Old or noteworthy central-ish London pubs?
Discussion
Can anyone recommend a good 'character' pub in London? One that would be a real experience to visit.
Planning to venture into 'central' on Sunday to explore a bit, and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a swift half and possibly some food? I noticed one of the free tube papers had a run down of them last week, but never got round to swiping a copy.
Planning to venture into 'central' on Sunday to explore a bit, and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a swift half and possibly some food? I noticed one of the free tube papers had a run down of them last week, but never got round to swiping a copy.
Chris71 said:
Can anyone recommend a good 'character' pub in London? One that would be a real experience to visit.
Coal Hole, Strand ?Coach & Horses, Soho, complete with Mrs Mills on piano,
will appeal to the more senior drinker who remember the
1970s.
The Bricklayers Arms, Grese St - cheapest beer in Central
London ? £1.90 for a pint of fizzy Alpine lager from Tadcaster.
Crosse Keys, Gracechurch St - a fine example of Wetherspoons
converting an old bank.
Chris71 said:
Can anyone recommend a good 'character' pub in London? One that would be a real experience to visit.
Planning to venture into 'central' on Sunday to explore a bit, and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a swift half and possibly some food? I noticed one of the free tube papers had a run down of them last week, but never got round to swiping a copy.
http://www.theguinea.co.uk/index.phpPlanning to venture into 'central' on Sunday to explore a bit, and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a swift half and possibly some food? I noticed one of the free tube papers had a run down of them last week, but never got round to swiping a copy.
Pie and Guinness....mmmmmmmmmmmm.....whats not to like ?
ThatPhilBrettGuy said:
Sadly, anything interesting in the city will be shut on a Sunday.
Which area were you heading for?
Not sure yet. The OH is on about going to The Natural History Museum, so possibly that sort of area or somewhere along the Piccadilly line for the trip back? We'll be armed with travelcards though, so it doesn't really matter.Which area were you heading for?
The Guinea looks good - on the way home too it seems - as is The Red Lion off Pall Mall.
I think I've been to The Red Lion before and (blatantly lifting these from The Times Online's pub list, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_ty... I've been to The Coach and Horses in Soho quite a few times.
Ye Olde Mitre - was in the film Snatch. It's near Holborn.
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/15/1564/Ye_...
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/15/1564/Ye_...
Half the pubs on the list (The Guinea included) turned out to be closed on Sundays, so we defaulted to one of our standard choices - The Three Greyhounds in Soho. It's a bit of a cliche with its mock Tudor facade and everything, but the pies are superb, the beer is good (and reasonably varied) and the atmosphere is perfect for a slow start to a Sunday afternoon.
dcb said:
Chris71 said:
The Bricklayers Arms, Grese St - cheapest beer in Central
London ? £1.90 for a pint of fizzy Alpine lager from Tadcaster.
(Thread resurrection alert)London ? £1.90 for a pint of fizzy Alpine lager from Tadcaster.
And in the same vein:
The Angel in the Fields (Marylebone High Street)
The Blue Posts (corner of Newman Street halfway down)
and the Champion (turn left out of the blue posts, walk 200m)
All Sam Smith's pubs, but all different. I think Alpine is up to £2.21 now.
Our work local, The Ship Tavern (behind Holborn tube), is now open on Sundays if you get stuck for a decent pint of ale. Actually, the Seven Stars (behind the Royal Courts of Justice) is open at the weekends. The most surly staff you're ever likely to come across but it's incredibly old and creaky.
Nice thread resurrection!
Coincidentally I was rather taken by The Black Heart in Camden when I visited the other day. It's not old and it's not as extrovert as some rocky places in Camden, but it does good value food and drink, and keeps a deliberately low profile away from most of the tourists.
Coincidentally I was rather taken by The Black Heart in Camden when I visited the other day. It's not old and it's not as extrovert as some rocky places in Camden, but it does good value food and drink, and keeps a deliberately low profile away from most of the tourists.
Chris71 said:
Nice thread resurrection!
Coincidentally I was rather taken by The Black Heart in Camden when I visited the other day. It's not old and it's not as extrovert as some rocky places in Camden, but it does good value food and drink, and keeps a deliberately low profile away from most of the tourists.
