore the Barbican. I recently went to a screening there, and each time I visit I always find myself looking for flats to rent in the estate.

It’s probably the only truly great bit of 60s brutalist architecture in London. Very Dharma Initiative.

Any excuse to go. Just go. One of the best places to hang out if you have a few hours to kill in central London.

I attended the barbican for the first time recently to watch the Guillemots do a special show where they started by doing a live soundtrack to short films, overall the gig was amazing and a large part of that was due to the venue as it offers fantastic acoustics and overall sound quality for a live act. As its an arts centre a lot of the gigs are one offs and i’d say its the only venue i’d go to with no knowledge of who’s playing, i’d rate the place that highly.

I once visited the Barbican in order to attend an exhibition on Graphic Design, which she was studying at the time. I found it a very pleasant environment within which to hold an exhibition, and wished we could have stayed longer in order to experience the other areas of the venue, such as the cinema. It is extremely easy to get to, straight off from the underground, and the space contained within is perfect for exhibitions, as it allows for each genre to have it’s own little space. I hope to return in the future.

Offering 3 cinemas (of blockbuster and art house films) 2 exhibition centre of everything from fashion sales to fetish exhibitions 2 art galleries a theatre a concert hall a library, a music library 3 restaurants a d church a school and university as well as 7 conference rooms(whatever these are).
Although an absolutely ugly estate it is a quiet retreat from the square mile as its built upon stilts that keep the noise out. I often eat my lunch out by the man made lake on the terrace. A unique part of London and an alternative to south bank centre.
Its situated between barbican and moor gate tubes.

The Barbican is a lovely arts and entertainment centre and the cinema didn’t disappoint. It shows mainly old and art-house movies and the atmosphere of the Barbican centre is perfect for this type of cinema.

When I got in to the screen it reminded me of an old cinema - It had a large stage which suggested that it sometimes doubles as a theatre. The film I saw had live piano accompaniment, and the auditorium was perfect for this. It was a big screen and a big auditorium and the patrons were very respectful of the film they were watching. The seats were very comfortable, and refreshingly there was nowhere to buy popcorn, so there wasn’t anyone munching in my ear like in most cinemas.

A very happy filmgoing experience for me, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.