please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Good food, good beer and a friendly and helpful staff. Good meeting point with a warm welcome.
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Friday lunchtime there is good jazz of varying styles ,downstairs ,admission is usually about £6. Bit of a push to get served ,and its quite murky down there but well worth it,a friendly crowd too,recommended.
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Hand it to McMullens, they sure know how to ruin a pub. This place aint doing half the business it was doing when the Mad Paddy ran the place (for 16 happy years). Squeeky-clean kids running the place now via an Operations and Procedures Manual. Painting by numbers, without a fuckin clue!
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I spent Friday night in this pub standing at the bar with a large group of friends and it was very enjoyable. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and the bouncers were very amiable. The place was very busy but there was never a long wait to be served and the barman remembered the 12 drink order every time we required another round.
It was a bit pricey, but you come to expect that in Central London. The available lagers were your bog standard Fosters, Krony and Heineken with a Strongbow thrown in. I’m not a bitter drinker, but I did make note of the AK, Country Best and Winter Ale.
There is a room downstairs that had a group playing some music, but as far as I could see there weren’t many people in there and I think there was a charge to go in, so I didn’t.
If I’m in the area I’ll probably pop in for a few jars, but I wouldn’t make a special trip.
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clean and friendly place, handy disabled toilet on the ground floor to save going down to the ladies!
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And did you know this pub makes a cameo in the film Sid and Nancy?
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Not particulary fond of this place. It's OK. If it was anywhere near to Victoria station (the no mans land of the pub world if ever there was one - there is one decent pub there I can think of) it'd get a decent rating, but in Soho, with so much to choose from within less than 400 yards from here, it's a 5/10.
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Usually avoid drinking in this part of town but called in here to see if Festive Stout was available. It was. A busy pub but not heaving, worth a visit if you're happy to drink McMullens range of beers and lagers.
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Oh...dave71 likes The Spice of Life.....still. I'd have never guessed from the two previous posts he made about it.
Not everyone likes acoustic music, or open-mic nights, and I'd put a lot more faith in a review from JohnBonser, who's been to a lot of pubs and posts very good & justified reviews, than someone who reviews the same pub over, and over - and clearly has some personal interest in the place.
Sitting outside The Spice of Life is awful, and only slightly better than sitting outside the Nell Gwynne. If you manage to survive the fumes of one of London's biggest traffic bottlenecks, you can be harrassed for money by passing tramps on a seemingly endless basis. All this, while watching the local "pharmacists" use the pub's hanging baskets to hide their stash.
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Spice of Life
Standing guard over the entrance to Soho at Cambridge Circus, the Spice is enjoying a revival thanks to an egalitarian policy of daily live entertainment and to upping the ante on food and drink offerings. In its crossroads location, the Spice was always a place for a passing pint – but the decision to throw open its basement Backstage Bar to jazz musicians twice a week, indie bands thrice, bluesers on Tuesdays and open-mic try-outs on Mondays has generated a new community of regulars spanning the generations. On Friday lunchtimes you’ll see over-50s queuing for trad jazz; by the evening, it’s earnest young indie types. The spacious upstairs bar is a hive of activity, with its all-day kitchen (Big Plates of chicken-and-seafood paella £8.95, sirloin steak £11.95) and fine ales (McMullen AK and Country Best, Deuchars IPA). Six wines of each colour and cheap cocktails too.
Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2006/7
Buy Bars, Pubs and Clubs 2006 ONLY £6.99
Services:
Disabled: toilet
Function room: Bar available for hire
Music: open mic 6.30pm Mon; blues 8pm Tue; both free; jazz 8pm Wed and Thur, lunch Fri and Sun; £5-£10; acoustic guitar and bands 7.30pm Fri-Sun; £6
Outdoor tables: 5, pavement
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This pub remains a decent but little known oasis in central London. OK, so it's not the most exciting pub in the world but it does decent beer, decent food, usually a place where you can find a seat, and with live music in the evenings. Plus the big bonus on an incredibly hot day - very good air conditioning.
anonymous - 25 Jul 2006 20:41 |
This is one of my favourite places in C London. Not full of wankers like the majority of places in Leicester Sq area. Easy for other people to find, never too rammed full and decent beer.
Music downstairs is usually OK and they should be congratulated for still running a decent pub with live music.
Agree with the last comment that some of the other reviewers must have been to a different pub...
