Company parties, offsites, strategy days, weddings and milestone birthdays can be organized at La Cave, a former miners' pub turned private event venue in the Überruhr-Hinsel district in the south of Essen. The whole house is rented to one group with no outside guests, from 50 guests for a party (70 on Saturdays), while business sessions start at 12 people.
Seminars and company events
La Cave runs a business format for strategy days, workshops, offsites and team-building, and a group booking a business session is the only group in the house. The bistro area, with fixed tables, seats 20 to 25 people for a working meeting. The lounge has an 86-inch screen, and the venue provides high-speed WiFi, a projector and screen, and a sound system with a wireless microphone. The offsite package covers four hours with a drinks flat rate (coffee, tea, water and soft drinks), and extra hours can be added. After work, teams can move on to a cocktail course, a gin or whiskey tasting, a pub quiz with questions about the company, or a barbecue on the terrace. Christmas parties and larger company events use the whole house.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are sold with exclusive use of the venue. The dance floor has its own disco setup, and the covered winter garden and the terrace extend the space for drinks. Couples choose their own catering, and service staff and final cleaning are part of the package. The site does not mention a ceremony on site, so the venue suits the reception after a civil or religious ceremony held elsewhere. Birthday parties for round ages, from 30 to 60, are the other main use.
Rooms and capacities
The house is organized around a solid oak bar, a lounge, the bistro area, a dance floor, a heated and covered winter garden, and an outdoor terrace where food trucks and grills can be set up. Sound and lighting are installed, and guests can bring their own DJ or playlist. The building is at street level and step-free. The site does not publish a maximum capacity; the minimum for an exclusive party is 50 guests, 70 on Saturdays.
Catering
There is no compulsory caterer. Organizers can work with the venue's partner caterers from Essen, book a food truck, bring their own caterer or set up a shared buffet. For business days, a lunch buffet and a breakfast from partner caterers can be added. Drinks are served by the venue's own team.
History and setting
The building probably dates from around 1850 and appears on maps from 1863 as a miners' pub at the end of the railway line from Wuppertal. From 1919 it was known as Zum Felsenkeller. In 1978 the photographer Klaus Vogel opened the La Cave jazz club there and redesigned the interior as a mine tunnel. After several owners and a period as a restaurant, the current owner reopened it on October 1, 2011, as a pub and event venue.
Getting there
The address is Langenberger Strasse 101, 45277 Essen. Essen-Kupferdreh station on the S9 line is close by, a bus stops in front of the house, and Essen central station is about 8 km away. The A40 and A52 motorways are within reach, free parking is available at the venue, and Düsseldorf airport is about 35 km away. Viewings are possible without appointment every Tuesday afternoon.
