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As per the title.
I'll have a few hours spare tomorrow afternoon and would like to frequent a few good pubs.
I'll be near Victoria but will be walking towards Soho, so through Mayfair and St James's.
Any suggestions?
surely you have to go the other way and go to Cask in Pimlico
Few in Shepherds Mkt by Green Park tube.
Clachan by Liberty's (used to be a favourite on a Friday evening as it's where all the shop girls would go after work 😉 )
Princess Louise, just past Soho in Holborn. Absolutely stunning Victorian pub.
Little off your route on the other side of Hyde Park Corner, but th eGrenadier is worth a visit.
surely you have to go the other way and go to Cask in Pimlico
It's a meander towards the station, hence that direction. Plus I've visited Cask a few times and want to try something different.
French House on Dean Street.
If there was one place that made 'one quick one after work' turn messy, it was Bradley's Spanish Bar, round the back of Oxford Street.
quite a few tucked away round Mayfair. Punchbowl, Chesterfield arms, Coach & horses...
Princess Louise and The Lamb, Lamb's Conduit St, for amazing architecture (beer in the Louise is now Sam Smith's, if that's your thing, but the loos are a must). For ace beer, proper pub and camra award winning, the Harp (off St Martin's Lane on the way to Soho).
A daft question but I'm curious - what is a 'proper' London pub? Actually what makes a 'proper' pub? I don't drink and I don't socialise unless doing something like a bike ride, coaching or trailbuilding (yeah, I'm a reasonable attempt at a modern day anti-social person).
I've no idea what would make a proper pub so asking...something else to be educated on for general trivia.
I assume a proper London pub always has someone playing the old Joanna in the corner. Knees ap mavva braaaawn.....
proper london pubs should be a few hundred years old, claim to have been frequented by Dickens and serve only beer! no wine or fruit based drinks for the ladies - or food!
lots of wood, polished brass and flowers in the windows!
So it should be like Mrs Miggin's pie/coffee shop like you see in BlackAdder?
proper london pubs should be a few hundred years old
something like that, although I'll make an exception for places like Cask - they aren't pretending to a 100 years old. The obvious example of somewhere that isn't a proper London pub is the Wetherspoons they built on the site of the Marquee: they've gone for a Victorian sounding name and nameboard, brass fittings, etc. It's been there for about 20 years...
The Guinea on Bruton Place does a decent Guinness and chips in beef dripping.
An afterthought on what makes a proper London pub. I like to imagine that I’m sat in a place that has had some proper shady deals made, murders planned and celebrations made.
When I worked down there a lot I used to go in the Two Chairmen on Dartmouth Street in St James’, largely because it was right next to the office. Nice little back street pub though.
Also occasionally went in the Westminster Arms on the off chance of spotting some pissed up politicians and hearing them ring the Division Bell and seeing them scamper back to the Commons. Never heard it unfortunately.
does a decent Guinness and chips in beef dripping.
Trying to decide if the addition of beef dripping would make Guinness taste any worse or not....
amazing how many claim to be Dickens' local!! must've been a right pisscan!
nowhere near where OP wants to drink but 'Prospect of Whitby' in Wapping is one that's worth a visit. some shady dealings gone down in there centuries past! still has a eery vibe.
near Green Park/St James
Red Lion in Crown Passage
Golden Lion on King St
Blue Posts on Bennet St
Chequers on Duke St (where you will often see Stephen Fry walk past as he lives near it)
Soho
Old Coffee House on Beak St
There's quite a few down the back streets which go off Victoria Street. There's a few near Channel 4 and there's a few near Scotland Yard that I used to frequent. If you need breakfast then try the Regency Cafe.
something like that, although I’ll make an exception for places like Cask
The Cask is not a “proper” London pub, imho it’s a bar that sells expensive niche ales. Last time I was in it all the tables were reserved - which is not a London pub thing.
Coach and Horses in Soho used to be a proper pub with a rude landlord and plenty of 'characters' but the last time I was in it seemed done over and lost its zing and half the cartoons had gone.