Pub threads never die.Coincidentally I was rather taken by The Black Heart in Camden when I visited the other day. It's not old and it's not as extrovert as some rocky places in Camden, but it does good value food and drink, and keeps a deliberately low profile away from most of the tourists.
If you're in the Angel area, I highly recommend the Mucky Pup or the New Rose (named after the Damned song). They're about five minutes walk from each other on and near the Essex Road. The Pup has the best jukebox in London (especially if you like obscure US noise rock - Jesus Lizard, Melvins etc) whereas the Rose is a bit more foody but has lots of interesting characters about the place.
Will give the Black Heart a go next time I'm in that neck of the woods!
I went to The Spaniards Inn on Hampstead Heath yesterday. It lived up to expectations with bags of character inside, a superb (partly covered) beer garden outside, a very comprehensive and interesting drinks menu, and good food - albeit a fairly limited and slightly pricey menu. They've got a cider promotion on at the moment and I could have stayed there all day. 
A few of my locals that are worth a bash (not really that central though):
The Price Alfred - Formosa Street
Very popular on a quiet bit of road near Warwick Ave tube station. Lots of standing outside drinking in the sunshine. Bar is broken up into sections with wooden partitions which have half height doors making progress around the place interesting. Has a restaurant tagged on the back. Youngs and Pride of draught plus all the usual lagers and things. Not cheap mind you.
The Bridge House - Westbourne Terrace Road
Right next to the canal in Little Venice. Has a theatre upstairs. Three ales on tap (from memory, Landlord, IPA and a guest?) plus lots of interesting foreign lager - Franziskaner Weiss in those really tall glasses is a winner.
The Warrington - Warrington Crescent
Gordon Ramsey foodie place upstairs but the pub downstairs is fantastic. Three Fullers and a guest on draught. Ornately decorated with a big staircase running up the side of the bar. Worth popping in for a half just to see the inside. Seating outside on the junction of Sutherland Avenue and a great place for car spotting on a sunny day.
There's a couple more within staggering distance too - The Warwick Castle and The Robert Browning so a decent crawl is possible with no more than 5 minutes walking between.
The Price Alfred - Formosa Street
Very popular on a quiet bit of road near Warwick Ave tube station. Lots of standing outside drinking in the sunshine. Bar is broken up into sections with wooden partitions which have half height doors making progress around the place interesting. Has a restaurant tagged on the back. Youngs and Pride of draught plus all the usual lagers and things. Not cheap mind you.
The Bridge House - Westbourne Terrace Road
Right next to the canal in Little Venice. Has a theatre upstairs. Three ales on tap (from memory, Landlord, IPA and a guest?) plus lots of interesting foreign lager - Franziskaner Weiss in those really tall glasses is a winner.
The Warrington - Warrington Crescent
Gordon Ramsey foodie place upstairs but the pub downstairs is fantastic. Three Fullers and a guest on draught. Ornately decorated with a big staircase running up the side of the bar. Worth popping in for a half just to see the inside. Seating outside on the junction of Sutherland Avenue and a great place for car spotting on a sunny day.
There's a couple more within staggering distance too - The Warwick Castle and The Robert Browning so a decent crawl is possible with no more than 5 minutes walking between.
Greenwich Ross said:
Chris71 said:
Nice thread resurrection!
Coincidentally I was rather taken by The Black Heart in Camden when I visited the other day. It's not old and it's not as extrovert as some rocky places in Camden, but it does good value food and drink, and keeps a deliberately low profile away from most of the tourists.
Pub threads never die.Coincidentally I was rather taken by The Black Heart in Camden when I visited the other day. It's not old and it's not as extrovert as some rocky places in Camden, but it does good value food and drink, and keeps a deliberately low profile away from most of the tourists.
If you're in the Angel area, I highly recommend the Mucky Pup or the New Rose (named after the Damned song). They're about five minutes walk from each other on and near the Essex Road. The Pup has the best jukebox in London (especially if you like obscure US noise rock - Jesus Lizard, Melvins etc) whereas the Rose is a bit more foody but has lots of interesting characters about the place.
Will give the Black Heart a go next time I'm in that neck of the woods!
And they have some great UK noise on there too, in particular, the album "Horse of the Dog".
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