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one of the problems with people who have been reviewing this pub is the lack of knowledge they have about the pub. If mr bonser had taken the time to talk to the bar staff or walk down stairs to the basement bar that has live music every night i hope it would educate him not to wax lyrical about something he has no comprehension of. this pub and music venue has the singular aspect of having regulars for over 20 years there are very few and far between pub's in central london that can make this claim.
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Rather bland and characterless. Functional, inoffensive and seemingly efficiently run, but uninspiring. A typically impersonal Central London transient pub. Not one to rush back to
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Pleasant enough pub but it has a bit of a plastic feel about it and gets very busy. You could almost imagine you were in a Wetherspoons but the “Spice” is actually owned by McMullens brewery which at least means that some unusual beers are on offer and at reasonable prices considering where the pub is. The main area of the pub is spacious with several tables although they get full very early. There is a raised stripped pine floor area with some imaginative tiling where the bar is situated. Service is very good – I was acknowledged by 2 different bar staff while they were busy serving other people. There is a false ceiling with built in lights and extractor fan outlets that contrasts with the chandeliers hanging either side from the original ceiling. Food is basic but looked fairly good when I saw it being brought out. There is a Wide screen TV but it is not really a pub geared for watching TV.
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Paid a recent visit after a gap of several years. The makeover is an improvement - it's now light and airy rather than dark and oppressive as in the old days. Good beers, although still rather smokey. Especially attractive is the feature that the bar staff actually interact with the paying punters, rather than the usual West End habit of simply relieving them of their money.
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Triangular shaped pub with chandeliers. Very open. Like a mini Wetherspoon. Echoing and noisy with thumping music and humming conversation. Light, clean and happy. A McMullens pub so serves interesting beer that is normally difficult to find in London. If it wasn't for the beer I wouldn't come here.
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Hi there - Can anyone tell me what the Spice of Life is like now. I used to go there as a student about 10 or so years ago. Live in Los Angeles now. Has the refitting changed it much or is it still a studenty/trendy haunt. Thanks very much. Mo.
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I used to drink here
every lunch, until my boss
asked me to stop it.
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A surprisingly traditional pub considering where it is doing decent beer. It has a mix of customers reflecting its position between theatreland, Soho, Covent Garden, Chinatown with lots of tourists, locals and students. A bit on the pricey side but quite a haven as it is usually possible to get a seat even though it can get busy. Not bad food as well.
anonymous - 8 Jul 2005 00:49 |
A really nice pub, simple as that.
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I love this pub. A little on the pricey side for me, but the place itself is comfortable and relaxing. A pleasant place to go for a good night in a welcoming environment.
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if you've never been then what have you been doing with your time in the west end . you can start at eleven and rub shoulders with musos and artists have a good lunch with a good selection of wines and beer's . then do some shopping come back an listen to the fine selectin of live music and any night of the week . If you want to create your own then mondays are open mike and sunday's are crazy kareoke
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a traditional english pub in the center of soho right next to the palace theatre. great location, lots of space and great drinks. they sell tradtional ale brewed by mcmullens which is very rare to get in london. also serves great traditional english food as well as a wide range of other food types to meet everyones taste. everything is freshly cooked. there is also a downstairs bar with live music everynight, from jazz to blues to rock and on sunday they have karaoke.
Gavin Chinasamy - 21 Nov 2004 13:31 |
A pleasant surprise right in the heart of the West End. Expensive but in the area that goes without saying! Very nicely decorated and comfortable. Street level bar is very light and airy and the beer is good. Downsatirs is more cosy and hosts live bands,etc. A nice place for a relaxing pint in a welcoming pub that temporarily takes you away from the hustle and bustle outside and in to an environment more similar to a decent local in the suburbs. Clean and well looked after and the food looked very nice.
scotty - 10 Nov 2004 10:02 |
The spice of life is such an excellent pub on karaoke night especially. The regulars are all very welcoming and the night is always a success. I love it!!
kat - 8 Nov 2004 16:31 |
revisited after a very long absense (probably nearly 10 years) fortunately the McMullens ale is kept in tip top condition, found it an excellent place for people watching, on the negative side ventilation for non smokers could have been better.
Steve - 6 Sep 2004 17:47 |
Although this pub is bloddy expensive (£3.10) for a stella,when just accross the road in the Cambridge it is onlt £2.60 it does still offer good atmosphere and has a great downstairs bar that holds a superb Kareoke night on Sundays.
Nick Hamer - 20 Aug 2004 18:50 |
